This video is a blend of text slides and self-recorded video clips. All of the professors featured are addressing the camera directly. Many of the professors are dressed in either regalia or other formal clothing.
Slide:
The Brandeis insignia is in the upper center of the blue slide. Below it is the gold logo of Phi Beta Kappa. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Celebrating the Class of 2020
Phi Beta Kappa
Slide:
An opaque blue slide is shown, overlaid on a photograph of the Louis Brandeis statue. The Brandeis University logo is in the upper center beside its insignia. The text on the slide reads:
George J. Hall
Fred C. Hecht Professor of Economics
George Hall is seated in front of a shelf of books and framed photographs.
George Hall: Good morning, family, friends and students. My name is George Hall. I'm a professor in the department of economics and a board member of the Mu Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. I'm delighted to welcome you to this virtual induction ceremony for the newest members of Phi Beta Kappa, America's premier honor society. To the parents and family members of our students, let me say, job well done. Membership into Phi Beta Kappa is the result of your students' hard work, breadth and depth of study and academic excellence in the arts and sciences. They could not have done it without you. To the students, congratulations. You are joining an elite society that dates back nearly to our nation's founding. Phi Beta Kappa members include 17 American presidents, 41 Supreme Court justices, 140 noble lawyers, and now you. To tell us more about our society of scholars, I call on Professor Andreas Teuber of our philosophy department, to present a history of Phi Beta Kappa.
Slide:Andreas Teuber presents a slideshow with corresponding text and images to illustrate his points.
Andreas Teuber: [image: the gold Phi Beta Kappa logo is shown again]. A short history. I'm Andreas Teuber. [image: photo of Andreas Teuber]. First let me say, congratulations. I'll say it again at the end and allude to it in the middle. But this is quite something, what you've accomplished. Grade point matters, and that is part of the reason you're here. The GPA is not the whole story. [image: wooden Scrabble tiles spell out GPA].
PBK does not just look for the sort of person who only knows JavaScript [image: programming code on a computer monitor]. Or everything there is to know about the limulus eye of the horseshoe crab [image: horseshoe crab]. But someone who takes a lively interest in learning as such. Is curious about not just one thing, but many things. And is able to keep a problem in mind and hold it there until it gives way to one's effort to solve it. A Phi Beta Kappan is the archetype of someone with a liberal education. But if you look closely at the history, there is a subtext.
We're also a fraternity. And when women began to be admitted, a sorority too. Phi Bete, as we'd be called in the frat context, was founded on the 5th of December in 1776, at William and Mary in Virginia, only five months after the founding of the country [image: pencil sketch of College of William and Mary]. In keeping with our heritage, we were founded in a bar or tavern, as bars were known then [image: pencil sketch of a tavern]. A drinking club that held its meetings in the Apollo room of the Raleigh Tavern [image: photograph of the Raleigh Tavern].
PBK was the first frat in what became to be known as the Greek system. It used Greek letters for its name, Phi Beta Kappa [image: symbols of the Greek alphabet]. An acronym also in Greek, not so unsurprisingly: Φιλοσοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης "Philosophia Biou Kybernētēs". And in English: "Love of wisdom is the guide to life." Besides Greek, Phi Bete had other signs and rituals that came to be associated with the Greek system. An oath of secrecy, a special handshake, that I, by the way, for one was never taught. But for which you can find many examples on the internet [image: sketch of a handshake]. Indeed, you could write a PhD dissertation on it [image: photograph of a handshake]. And no doubt, someday someone will [image: photograph of a graduate receiving her doctorate].
The Phi Beta Kappa key, a motto, a seal and a code of laws [image: sketch of a key with the Greek letters for Phi Beta Kappa]. Rumor has it that the society had a secret gesture that members used to identify one another. A gesture that scholars today believe was a sign of wiping beer from one's lips. In writing about the history of PBK, I couldn't help but be reminded of Animal House [image: the cast of "Animal House"]. Where paddling, if you recall, was the heart of initiation for getting into the Omegas. I also remember that account I heard when I was an undergrad, of another frat initiation where members were branded with a hot poker. Well, much to everyone's disappointment I'm sure, we aren't going to paddle you or brand you today. Today should be much less painful [image: movie poster for "Animal House"].
In the 19th century, the most significant change was PBK became an honor society. To set itself apart from the other frats that were turning themselves into Animal Houses. The other key change was PBK became a meritocratic society. The first African American, Edward Bouchet, was elected in 1874 [image: portrait of Edward Bouchet], 80 years before Brown vs Board of Education in 1954 [image: a dark-skinned mother and child holding newspaper]. And Ellen Hamilton and Linda Mason were the first women admitted in 1875 [image: paintings of the women shown]. 45 years before women won the Right to Vote in 1920 [image: black and white photo of 2 women at the polls]. Alpha became the name for the first chapter in each state. By the time Brandeis was admitted, it became the 12th chapter in Massachusetts, and was assigned the 12th letter of the Greek alphabet, the letter Mu. Or as your younger brothers and sisters will endlessly tease you, the Cow Chapter of Massachusetts. The Moo Chapter [image: cows on a field].
