College of Education students—and Dean Kennedy—inducted into honor society

The most recent class of Phi Kappa Phi honor society inductees at the University of Georgia includes 23 College of Education students, along with an honorary induction of the College's dean.

The April ceremony welcomed more than 150 students from across UGA and featured College of Education Dean Craig H. Kennedy as keynote speaker. Kennedy and Philip Lanoue, superintendent of the Clarke County School District, were inducted into the honor society, while Lanoue and Jenny Penney Oliver, a longtime College of Education faculty member who died in 2013, were honored with the Love of Learning award.

The annual award, which was established in 2003 in recognition of the UGA chapter's 80th anniversary, acknowledges the recipients' outstanding lifetime contributions in their fields. Along with his accomplishments leading the school district, Lanoue has also been instrumental in the award-winning Professional Development School District partnership with the College of Education. Oliver was a faculty member in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services for more than 20 years and served as a primary motivator to recognize and support efforts of diversity, inclusion and social justice.

In his address, Kennedy reminded students of the role higher education plays in shaping our daily lives by blending research across disciplines to create new ideas and inventions.

"Things like the iPhone are possible because previous generations of students were exposed to a range of ideas, challenging their ways of thinking and solving problems," he told the students. "Without places that can challenge, innovate and discover—without regard to specific purpose—we lose the creativity behind innovations in engineering, science, medicine, and business."

Founded in 1897 by 10 students at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi's mission is to recognize excellence in all academic disciplines. The organization's Greek name is derived from the key words in its motto: "Let the love of learning rule humanity."