Dear Fellow Phi Betes:
As the days shorten and people younger than we are returning to the classroom, members of our Association can look back on a very successful year. Once again Mel Shattuck graciously sponsored our May Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner at the Berkeley Faculty Club, a perfect venue for honoring our Teaching Excellence awardees and our Scholarship winners. This year we distributed $500 honoraria to four outstanding professors, while ten talented graduate students were the recipients of $5,000 scholarships. It is your ongoing support that allows us to continue to make these significant awards.
The May meeting also affords us the opportunity to honor retiring Board members and welcome their replacements. After serving admirably for a number of years, Gerry Richards has handed over the newsletter responsibilities to Ray Hendess, a former Board member and Past President. Stanley Kahn is also leaving the Board and his position as First Vice President - Programs. However, he has graciously agreed to “stay on board” planning our activities until Judy Hardardt is freed of other obligations and can assume the duties in the spring. As many of you know, Adeline Kahn, Stanley’s wife, has also been a great help to Stanley in this position. She is certainly due a special thank-you from all of us for the hard work she has put in without being an official Board member.
And speaking of official Board members, they continue to do their usual outstanding work. One of the strengths of our Board is the continuity in key positions. Our long-term members continue to make invaluable contributions to our organization. Letitia Sanders, our Membership Vice President, not only keeps very accurate records of our members, but also makes valuable recommendations based on reliable data concerning our newsletter and other mailings. Mary Gilliland, our Treasurer, is equally meticulous, and our new investment strategy, worked out in conjunction with member Robert O’Donnell, has proved to be quite profitable.
Our newer Board members are also valuable contributors. Joanne Sandstrom continues to do outstanding work as our Scholarship Vice President. This year I had the pleasure of serving on her committee and was truly awed by the excellence of the applicants. We were sorry that we could not award them all scholarships. Joanne also did double duty in May by filling in for me at the Annual Dinner, where her organization and sense of humor served her well.
Janiece Nolan, our Chapter Liaison Chair, makes sure a Board member or other representative attends each initiation at every Bay Area chapter. This personal contact has resulted in increasing numbers of Teaching Excellence nominees, which makes Cindy Lerner, who is in charge of these awards, very happy. Speaking of Cindy, she is recruiting several replacement members for her committee (see below). Professors, active or emeriti, especially those in humanities, are especially needed. I hope some of you with this area of expertise will volunteer.
In addition, our Recording Secretary Mary Granger’s accurate minutes remind us what commitments we have made, while our Corresponding Secretary, Georgia Maslowski handles all the contribution thank-you notes, as well as miscellaneous communications. Jae Emenhiser is busy with planning our annual Asilomar conference (see below). Mark your calendars now, so that you can join us during the Presidents’ Day Weekend 2008. And finally, a word of thanks to our Immediate Past President, Muriel Bell, and her predecessor, Mary Hanel, whose advice, counsel, and support have made my job immeasurably easier.
Looking back, we can be proud of this past year’s successes. Looking forward, I am confident that the coming year will also be successful because of our wonderful members and outstanding Board.
Respectfully submitted,
, President
ΦBK NCA has for many years made annual Excellence in Teaching Awards. Each award consists of a handsome certificate and a $500 honorarium. All members of ΦBK NCA are encouraged to nominate a teacher who made a special contribution to their development. Eligible nominees are faculty members of the eight universities of Northern California that harbor ΦBK chapters: Mills College, San Francisco State University, Santa Clara University, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and the University of the Pacific. Although the university at which the nominee teaches must have a ΦBK chapter, the nominee need not be a member of ΦBK. A copy of the nomination form appears on page 2 of the newsletter. It is also available on the ΦBK NCA website. I need completed applications before November 30, 2007. The Association presents the awards at its annual dinner in May 2008.
, Chair, Teaching Excellence Committee
The Teaching Excellence Committee needs members. Members of this committee meet in early March (mostly by email) to evaluate nominees for the Teaching Excellence Award. Candidates with a specialization in the humanities or the social sciences are strongly urged to apply since current members all have a background in the sciences. Contact Narcinda Lerner for more information about this position.
, Chair, Teaching Excellence Committee
Don’t forget our Presidents’ Day Weekend Conference at Asilomar on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. Renew acquaintances and meet new Phi Betes, attend stimulating lectures and participate in lively discussions, indulge in good food, relax in peaceful surroundings, and help support our graduate student fellowships. Newcomers are welcome and members are invited to bring guests.
This is a highlight of the year for many who enjoy the coast, the fellowship, the intellectual conversation, and the opportunity to contribute to ΦBK NCA graduate student fellowships. Last year the conference funded two awards of $5,000 each. That is why most of the registration fee is tax deductible.
Do not be deterred by winter. February on the peninsula with occasional showers is often more pleasant than the fog that settles in during summer months. After all, this is the time of the Monarch butterfly mating season that fills many trees just a short walk from the conference site. There is ample opportunity to walk on the beach, tour the historic buildings designed by Julia Morgan, bicycle to Monterey, visit the shops in Carmel, or settle down with a good book around the roaring fire in Hearst Hall.
The conference theme this year is “Interpreting Science, Humanities, and the Law.” Our first two speakers are both Phi Betes: Monterey Aquarium Research Institute president Dr. Marcia McNutt and law school professor Kermit Roosevelt. Other speakers are optical engineer Ed Granger and California authors Jeane Wakatsuki and James Houston. In addition Robert and Judy Hodgson, who operate Fieldbrook Valley Winery, will give us a short course on wine appreciation, we shall take an excursion to the Pacific Grove butterfly sanctuary, and stretch our bodies, as well as our minds, with T'ai Chi before breakfast.
