From the President

Dear Fellow Phi Betes,

Summer 2024 has been marked by significant geopolitical conflicts and tensions. Amid these challenges, unity and collaboration shone brightly during the Paris Olympics. The Games showcased athletes’ dedication and camaraderie, illustrating how individual excellence and mutual support can transcend national borders and geopolitical complexities. We will soon celebrate the achievements of athletes with disabilities in the upcoming Paralympics, exemplifying diverse forms of human excellence.

Amid these global events, education in the liberal arts and sciences remains paramount. Creative and critical thinking fostered through a liberal arts education is essential for addressing the challenges of our time. Whether navigating international tensions, fostering global cooperation and friendships, or promoting inclusivity and accessibility, the skills developed through the liberal arts are invaluable.

I encourage you to visit our website to learn more about upcoming events and to participate in our ongoing meetups and programs. Renewing your membership is simple through our website, thanks to our dedicated communications team.

I wish you all happiness and good health. Please stay cool and hydrated!

Warmly,

Melissa Xanthe Stevens, President

Don’t miss the 38th Asilomar Conference Feb. 14–17, 2025 - here

Can you suggest a new venue for our Annual Meeting?

Unfortunately, although we have used the Bancroft for many years, it will no longer be available for our meeting. We are looking for another venue that is centrally located, has adequate parking, and, if possible, access to public transportation and reasonably priced. We are reaching out to you for suggestions for possible venues.  Please contact Jean James via email at jeanejames@comcast.net or text/call her at 415-328-7978 with any ideas you might have and we will take it from there. We want to continue our annual meeting and awards presentations. We just need a space in which to accomplish this.

Scholarship Awards presented at the Bancroft Hotel on April 28, 2024

In fulfillment of its mission to encourage scholarship and research, the Phi Beta Kappa Northern California Association has honored the following twelve outstanding Phi Beta Kappa graduate students with $10,000 scholarship awards to assist them in completing their educational objectives.

Top row: Alex Ullman (English, UC Berkeley), M. Taylor Black (History, UC Davis), Alexia Hernandez (Linguistics, Stanford, Reed Scholarship), Sophie Cushman (Classical Archaeology, UC Berkeley)

Bottom row: Louisa Brandt (History, UC Davis), Seth Zupanc (Medicine, UC San Francisco), Sarah Manney (Law, Stanford Law, Hendess Scholarship), Yisheng Tang (Japanese Language, UC Berkeley)

Not pictured: Brianne Felsher (Jurisprudence and Social Policy, UC Berkeley), S. Freeman (Geography, UC Berkeley), Marilyn Steyert (Biomedical Science, UC San Francisco, Hardardt Scholarship), Yutong Zhan (History, UC Davis, Norall Scholarship)

The Scholarship Committee: Jeff Fenton, Lynne Fovinci, Rona Giffard, Judith Hardardt, Jean James, Joanne Sandstrom (Chair)

Teaching Excellence Awards presented at the Bancroft April 28, 2024

The Teaching Excellence Award was given to eight teachers nominated by their students. It consists of a Certificate and a $1000 honorarium.

Top row: Erik Ellis (Writing and Rhetoric Studies, Stanford), Peter Minowitz (Political Science, Santa Clara), Giovanni Peri (Economics, UC Davis)

Bottom row: Nasser Zakariya (Rhetoric, UC Berkeley), Olivia Bailey (Philosophy, UC Berkeley, Hasenkamp Award), Sophia Azeb (Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, UC Santa Cruz)

Not pictured: Hadar Dancig-Rosenberg (Legal Studies, UC Berkeley), Wendy Salkin (Philosophy, Stanford)

Teaching Excellence Committee: Andrea Braga, Melisa Lasell, Leilani Miller, Melissa Stevens (Chair)

PBK Teaching Excellence 2024 award-winner,

Wendy Salkin (Philosophy, Stanford), receives APW prize

Wendy Salkin received the 2025 Fred Berger Memorial Prize of the American Philosophical Association.

The APA is pleased to announce that Professor Wendy Salkin has been awarded the 2025 Fred Berger Memorial Prize for her article, “Speaking for Others from the Bench” (Legal Theory 29, no. 2 (2023): 151–84). Salkin will be awarded $500, and a symposium in her honor will be held at the 2025 APA Pacific Division meeting in San Francisco, CA.

Membership Matters – Wild Apricot and AffiniPay put PBKNCA in the ‘cloud’

Since 2021 Phi Beta Kappa members with access to computers have been able to join, renew, register for events and individually control their privacy options. Board members no longer depend on a spreadsheet on the Membership VP’s computer to do their jobs.

Before the move to the cloud, I manually handled over 1,000 transactions a year; now it is less than 200. This means that I can now focus on assisting PBK members who have questions about what PBKNCA offers, and helping the minority of members who have issues navigating the online system or prefer to transact their membership matters offline. For me these are the most important parts of supporting PBKNCA membership.

Pat Kenber, VP Membership.

Upcoming Events

Currently, the Phi Beta Kappa Northern California Association suggests masking for indoor activities.

Note: The price stated for events is for current PBKNCA members; elapsed or non-members (except guests of members) will pay a surcharge. Full event information, and means of credit card payment, are available on our website https://pbknca.com/Events/.

If you won’t be able to make an event, contact O’Neil Dillon at oneilsdillon@gmail.com ASAP, or if it is the day of the event call him at 510-207-8761, as there may be others on the waiting list who will then be able to take your place.

No-shows do NOT receive a ref­­­und! Cancellations probably do.

Sign up for events at https://pbknca.com/Events

To register for an event if you don’t have Internet access,

please contact O’Neil Dillon, cell 510-207-8761.

Honk! On the Road to a Car Museum, August 24, 2024, 11:00 AM. Members $25, Non-members $40

Come join a docent-led tour of the California Automobile Museum, housing a collection of over 150 classic cars, race cars, muscle cars and early models. Displays range from a 1900 Locomobile Steam Car up to today’s electric cars. Be sure to check out the Glamour Road exhibit (August 5th to late October) highlighting color, fashion, style and the mid-century automobile.

Located in downtown Sacramento, the museum’s mission is to educate and entertain while preserving and promoting the automobile and its influence on our lives. https://pbknca.com/event-5731580

Young Professionals: Join us for a coffee/tea meet-and-greet. Sept. 7

The Phi Beta Kappa Young Professionals Committee is hosting a meet-and-greet on Saturday, September 7th from 9:30 to 11:30am at Blue Bottle Coffee in Palo Alto (456 University Avenue. Palo Alto, CA 94301) where you can meet other recent Phi Beta Kappa graduates. If attendees would like to order beverages/food, they should expect to pay out of pocket. We hope to see you there! 

https://pbknca.com/event-5830152

Museum Tour/Sake Tasting at Takara Sake. Oct. 11, Signup Cutoff Sept 15. Berkeley. 1-3 PM, Members $40, Non-Members $50.