Student Recognition

The Brown Foundation-Earl Rudder Memorial Outstanding Student Award was established in 1970 as the highest honor bestowed upon a graduating senior at Texas A&M University. No more than two Brown-Rudder awardees are selected at Texas A&M each year. The award is presented at the LAUNCH recognition ceremony and announced at the commencement exercise(s) of the honorees college at Texas A&M each May.

The award honors the outstanding senior student who exemplifies the leadership, patriotism, fortitude, courage, humility, love of Texas A&M University, and willingness to uphold the principles for which Texas A&M stands as vividly exemplified by James Earl Rudder during his lifetime. Gen. Earl Rudder, a World War II hero, served as president of Texas A&M from 1959 until his death in 1970.
To be eligible for the Brown-Rudder award, a student must:

• Have displayed to a high degree those admirable personal traits that characterized the late President Earl Rudder.
• Rank academically in the upper quarter of his/her class at the end of his/her undergraduate curriculum.
• Have completed not less than one-half of his/her degree requirements while enrolled at Texas A&M University.
• Be occupying or have held positions of leadership in one or more major student organizations (i.e. Student Government, Memorial Student Center, Corps of Cadets, Residence Hall Association, Off-Campus Aggies, Department of Multicultural Services, etc.) and/or in state or nationally recognized student organizations, or social, church, and/or other similar organizations.
• Be a candidate for a baccalaureate degree at the end of the spring semester or during the preceding 12-month period in which the award is presented.
• Have an exemplary conduct record while enrolled in the university.
• Have displayed a great love for his/her university and demonstrated his/her willingness to uphold the principles for which it stands.

• Have displayed to a high degree the core value of Selfless Service.
• Have no academic, honor, or conduct violations. Scholastic probation earlier in a student’s career will not be held against the student, provided the student has successfully completed the terms of probation.
• Have completed not less than one-half of the nominee’s degree requirements while enrolled at Texas A&M University.
• Have performed service to improve the quality of life and promote the welfare of others (i.e., humanitarian/charitable causes) during the nominee’s enrollment at Texas A&M University.  The service cannot be for political or religious purposes, although service can be performed through a religious organization.  Service is to be considered based on the nominee’s efforts—not the overall effort of the organization associated with the service.
• Be a candidate for a baccalaureate degree at the end of the spring semester or during the preceding fall or summer semesters.
• Not be a recipient of the Brown Foundation-Earl Rudder Memorial Outstanding Student Award or the Robert Gates-Muller Family Outstanding Student Award or any similar university-wide award including other Core Value awards that may be created in the future.

 "Let the love of learning rule humanity." - Phi Kappa Phi Motto

The Phi Kappa Phi Gathright/Deans' Excellence awards were created to recognize top first-year and sophomore students for their achievements. These university-wide awards are presented annually to the top freshman and sophomore students in each college who display exceptional promise. The award is administered in partnership with the TAMU chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, one of the oldest and most prestigious honor societies in the world. The goal of the Deans' Excellence awards is to identify and honor those students who exemplify the Phi Kappa Phi motto to "let the love of learning rule humanity."

The top student in each college and classification is designated as a Gathright Scholar, with the second student recognized as the Deans' Excellence Award winner.

Eligibility

• All applicants must be full time students and a member of the awarding college at Texas A&M University (as shown in university records). Applicants must not possess a record of academic dishonesty or any student conduct violations.
• To compete in the Freshman category a student must have been admitted to Texas A&M University through the Freshman admissions process in the fall or spring semester immediately preceding the application due date. (This classification is based on the number of semesters, not credit hours.)
• To compete in the Sophomore category a student must have completed at least 2 but no more than 4 fall/spring semesters at any institution by the application due date. (This classification is based on the number of semesters, not credit hours.)

