Honor Society Officer to Discuss the Role of Liberal Arts

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 master’s degrees and a doctorate at Yale University, followed by an additional master’s 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.