On a more serious note, Abe Sachar, the university's first president was particularly proud of the fact that Brandeis received authorization to form a chapter already in 1961. The shortest period from founding to the grant of a chapter by a university since the 18th century [image: black and white photograph of President Sachar and Adlai Stevenson at Phi Beta Kappa convocation]. Mu Chapter is a feather in Brandeis' cap. Nationally only 1% of students get in. In his introduction, George mentioned that 17 U.S. presidents have been admitted. Well, this is true. 11 of the 17 are honorary. Only six were elected as undergrads as you're being elected today. John Quincy Adams, Chester Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, George Bush Sr. and Bill William Jefferson Clinton [image: cartoon caricatures of each President is shown]. Still, six out of 45 ain't half bad, far above the 1% average as students admitted nationwide.
But among the current justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the number of elected to PBK as undergrads is even more impressive. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, Chief Justice John Roberts, Sam Alito and Anthony Kennedy [image: exaggerated photograph caricatures of each Justice is shown]. Seven out of nine. Then there's Mickey Mouse shown here taking delight in his very own Phi Beta Kappa key. So you can see you're in great good company [image: cartoon of Mickey Mouse in a graduation cap and gown holding a Phi Beta Kappa key]. Real and fictional.
Nevertheless, when you come down to it, we haven't changed all that much since 1776. We're still a fraternity/sorority dedicated to having the next best idea. Once the coronavirus subsides and you bump into a fellow Phi Beta Kappan, don't forget to wipe your fingers across your lips to let them know you're a member. Don't resort to that secret handshake, even if you think you know it. Dr. Fauci advises against it. As he said at a White House briefing, "I don't think we should ever shake hands again." [image: Fauci and Trump at a press conference]. Take care of one another. Your family too. And remember, the highest honor you can receive as an undergrad in the United States is to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa. And if you forget, your parents will remind you. That's what they're for, parents. And to end where I began, congratulations. Welcome. Welcome to Phi Beta Kappa.Images are shown of previous years' induction ceremonies to Phi Beta Kappa at Brandeis University.
George Hall: Thank you, Professor Teuber. I now have the honor to introduce Provost Lisa Lynch, who will give the Phi Beta Kappa address. Lisa Lynch is the Maurice B. Hexter, professor of social and economic policy. She is currently the provost and executive vice president of academic affairs for Brandeis. She has also served as our interim president and as the Dean of The Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Outside of Brandeis, she has served our country in numerous roles. Most notably, as chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor, and as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. At the state level, she has served on the governor's council of economic advisors for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
As an academic researcher, Provost Lynch has published extensively on the impact of technological change and job training on productivity and wages, the determinants of youth unemployment and the school to work transition. Her work is highly cited within the Academy, and it has helped to shape public policy, both at the state and federal levels. I will note that after 13 years of serving in the Brandeis administration, earlier this year, Lisa announced her intention to return to her role as teacher and researcher at the Heller School this July. As a fellow economist, I, like all of my colleagues, was looking forward to having Lisa back in the seminar room, as well as the classroom. However, given the current crisis, we were all relieved when last month, Lisa agreed to extend her sentence, I mean appointment, in the university's administration until January. I'm excited to hear Provost Lynch's address.
Slide:
The same opaque blue slide as before is shown. The text on the slide reads:
Lisa M. Lynch
Provost and Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy
Lisa Lynch is dressed in regalia. She stands in a spacious room with windows behind her.
Lisa Lynch: Let me begin by extending on behalf of the entire faculty our congratulations to you for this extraordinary honor of becoming a member of Phi Beta Kappa. As one of the highest academic honors an undergraduate at a university in the United States can receive, this award represents something more than just doing well in your courses. It also recognizes your character, and how you have embraced what these three words mean, Phi Beta Kappa. The love of learning is the guide of life. I thought it might be helpful to share how four notable members of Phi Beta Kappa have embodied this commitment of learning being the guide of life, in their own diverse careers. Let me begin with Peyton Manning. Yes, the football player and a Phi Beta Kappa member from the University of Tennessee. He once said, "Anyone who waits for someone else to make a change "automatically becomes a follower." Now I'm not suggesting that embracing the vision of Phi Beta Kappa means that you jump in front of all others and always take charge. In fact, if Peyton Manning had done this throughout his career as a football player, he would have had a very short career filled with many injuries. But by recognizing that there is always something new to learn, especially from others, you will increase your knowledge and experience to the point where you will be ready to be that change maker who will inspire others, and not just a passive follower.