A new feature this year will be small group discussions. We are suggesting that you read a book in advance. There will be no grades and no examination, but we look forward to lively discussions. The book by our Saturday morning speaker, Professor Roosevelt, is The Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions (Yale University Press, 2006). If you like, you may use the list of potential discussion
questions available at www.pbknca.org/questions.html as a guide to your reading.
Check-in starts at 3 p.m., Friday, February 15th in Hearst Social Hall. President Jean James will host a Reception for Newcomers at 5 p.m. in the Forest Lodge Suite. Dinner is served from 6 to 7 p.m. in Crocker Dining Hall, and our first program begins at 7:30 p.m. The conference ends with lunch on Monday the 18th. Those who need to get an early start after our morning session on Monday may order a box lunch.
If you have not registered, it is not too late. Just complete the coupon on page 8 and mail it to me with your check payable to PBK NCA for $100 per person. I’ll mail you the housing form for you to send to Asilomar with the payment for your room and board. The 2007 fees for three nights and eight meals are $363.55 per person in a double room and $586.30 for one person alone. If you need to contact Asilomar, you may speak with our coordinator, Pat Kauffman, and refer to conference #2209PY. Her phone number is (831) 642-4218, and her email is .
Since Asilomar releases rooms from the block reserved for us that are not paid for 60 days prior to our conference, you need to send your room and board fees to Asilomar by December 1. You may take a chance and pay your fees later, but that may be risky. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me. I am looking forward to seeing you soon for a stimulating, rewarding conference.
Respectfully submitted,
, Asilomar Chair
Chapter Liaison makes arrangements for ΦBK NCA members to attend initiation ceremonies at our eight affiliated college chapters: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, University of the Pacific, Mills College, San Francisco State University, Santa Clara University, and Stanford University. At the ceremonies we tell the initiates about ΦBK NCA and encourage them to become members by providing free first-year memberships. We also encourage initiates to nominate favorite professors for our Teaching Excellence awards.
Between March and June, 2007, at least one ΦBK NCA volunteer attended each of the eight college initiations, including the installation of a new chapter at the University of the Pacific, Stockton (see below). Our attendance at these ceremonies increases awareness of alumnae associations nation-wide and increases nominations for Teaching Excellence awards. It is also an opportunity for our volunteers to become more involved on the college campuses.
Thanks go to our 2007 college campus volunteers: Sandra Belanger, Marci Coglianese, Wilson Heefner, Jean James, Hershey Julian, Narcinda Lerner, Georgia Maslowski, Janiece Nolan, Letitia Sanders, and Joanne Sandstrom.
Next spring we will need volunteers again. Please consider this opportunity when we publish the 2008 dates sometime after January.
Respectfully submitted,
, Chapter Liaison Chair
Scott Lurding, Associate Secretary of the Phi Beta Kappa National Office, presented the Chi Chapter of California its charter during an installation ceremony held March 31 at the Stockton campus of the University of the Pacific. Chi becomes the eighth Northern California Phi Beta Kappa chapter and the first to be installed in over twenty years.
Following delivery of an inspired and witty keynote address entitled “The Liberal Arts as Whack-a-Mole,” Chi of California chapter president Professor Gregg Camfield recognized the chapter’s charter members, the twenty-six Phi Beta Kappa members of the faculty. Chi also initiated five foundational or honorary members who will serve as advisors to the new chapter. These include the university’s president and provost, Drs. Donald DeRosa and Philip Gilbertson, and three members of the faculty. Twenty-one students, the first Members in Course elected to the chapter, were also initiated.
Following conclusion of the installation ceremony, the celebration continued with a reception at an exhibition of the work of artist Gregory Kondos held at the university art gallery. The evening concluded with a banquet at which several people were recognized for persevering over many years in the successful effort to establish a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, an event in which the university takes great pride.
Dr. Wilson Heefner and Marci Coglianese represented the Northern California Association at the installation. Coglianese addressed the initiates at the banquet, noting that each of them had received a letter from the association and urging them to take advantage of the invitation to join the association at no cost for one year. She also related the many benefits of association membership, including the many social and cultural activities and the graduate scholarships and teaching awards.
, Chapter Liaison Chair
The Board offers many thanks to the members and friends who have joined or renewed their membership for the year 2007. Your generous support makes our Scholarships and Awards possible. We extend a special thank you to those who have contributed at the Patron, Sponsor and Benefactor levels. A list of all members is in the hard-copy of the Newsletter April newsletter.
The Board is still trying to form a group of young Phi Betes who might want to have their own activities. However, our first problem is what constitutes a "young Phi Bete." Traditionally for organizations, the cut-off age for "younger" members is 40. But as far as we are concerned, if you still have hair which is not completely gray and feel young at heart, and especially if you want to be in charge of some event, you qualify.
It seems the best way to communicate with younger members is through our website, so please check it out to see if anything is happening for those of you who don't remember life before TV.
Tour of the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, Friday, August 10, 2007
Tour of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory September 7, 2007
Filoli Tour in the autumn - Friday, September 28, 2007
Asilomar "Interpreting Science, Humanities, and the Law" February 15-18, 2008 
PBK NCA Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner - Sunday, May 4, 2007
Tour of the Audubon Canyon Ranch: The Bolinas Lagoon Preserve Saturday, May 17, 2008 
Tour of the Buck Institute on Aging - July 17, 2008