# Pi Delta Phi

Pi Delta Phi (ΠΔΦ) is the National French Honor Society—La Société d'Honneur de Français for undergraduate and graduate students at public and private colleges and universities in the United States. It was formed at the University of California, Berkeley in 1906.

## History

Pi Delta Phi was founded in 1906 as a departmental honor society for French at the University of California, Berkeley in 1906. After many years as a local organization, Pi Delta Phi reorganized and declared itself the National French Honor Society in 1920. The society recognizes outstanding scholarship in the study of the French language or French literature, promotes appreciation of the contributions of French speakers, and encourages French and francophone cultural activities.
Pi Delta Phi 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 added chapters rapidly after World War II, especially between 1949 and 1952. In 1949 the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) endorsed the Society officially as the only collegiate French honor society in the United States.
In 1963, the society had 90 active chapters and 27,000 initiates. The society was admitted to membership in the Association of College Honor Societies in 1967. Pi Delta Phi is the oldest collegiate academic honor society for a modern foreign language in the United States. Its national headquarters is located at Geneseo, New York.

## Symbols

The motto of Pi Delta Phi is Probaínomen Diakritoi Philogálatoi or Avançons, amis fidèles de la culture française in French or "Forward, faithful friends of French culture" in English. The society's badge is on oblong rectangular key with the Greek letters ΠΔΦ on a vertical band.
Its colors are blue, white, and red. Its flower is the fleur-de-lis. Its publication is À Vous l'honneur.

## Activities

The society awards annual scholarships for summer study in France and Québec to regular undergraduate members of active chapters, and an annual graduate student research award for any study or research in a French-speaking country.

## Membership

Regular members include undergraduate and graduate students at the sponsoring institution who are nominated in recognition of their academic achievement in French. Undergraduate or graduate candidates do not need to be French or French Studies majors or minors to be nominated for membership. The eligibility requirements for all undergraduate students are: completion of at least one course of upper-division French (i.e. beyond the intermediate-level series of courses); 3.0 GPA in French, 3.3 GPA overall, AND rank in the top 35% of their class; and sophomore (second year) standing. If class rank isn't used, then a minimum 3.3 overall GPA is required. Graduate students who are not already members of Pi Delta Phi are eligible for regular membership. The eligibility requirements for all graduate students are: completion of 2 graduate courses in French; and a minimum 3.5 GPA in graduate coursework.
Honorary members include: the French faculty of the sponsoring institution who are not already members of Pi Delta Phi; members of the faculty at large who are not already members of the Society; undergraduate and graduate students who do not meet the above requirements for regular membership; college or university alumni who did not become members while attending the sponsoring institution; and diplomats, community and business leaders, and others who have demonstrated support of French language, and/or of the cultures and literature of the French-speaking world.

## Governance

The society's executive board, composed of elected regional vice presidents, is chaired by an elected president who appoints the executive director and digital media editor. All Board positions are volunteer.

## Chapters

It currently numbers more than 406 chapters established at representative public and private colleges and universities in almost every state, as well as chapters in Paris and Aix-en-Provence.

## Notable members

* Emily Apter, academic, translator, editor, and professor