COVID-19 has unsettled us in so many different ways. Physically, economically and psychologically, to name just a few. George Washington University Phi Beta Kappa member, and actor, Kerry Washington, who portrayed, among many other leading roles, our own Professor Anita Hill in the movie, "Conformation." She once said, "You can be the lead in your own life." These are wise words, especially at this moment when it feels that we've lost control of our ability to lead a normal life in the face of such an invisible and vicious virus. But you cannot be a successful lead if you have not invested in studying all the complexities and nuances of that role. So nurture this love of learning that you have shown during your years at Brandeis, and it will guide you to be the lead in your own life, even, and especially, in difficult times like this.
Learning as a guide of life is something that U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono, and Phi Beta Kappa member from the University of Hawaii, has pointed to as an important part of her life story, as an immigrant in the United States who grew up in difficult family circumstances. In her Senate biographical statement, she shares that her time as a student opened her eyes to a life in public service and advocacy. Through volunteer and tutor work, including weekly visits with patients at the State mental health facility, she saw how important it was for underserved populations to be heard. She also said that she never took a path that was the usual path for someone in her generation. I hope her words and her story inspire you. She helps us understand that learning is not something that just happens in reading books and taking classes. Learning happens outside the classroom, especially in our interactions with others.
I urge you to be very intentional in how you expand your horizons of who you interact with. Take the time to listen for the quiet voices and avoid the ease of learning just from others who think exactly the same as you. Finally, hear some wise words from a graduate from the University of Missouri, who became a member of Phi Beta Kappa all the way back in 1907. Samuel Clemens, otherwise known as Mark Twain. Twain once said, "Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection." I think this beautifully captures why a love of learning is such an excellent guide of life. If you're continuously learning, that means you're more likely to be looking towards the many possibilities of the future, rather than getting stuck in mastering one narrow area of the past. Especially now when so many decisions we are making have no playbook, perfection can be the enemy of the good.
Embrace the fact that you will not always know everything when you need to make a decision. But recognize that as someone who's embraced lifelong learning, you will know more than you probably realize. You can always update any decision and pivot as you learn more. If you let perfection paralyze you, you will effectively make decisions through inactions. Now, no two of you have had the same Brandeis experience. You've come from different places, you have different personal histories, you differ in your opinions and you have different identities.
During your time at Brandeis, you have differentiated yourselves further by exploring your own learning path, all the while surrounded by the support of your faculty, staff, family, and friends. But as different as each of you are, you share this common bond of your Brandeis community. Let me assure you that this powerful bond of friendship, love and kindness, will carry you through all the ups and downs of your life going forward. Nurture this bond and it will continue to nurture you. To close for those of you graduating this year, I urge you to do so with great optimism and hope. This may seem near impossible as you sit physically separated at this ceremony today, facing an uncertain future. But I know your knowledge of history will reassure you that we can and will come through this difficult period of time. How we come through will be defined in part by how you use your knowledge to take on the impossible, to not be a bystander and to help prepare the world. We are so proud of you and we cannot wait to see all that you will accomplish next. Thank you.
George Hall: Thank you, Provost Lynch. I now ask Professor Laura Miller of our sociology department to call the names of the newly elected Phi Beta Kappa members.
Slide:
The same opaque blue slide as before is shown. The text on the slide reads:
Laura J. Miller
Professor of Sociology
Most names of newly elected members are shown alongside a photo. Photos are portraits, except where noted.
Laura Miller: It gives me great pleasure to introduce the newly elected members of the Mu Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. The class of 2020.
Chris Sargent Armstrong, elected as a junior. [image: Chris Armstrong in a cap and gown beside one of the lampposts of the Light of Reason art installation at Brandeis]
Haia Hannah R'nana Bchiri, elected as a junior.
Lauren Alicia Bernstein, elected as a junior. [image: Lauren Bernstein leaning on a lamppost of the Light of Reason]
Lev Jacob Brown.
M. Shale Carey.
Erin Orel Chambers.
Justin Max Chimoff. [image: Justin Chimoff stands in front of a lamppost at the Light of Reason]
Aaron Julian Corin.
Evan A. Dankowicz.
Chris de Mean.
Vincent Tiger Dong. [image: Vincent Dong stands outside beside a tree]
Sarah Ernst.
Alissa Deborah Fagin.
Kayla Marie Fahey.
Emma J. Farrell, elected as a junior.
Emily Jane Fishman.
Rose Victoria Freudberg.
Harry Baker Fruchtman.
Jennifer Ellen Geller.
Zeyu Geng.
Lina Ghanim.
