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BATON ROUGE, La. — Julie Simerly of Elizabethton, Tenn., was recently elected to membership in the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Simerly joins approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni inducted each year.

Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of their class may also qualify, along with faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Founded in 1897 by undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann, Phi Kappa Phi was established to honor academic excellence across all disciplines. The society now has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and its territories.

Phi Kappa Phi’s mission is to “cultivate a community that celebrates and advances the love of learning.”