Phi Alpha Theta
Encyclopedia
Phi Alpha Theta is an American
honor society
for undergraduate
and graduate
students and professor
s of history
.
The society is a charter member of the Association of College Honor Societies
and has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.
by Professor Nels Cleven. Cleven had become convinced in his time at the university that a fraternity of scholars (which would accept men or women) was important for the study of history. He invited students to a meeting to form the society (then called the "University Historical Society") on March 14, and the society was officially recognized on the 17th. In April, the decision was made for the society to be known by the Greek
letters Phi
Alpha
Theta.
, which has over 12,500 individual subscribers and 1,000 library
subscribers. The society's national headquarters and the journal's editorial offices are located at the University of South Florida
. The Historian splits the space in its quarterly issues between articles and book reviews. The book review section of the journal has been based at Ohio Wesleyan University
since 1994.
Sandra Horvath-Peterson of Georgetown University
is the current president of Phi Alpha Theta, and Graydon A. Tunstall, Jr. of the University of South Florida
is Executive Director. Kees Boterbloem of USF is managing editor of The Historian
, and Richard Spall, Jr. of Ohio Wesleyan University is the journal's book review editor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
honor society
Honor society
In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...
for undergraduate
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
and graduate
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
students and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
.
The society is a charter member of the Association of College Honor Societies
Association of College Honor Societies
The Association of College Honor Societies , founded in 1925, is a predominantly American organization that serves a number of functions with respect to national collegiate and post-graduate honor societies...
and has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.
Founding
Phi Alpha Theta was established on March 17, 1921 at the University of ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
by Professor Nels Cleven. Cleven had become convinced in his time at the university that a fraternity of scholars (which would accept men or women) was important for the study of history. He invited students to a meeting to form the society (then called the "University Historical Society") on March 14, and the society was officially recognized on the 17th. In April, the decision was made for the society to be known by the Greek
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
letters Phi
Phi (letter)
Phi , pronounced or sometimes in English, and in modern Greek, is the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet. In modern Greek, it represents , a voiceless labiodental fricative. In Ancient Greek it represented , an aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive...
Alpha
Alpha (letter)
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 1. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Aleph...
Theta.
Publication and leadership
Phi Alpha Theta publishes a quarterly historical journal entitled The HistorianThe Historian (journal)
The Historian is a history journal published quarterly by Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the history honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. The journal was established in 1938...
, which has over 12,500 individual subscribers and 1,000 library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
subscribers. The society's national headquarters and the journal's editorial offices are located at the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
. The Historian splits the space in its quarterly issues between articles and book reviews. The book review section of the journal has been based at Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
since 1994.
Sandra Horvath-Peterson of Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
is the current president of Phi Alpha Theta, and Graydon A. Tunstall, Jr. of the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
is Executive Director. Kees Boterbloem of USF is managing editor of The Historian
The Historian (journal)
The Historian is a history journal published quarterly by Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the history honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. The journal was established in 1938...
, and Richard Spall, Jr. of Ohio Wesleyan University is the journal's book review editor.