Beta Kappa Chi

American honor society for science and math

Beta Kappa Chi

ΒΚΧ
Founded| 1923; 101 years ago (1923)
Lincoln University
Type| Honor Society
Affiliation| ACHS
Status| Active
Emphasis| Natural science and Mathematics
Scope| National
Motto| Science holds the Golden Key to the Royal Palace of Knowledge
Colors|  Golden Yellow and  Royal Blue
Symbol| Clover Leaf, Skull and Crossed Bones, Circle, Retort, Balance, Scroll
Publication| Beta Kappa Chi Bulletin
Chapters| 67
Members| 66,000 lifetime
Headquarters| c/o Southern University and A&M College
244 William James Hall
PO Box 10046
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813
United States
Website| www.betakappachi.org

Beta Kappa Chi (ΒΚΧ) is an American collegiate honor society that recognizes academic achievement in the fields of natural science and mathematics. It was established in 1923 at Lincoln University, an historically Black university near Oxford, Pennsylvania.

## History

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Beta Kappa Chi was founded by science students and faculty at Lincoln University in 1923 as a scholastic honor society that recognizes academic achievement among students in the fields of natural science and mathematics.[1][2][3] Its founders were a biologist, a chemist and a mathematician.[4] Dr. Robert S. Jason and Major Hildrus Poindexter were two of its charter members.[2]

Initially, Beta Kappa Chi operated as a local science club.[2] It became a national organization in 1926 with the establishment of the Beta chapter at West Virginia State College.[2] The was followed by Gamma at Howard University.[2] The society expanded to other historically black colleges and universities in the United States from 1926 to 1941.[4] It published its first newsletter, Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Society News Letter, in May1943; its name was changed to the curent Beta Kappa Chi Bulletin with the third issue in May 1944.[2]

The society changed its name to Beta Kappa Chi National Honor Society in 1960.[4] It was admitted to the Association of College Honor Societies in 1961.[3] Nearly every historically Black college and university in the United States had a chapter of Beta Kappa Chi by 1965.[4]

As of 2024, Beta Kappa Chi honor society has 67 active chapters across the United States, and 66,000 members.[5]

## Symbols

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The motto of Beta Kappa Chi is ''Science holds the Golden Key to the Royal Palace of Knowledge''.[4] Its colors are golden yellow and royal blue.[1]

Its key features are the Greek letters ΒΚΧ and its symbols, the clover leaf, skull and crossed bones, retort, balance, and scroll.[4][1]

Its publication is the Beta Kappa Chi Bulletin.[3][2]

## Membership

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Membership is open to undergraduate and graduate students.[3] Undergraduates are eligible for membership if they have completed 64 hours of college courses with 17 hours in the sciences, with a B average, and rank in the upper fifth of their class.[3] Graduate students must have completed fifteen hours in the sciences with a mix of As and Bs.[3]

## Activities

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Beta Kappa Chi has an annual national convention that includes research presentations by its members.[3]

## Chapters

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Main article: List of Beta Kappa Chi chapters

As of 2024, Beta Kappa Chi honor society has 67 active chapters across the United States.[5][6][7] Chapters were assigned Greek letter names in alphabetical order until 1950; at that time Greek letter names were abolished and all chapters were named by their host institution.[8]

## Notable members

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* Ulysses Grant Dailey, surgeon and president of the National Medical Association[2]
* Mary Elliott Hill, one of the earliest African-American women to become a chemist.
* Lynda Marie Jordan, biochemist and associate professor of chemistry at North Carolina A&T State University
* Angie Turner King, professor of chemistry and mathematics at West Virginia State College
* Evelyn Nicol, immunologist, microbiologist, and the first to isolate the herpes zoster virus
* Joseph Alphonso Pierce, mathematician and statistician
* Hildrus Poindexter, bacteriologist[2]
* Johnnie Hines Watts Prothro, professor at the Tuskegee Institute, University of Connecticut at Storrs, and Georgia State University
* Carl Glennis Roberts, one of the first African Americans to be elected to the American College of Surgeons and a president of the National Medical Association[2]
* Gladys W. Royal, early African-American biochemist
* Alberta Jones Seaton, professor of biology at Texas Southern University and the first African-American women awarded a doctorate in zoology
* Jerome Singleton, Paralympic athlete
* Frederick D. Stubbs, thoracic surgeon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[2][9][10][11]
* Louise Nixon Sutton, first chair of the Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics at Elizabeth City State University
* Thyrsa Frazier Svager, head of the Department of Mathematics at Central State University
* Levi Watkins, heart surgeon who was the first to successfully implant an automatic defibrillator in a human patient
* Michael Duryea Williams, professor at Clark Atlanta University
* James Edward Young, professor physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

