The Phi Beta Kappa Society was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Alpha of Oregon became the first chapter in the state in 1923. Although three private schools in Oregon now have chapters, the University of Oregon still has the only Phi Beta Kappa chapter in the public Oregon University System. The Phi Beta Kappa Society honors students whose undergraduate academic records fulfill the objectives of a liberal arts education.
Source: Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha of Oregon Chapter, University of Oregon website: http://pages.uoregon.edu/pbk/Phi_Beta_Kappa_at_the_University_of_Oregon/Home.html
From the guide to the Phi Beta Kappa. Oregon Alpha Chapter records, 1903-1993, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)
