Joseph Spear III, of Peoria, was recently elected to membership into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, an all-discipline collegiate honor society, at Northern Arizona University.

Spear is among about 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 % of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States, its territories and the Philippines. Its mission is to "cultivate a community that celebrates and advances the love of learning."