12/24/06 — Student named Phi Beta Kappa

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Student named Phi Beta Kappa

By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on December 24, 2006 2:08 AM

Leah Duryeu Heim, a senior biology major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named to Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most honored college scholastic society.

The daughter of Dennis and Jennifer Heim of Dudley, she was inducted during a ceremony held in November.

Phi Beta Kappa membership is open to undergraduates in the university's College of Arts and Sciences and professional degree programs who meet stringent eligibility requirements.

Each new member received a certificate and a Phi Beta Kappa key, the organization's symbol.

A student who has completed 75 hours of course work and has a grade-point average of 3.85 (on a 4-point scale) or better is eligible for membership. Also eligible is any student who has competed 105 hours of course work and has a 3.75 grade-point average. Grades earned at other universities are not considered. Less than one percent of all college students qualify to be members.

There are 270 Phi Beta Kappa chapters nationwide. UNC's chapter, Alpha of North Carolina, was founded in 1904 and is the oldest of six chapters in the state.