High Schoolers Head to UH's Honors College for Phi Beta Kappa Academy

Professors, Professionals to Deliver Workshops, Performances, Mini-Courses July 14 at UH

School on Saturday is usually a tough sell to high school students…especially during summer months. Some of Houston’s top high schoolers, however, are headed to the University of Houston for a Saturday filled with learning opportunities courtesy of Phi Beta Kappa (PBK). On July 14, UH’s Honors College is hosting the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Academy. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., students will participate in courses, workshops and performances led by UH faculty and PBK alumni.

“Most students don't understand what college is or how it works until they are 'in the mix,’” said UH Honors College dean and president of the Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association of Greater Houston William Monroe. “The Phi Beta Kappa Honors Academy gives faculty and PBK alumni the opportunity to work with high-achieving high school students as they make decisions about what to study in college and where. By promoting a solid foundation in the arts and sciences, we hope to prepare students for making these important decisions.”

            Scheduled academy lectures and instructors include:

  • The Story of Science: Science as an Interpretive Discipline – Simon Bott, professor of chemistry
  • Stories as Equipment for Living – William Monroe, UH Honors College dean and professor of English
  • Telling Your Story: Writing the Personal Statement – Krystafer Redden, Honors College Phronesis Fellow
  • Assessing the Presidential Candidates – Christine LeVeaux-Haley, professor of political science
  • How and Why Historians Tell Stories – Robert Zaretsky, professor of history


The Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association of Greater Houston is sponsoring this free event. Participating students were nominated by high school counselors. For additional details on the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Academy, contact Lucy M. Bonner at 713-743-1012 or lmbonner@uh.edu.

Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary and is America’s oldest honor society. PBK is committed to academic and professional excellence in arts and sciences and sponsors activities to promote higher education. Notable Phi Beta Kappa members have included several U.S. presidents, such as Theodore Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Current members include NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, journalist George Stephanopoulos and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos among many others. For more details on the Phi Beta Kappa Society, visit http://www.pbk.org.

The Honors College at UH is a hub of excellence that serves the needs of gifted undergraduates in more than 100 fields of study and reflects the rich diversity of the University of Houston in its courses, faculty, and students. For more than 50 years, the Honors College has offered students the best of both worlds: the advantages of a small college together with the comprehensive resources and rich diversity of a large university. For more information about the Honors College, visit http://TheHonorsCollege.com.