Timeline

• Applications & Recommendations: 
  Due: 5:00 PM Monday, June 2, 2025 (No Exceptions)
• Semifinalists Announced: Mid-Late July
• Finalists Announced: Mid-Late August
• Awardees Announced: Mid-Late September

Application

Required Components

1. Course Information
2. Personal Statement
3. Research and/or Creative Production
4. Community Engagement
5. Accomplishments/Awards
6. Unofficial TAMU Transcript
7. Letters of Recommendation*

Document Formatting Requirements

• With the exception of transcripts and recommendations, each component should be:

  • Single-spaced

  • 12pt font

  • No longer than 1 page

  • Each page should contain a header identifying the document (e.g., Personal Statement, Community Engagement, etc.).

• Including transcripts, all documents (*except recommendations) should be combined into a single file:

  • In PDF format

  • Saved as 'Last Name_UIN_DeansExcellenceAwardPacket

    • Example: An application packet would be saved as: Smith_123004567_DeansExcellenceAwardPacket

Required Components Explained

• Course information

Course Title: Computer Science I
Course Code: COSC
Course Number: 3809
Credit Hours: 3
Course Grade: A
Honors Course: True
GR (Graduate) Course: ​True

• Personal statement
  Discuss your background and interests in relation to both your short-term goals and long-term ambitions. Remember that a good personal statement answers not only the question "what?" but also "why?"
• Research and/or Creative Production
  Discuss any research you have conducted or are currently conducting and/or any creative endeavors you pursue (music, art, theatre, creative writing, etc.). Remember that reviewers will not necessarily be experts in your field.
• Community Engagement
  Discuss the ways in which you engage with your university, local, national, or even international community. How do you find meaning in this engagement? What have you learned from this experience?
• Accomplishments/Awards
  Explain any notable milestones or achievements and contextualize them within your interests and goals.
• Unofficial TAMU transcript
  The transcript should come from Howdy. Applicants should select the option for a PDF version of the transcript.
• Recommendations
  See below

Recommendations

Each application must include two (2) letters of recommendation. Letters should be no longer than two pages and preferably written by a TAMU faculty member; however, a letter from a graduate student serving as the instructor of record will also be accepted. The letter should address your academic abilities and potential in your intended field, providing clear, specific, and detailed examples.

REMINDER
Letters of Recommendation must be submitted by June 2, 2025 at 5:00 PM.

Award

Awardees will be honored with an official certificate at the annual Phi Kappa Phi Fall Breakfast in October.

Application Link

The Thomas S. Gathright Scholar Award was established in April 1973 by The Association of Former Students in conjunction with Texas A&M's Student Government Association. The award was given annually at the Parents' Weekend All-University Awards Ceremony to the outstanding sophomore, junior, and senior of each academic college. Named in honor of the first president of the A&M College of Texas, this award recognizes outstanding scholastic achievement on a university-wide scale.

In spring 2019, the Gathright Award became a collaboration between The Association of Former Students, Honors Academy: Academic Excellence, and the Texas A&M chapter of Phi Kappa Phi.

The senior recognition has been replaced by a freshman recognition, and the freshman and sophomore awards are now made through the Dean's Excellence Award process and awarded at a fall ceremony. The junior award has been merged with the Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior award and is presented at an annual induction ceremony each spring. The awards have been renamed the Gathright Phi Kappa Phi Dean's Excellence Award and the Gathright Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior Award, respectively.

Selection for the Gathright Award at all levels is now based on an evaluation of research and/or creative production, community engagement, accomplishments/awards, and academic record, with the final selection criteria determined by the dean of each respective college.

To learn more about the Gathright Award's namesake, visit these links:

• TSHA Handbook article on Texas A&M.
• TSHA Handbook article on Gathright.
• Office of National Fellowships

The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society with the mission of fostering and recognizing excellence in undergraduate liberal arts and sciences. Founded at the College of William and Mary on December 5, 1776, as a student society devoted to the pursuit of liberal education and intellectual fellowship, it is the oldest academic society in the United States. Membership is granted to approximately 1% of college graduates, and today there are 290+ chapters at America's leading colleges and universities and over half a million living members. 

