Pi Delta Phi, established in 1906, is the French National Honor Society for undergraduate and graduate students at accredited public and private colleges and universities in the United States. There are currently more than 330 chapters of the Society in the United States and two representative chapters at the American Universities in Paris and Aix-en-Provence in France. The society was admitted to membership in the Association of College Honor Societies in 1967.
The purpose of the Society is to recognize outstanding scholarship in the French language and its literatures, to increase the knowledge and appreciation of Americans for the cultural contributions of the French-speaking world, and to stimulate and to encourage French and Francophone cultural activities.
History
Pi Delta Phi was founded as a departmental honor society at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1906. After twenty years as a local chapter, Pi Delta Phi declared itself the National French Honor Society and chartered the Beta Chapter at the University of Southern California in 1925, and the Gamma Chapter at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1926.
The Society expanded slowly during the next fifteen years, but enjoyed renewed interest and growth during the 1940s and 1950s. At the present time, it numbers more than 330 chapters established at representative public and private colleges and universities in almost every state, as well as chapters in Paris and Aix-en-Provence. The society was admitted to membership in the Association of College Honor Societies in 1967.
The Pi Delta Phi Chapter at IU-Northwest (Xi Gamma) was initiated in October 2007 by President Scooter Pégram
Categories of Membership
Regular members include graduate and undergraduate students who shall be nominated in recognition of their academic achievement in at least one semester or quarter of upper division French, with a minimum GPA of 3.00 in French and rank in the top 35% of their class. Graduate students who are candidates for an advanced degree in French are eligible for regular membership.
Honorary members include: the French faculty of the sponsoring institution; members of the faculty at large, and diplomats, community and business leaders who have demonstrated a strong support of French language, culture and Francophone literature.
