As Phi Beta Kappa enters its 250th year, the National Arts & Sciences Initiative looks ahead to our policy and advocacy work in 2026 with renewed purpose. This is a time of profound challenge but also possibility. The choices federal and state leaders make today will determine how colleges empower students, strengthen communities, and shape the future of our nation for generations to come.
Colleges and universities teach, inquire, and innovate to solve problems, strengthen economies, and enrich cultural life. Phi Beta Kappa recently affirmed this public trust in a joint statement with the American Association of Colleges and Universities (pbk.org/higher-educations-compact). That compact is built on shared commitments to opportunity, affordability, excellence, freedom, security, partnership, and prosperity. These collective principles define both our challenges and our responsibilities.
From Principles to Action
You can help ensure that colleges continue to serve as places where students become leaders, where faculty push the boundaries of knowledge, where expression takes place freely, and where higher education serves as a powerful public good.
This winter, join us in calling on policymakers to protect the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts, which the Society helped found in 1965. Write to policymakers to maintain federal investments in scientific research and training, supported by nearly three-quarters of voters in bipartisan agreement. Prevent drastic cuts to financial aid, enabling millions of students to earn high-quality four-year degrees and ensuring America’s long-term safety, health, and well-being. Visit toolkit.pbk.org/resources for additional ways to make a difference.
Investing in Future Leaders
As part of our broader advocacy work, our Key into Public Service Scholarship program embodies the arts and sciences in action. To honor the Society’s 250th year, the program will award $7,600 and an immersive conference experience to exceptional arts and sciences majors attending Phi Beta Kappa chapter institutions with a clear interest in serving in local, state, or federal government. Our Service Scholars demonstrate firsthand how intellectual curiosity and civic purpose can strengthen communities, fuel the economy, and sustain the cultural life of our nation. If you know a promising student, please encourage them to apply by January 21, 2026, at pbk.org/servicescholarapp.
An Anniversary Year to Act
As we look to shape the future, Phi Beta Kappa invites members like you and our organizational partners to meet this moment. Together, we can advance the arts and sciences, renew the promise of higher education, and ensure that love of learning is the cornerstone of our shared knowledge, prosperity, democracy, and culture.