No member school may induct more than 10% of its arts and sciences graduates, and most chapters invite a smaller percentage of membership. Phi Beta Kappa is generally considered to be the most selective and prestigious of all college honors societies, so election to membership is one of the highest honors available to undergraduate collegians. Occasionally, outstanding Ph.D. graduates are also invited to join the Society. 

The Phi Beta Kappa national office sponsors several awards, fellowships, lectureships, and scholarships, and works with other institutions to advance the liberal arts and sciences. It publishes two journals, including The American Scholar.

History

The Texas A&M University chapter (Kappa of Texas) inducted its first class in the spring of 2004. Although Texas A&M Phi Beta Kappa members come from across the campus, ALL inductees have excelled in an extensive range of challenging courses in the humanities, performing and visual arts, mathematics, natural science, and social and behavioral science. 

As Phi Beta Kappa graduates, they join the ranks of 40% of U.S. Presidents, 136 Nobel laureates, seven of the nine current U.S. Supreme Court Justices and one third of all past Supreme Court Justices, and some of America’s most accomplished scientists, artists, and athletes. Included among that number are John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Dewey, Theodore Roosevelt, W. E. B. Dubois, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Stephen Sondheim, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ralph Nader, Gloria Steinem, Kris Kristofferson, Francis Ford Coppola, Tom Brokaw, Steven Chu, Glenn Close, Condoleezza Rice, Ben Bernanke, Sonia Sotomayor, George Stephanopoulos, Ashley Judd, Elena Kagan, and Peyton Manning.

Currently, there are 146+ Phi Beta Kappa “members in residence” on the faculty and staff of Texas A&M.

Constitution and Bylaws

Constitution  (Phi Beta Kappa Society, Kappa of Texas Chapter)
Bylaws (Phi Beta Kappa Society, Kappa of Texas Chapter)

Selection Criteria

Every semester, three groups of students are considered for induction into Phi Beta Kappa by Texas A&M members-in-residence (faculty and staff): graduating seniors, non-graduating seniors and juniors, and students graduating with a Ph.D. 

The criteria used in selecting candidates are based on guidelines provided by the national Phi Beta Kappa Society as specified in the Stipulations Concerning Eligibility for Membership in Course and in the Feb. 1, 2011, Revised Stipulations.

The Texas A&M chapter Members-in-Course Committee has adopted specific criteria for implementing those stipulations. In any one semester, these specific criteria can be adapted to ensure that the chapter does not elect more members than it is allowed.

Selection Criteria for Texas A&M Undergraduate Students

Acceptable courses listed are for illustration purposes only. The Members-in-Course Committee will evaluate each candidate's record individually.

• at least 90 semester hours of courses designated as Arts & Science courses—including all transfer, advanced placement, credit-by-exam, CLEP, SAT II, International Baccalaureate (IB), or TRNS courses accepted by the University for credit
• at least 72 hours of A&M credit coursework (at least 54 of which are graded) in Arts & Science courses
• at least 12 hours of acceptable courses in the Humanities or Visual/Performing Arts (excluding HIST 105 & 106)
• at least 6 hours of acceptable courses in the Social & Behavioral Sciences(excluding POLS 206 & 207)
• at least 14 hours of acceptable courses in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics or Logic
• Proficiency in a second or non-native language equivalent to completion of 14 hours of college-level courses in the same foreign language. Such proficiency may be shown by coursework at Texas A&M, and/or transfer credit and/or placement testing. Sign language does not count as a foreign language.
• For graduating seniors: a GPA of 3.70 or greater in Arts & Science courses; in some semesters, this is 3.75
• For non-graduating seniors and juniors: a GPA of 3.90 or greater in Arts & Science courses; in some semesters, this is higher

Officers

Induction

The annual induction ceremony will take place in May during the week of graduation for all initiates, including May, August, and December graduates.

Candidates will be screened automatically for selection by the Members-in-Course Committee. No application is required. Nominees who are selected will be notified by the Secretary at the end of each semester.

Invitations to the ceremony will go out in April of each year. 

Contact Us

Mailing Address

Phi Beta Kappa
Texas A&M University
4233 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-1125