Students who joined Phi Beta Kappa as juniors in 2023 are eligible to apply for the George Herbert Meyer Prize. This prize which will be awarded for the first time in 2024 is the bequest of UM Alum and PBK member George Herbert Meyer. Mr. Meyer was a distinguished Bloomfield Hills, MI, attorney, an avid art collector and expert, and he served on many boards in Detroit and elsewhere. He has left a generous endowment to fund an award to a UM Phi Beta Kappa student member who best represents the society and its mission to support scholarship in the liberal arts and sciences. Mr. Meyer wanted this award to celebrate the Phi Beta Kappa motto—Love of Learning is the Guide to Life.
The amount of the award is $1,000. Applications will be due on March 15 and should be submitted to phibetakappa@umich.edu.
Your application should include:
- Two letters of recommendation submitted directly by the writers, one from a faculty member in your department and one from someone in a different field,
- A personal statement that speaks to your understanding of the life-long challenge that the PBK motto poses. Your statement should not exceed 500 words. You could tell us about one incident that illustrates your love of learning. Or about an “ah-ha moment” when you realized the importance of a liberal arts education. Tell us something interesting and unusual about yourself. Be creative.
Remember that we have your transcript, we know what courses you have taken and how well you have performed. You do not need to tell us about that. You do not need to tell us that you have devoted yourself to your academic success, that you have worked hard, that you have challenged yourself. We know that. You do not need to try to tell us everything about your undergraduate experience and/or your plans after you graduate.
The winner of the prize will be recognized at the induction ceremony to be held April 7, 2024 in the Michigan League.