The Chattanooga Area Phi Beta Kappa Association would like to invite
the community to a public presentation by Dr. John Churchill, executive
secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He will be on the UTC campus
Monday, November 11 at 4 p.m. in Grote 131 to discuss "The Liberal
Arts in a World in Conflict."
Phi Beta Kappa was founded on December 5, 1776, at the College of William
and Mary. Since then, Phi Beta Kappa has evolved to become the nation's
leading advocate for the liberal arts and sciences at the undergraduate
level. The Society's distinctive emblem, a golden key, is widely recognized
as a symbol of academic achievement. In 1900, when the first general catalogue
for Phi Beta Kappa was published, the membership was about 10,500. It
is now more than 600,000.
At the time of his appointment, Churchill was interim president of Hendrix
College in Conway, Ark. Previously he was vice president for academic
affairs, dean of the college and professor of philosophy. He was awarded
distinction in philosophy when he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Rhodes
College in 1971. He then earned two masters degrees and a doctorate
at Yale University, followed by an additional masters degree from
Oxford University in England.
Phi Beta Kappa Society President Joseph W. Gordon, dean of undergraduate
education and deputy dean of Yale College headed the search committee
that appointed Churchill in 2001. "By bringing new energy to the
Society's programs, John Churchill will speak out eloquently in the current
debates about education on campuses and in communities across the country,"
Gordon said.
An authority on the 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, Churchill
has taught courses ranging from social and political philosophy to biomedical
ethics to western intellectual traditions. He has published widely in
academic journals and held leadership roles in professional associations.
For more information, please call the College of Arts and Sciences at
(423)425-4635.
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