## See also

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* Honor cords
* Honor society

## References

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1. ^ a b c Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VI-18–19. ISBN 978-0963715906.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Williams Joseph L. "Beta Kappa Chi: A Challenge Not To Be Ignored." Journal of the National Medical Association, vol. 37, no. 1 (January 1945): 26. via PubMed Central.
3. ^ a b c d e f g "Beta Kappa Chi Honor Society- Natural Sciences and Mathematics". Association of College Honor Societies. February 12, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2024-09-08 - via web.archive.org.
4. ^ a b c d e f "Our History". Beta Kappa Chi. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
5. ^ a b "Home". www.betakappachi.org. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
6. ^ "Beta Kappa Chi Honor Society Chapters, ACHS". Association of College Honor Societies. June 7, 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2024-09-08 - via web.archive.org.
7. ^ "Our Chapters". Beta Kappa Chi. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
8. ^ "Societies – Freddye T. Davy Honors College". Hampton University. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
9. ^ "Topic | Dr. Frederick Douglas Stubbs, M.D., F.A.C.S. | The History of African Americans in the Medical Professions". CHAAMP (Consortium on the History of African Americans in the Medical Professions). University of Virginia. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
10. ^ Mahoney, Eleanor (2018-01-14). "Frederick D. Stubbs (1906-1947) •". Black Past. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
11. ^ "Frederick Douglass Stubbs". Blacks@Dartmouth 1775 to 1960. Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association. Retrieved 2024-09-08.

## External links

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* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Association of College Honor Societies

Currently active members|

* Alpha Beta Gamma
* Alpha Chi
* Alpha Epsilon
* Alpha Epsilon Delta
* Alpha Epsilon Rho
* Alpha Eta Mu Beta
* Alpha Iota Delta
* Alpha Kappa Delta
* Alpha Kappa Mu
* Alpha Lambda Delta
* Alpha Phi Sigma
* Alpha Pi Mu
* Alpha Sigma Lambda
* Alpha Sigma Mu
* Alpha Sigma Nu
* Beta Gamma Sigma
* Beta Kappa Chi
* Beta Phi Mu
* Chi Sigma Iota
* Delta Epsilon Sigma
* Delta Mu Delta
* Delta Tau Alpha
* Epsilon Pi Tau
* Epsilon Pi Phi
* Gamma Theta Upsilon
* Kappa Mu Epsilon
* Kappa Omicron Nu
* Kappa Tau Alpha
* Lambda Pi Eta
* Lambda Sigma
* Mortar Board
* Mu Kappa Tau
* National Society of Collegiate Scholars
* National Society of Scabbard and Blade
* Omega Chi Epsilon
* Omega Rho
* Omicron Delta Epsilon
* Phi Alpha
* Phi Beta Delta
* Phi Eta Sigma
* Phi Lambda Sigma
* Phi Sigma
* Phi Sigma Iota
* Phi Sigma Tau
* Phi Upsilon Omicron
* Pi Delta Phi
* Pi Gamma Mu
* Pi Kappa Lambda
* Pi Sigma Alpha
* Pi Tau Sigma
* Pi Theta Epsilon
* Psi Beta
* Psi Chi
* Rho Chi
* Sigma Beta Delta
* Sigma Delta Pi
* Sigma Lambda Alpha
* Sigma Lambda Chi
* Sigma Pi Sigma
* Sigma Tau Delta
* Sigma Theta Tau
* Tau Alpha Pi
* Tau Sigma Delta
* Theta Alpha Kappa
* Upsilon Pi Epsilon
* Xi Sigma Pi

Active former members|

| Honor Society Caucus|

* Omicron Delta Kappa
* Phi Beta Kappa
* Phi Kappa Phi
* Sigma Xi

|

* Alpha Delta Mu
* Alpha Omega Alpha
* Chi Epsilon
* Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha (preceded by Delta Sigma Rho and Tau Kappa Alpha)
* Eta Kappa Nu
* Golden Key
* Iota Sigma Pi
* Kappa Delta Pi
* Order of the Coif
* Pi Alpha Alpha
* Pi Omega Pi
* Sigma Gamma Tau
* Tau Beta Pi

Defunct former members|

* Delta Phi Delta
* Lambda Iota Tau
* Omicron Nu
* Sigma Tau

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