Talya Naomi Guenzburger. [image: Talya Guenzburger stands in front of a mountain landscape]
Xinyi Sarah Guo.
Ghazal Hashemipour Moussavi.
Lauren Sachie Hayashi.
Yixiao He. [image: Yixiao He in a cap and gown]
Joel Aron Herman.
Zoe Eden Hertz.
Klarissa Hollander.
Leyi Hua. [image: Leyi Hua seated on a bench outdoors]
Qi Hua.
Sarah Madison Humphries.
Itay Kazaz.
Luna Kim.
Yun-Kyung Kim.
Anat Kleiman.
Sylvia Kohn-Levitt.
Renee Moira Korgood. [image: Renee Korgood in a cap and gown]
Maria Nina Emilia Kulchyckyj. [image: Maria Kulchyckyj standing against a balustrade]
Miranda Sive Lassar. [image: Miranda Lassar folds her arms over a flat stone sign]
Shira Nitzana Levie.
Angus L'Herrou. [image: Angus L'Herrou poses in front of a city skyline]
Yixuan Li.
Yan Liu. [image: Yan Liu leans against a balustrade]
Xuantong Liu.
Hannah Catherine Lloyd.
Ashley Loc. [image: Ashley Loc leans against a lamppost at the Light of Reason]
Vivian Siwei Lyu.
Aislinn Flaherty McCormack.
Siobhan Marie McKenna.
Meghan Elizabeth Melberg, elected as a junior.
Brian Andrew Mintz. [image: Brian Mintz beside his dog]
Hadas Nahar.
Olivia Aiko Nichols.
Agape Birori Niyobuhungiro.
Sonia Maria Pavel, elected as a junior.
Serra Deniz Pelin.
Jack Matthew Peters.
Polina Potochevska. [image: Polina Potochevska in a cap and gown]
Gerry Levy Press.
Gabrielle Marilyn Pretekin.
Lucia Pugh-Sellers.
Gisaldjo Purbollari.
Evan A. Robins.
Benjamin V. Rozonoyer, elected as a junior.
Gisselle Rosalba Santillana Hernandez.
Evan Sayer.
Agnele Sylvia Sewa, elected as a junior. [image: Agnele Sewa under the shade of a tree]
Sravya Bharathi Shankara.
Victoria Grace Sharaga, elected as a junior. [image: Victoria Sharaga outside Usdan holding flowers and her Phi Beta Kappa certificate]
Wei Sheng.
Hannah Dena Skoff. [image: Hannah Skoff leans against a balustrade with a beach and city skyline in the background]
Rachel Erin Slayton.
Noah Harris Somberg.
Jiayao Song.
Norma Ruth Stobbe. [image: Norma Stobbe seated on a dock with boats in the background]
Alexis David Sverdlik.
Yuchen Tan. [image: Yuchen Tan against a balustrade with a city skyline in the background]
Kexin Tang. [image: Kexin Tang seated facing away from the camera, turning around at the waist]
Abigail Tatnall.
Ruyu Wang.
Sunjie Wang.
Laura Z. Wei. [image: Laura Wei under the shade of a tree]
Karina Moellmann Wen. [image: Karina Wen leaning against a lamppost at the Light of Reason]
Tracy Yang. [image: closeup of Tracy Yang on a playground swing]
Xiaoyang Yu. [image: Xiaoyang Yu turned halfway from the camera, standing under a bridge]
Yunan Zhao.
Nate Zhou.
Matthew Jacob Zieff.
And now the class of 2021.
Samuel Benjamin Aronson.
Yuering Chen.
Jocelyn Emma Gould. [image: Jocelyn Gould seated inside a circular structure made of bricks]
Ziyi Guo. [image: Ziyi Guo stands in front of a tree]
Hongyu Li.
Kailin Liu. [image: Kailin Liu leans against a pillar with posters in the background]
Shinji Rho.
Rachel Freed Sussman. [image: Rachel Sussman stands beside a symposium poster]
Sophie Bea Trachtenberg. [image: Sophie Trachtenberg seated by a railing]
George Hall: Congratulations to our newest members. You are now a part of a network of over 500,000 scholars worldwide. I invite you to visit the Phi Beta Kappa website at www.pbk.org to learn more about our legacy and the opportunity to pursue a lifetime of learning and service rooted in the arts and sciences. Before closing the ceremony, I would like to thank Julie Seeger, the Phi Beta Kappa administrator, and the team at Brandeis' media and technology services for making this virtual ceremony possible. I invite you and your families to visit with faculty members in their Zoom chat rooms immediately after the ceremony. I know that they would be delighted to meet with you and offer their congratulations. The Zoom URLs have been provided to you. Once again, congratulations to all our new members of Phi Beta Kappa. You are an awe inspiring group.