BATON ROUGE, La. — Philip E. Phillips, associate dean of the Honors College and professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University, has begun his term as president of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Phillips was elected president-elect in 2024 and served in that role during the 2024-26 term. He now assumes the presidency for the 2026-28 term, leading the Society’s 12-member Board of Directors and helping guide Phi Kappa Phi in advancing its mission to cultivate a community that celebrates and advances the love of learning.

“It is my pleasure and honor to lead Phi Kappa Phi, and I cannot wait to see where this adventure takes us,” said Phillips in a Phi Kappa Phi news release.

“Philip brings to this role a deep commitment to scholarship, service and the values at the heart of Phi Kappa Phi,” said Brad Newcomer, executive director and CEO of the society, in the release. “He is especially passionate about creating opportunities for members to connect and engage with one another through meaningful in-person experiences, as well as expanding the reach of our award programs through increased philanthropic support. I look forward to working with Philip and the board as we pursue these opportunities and continue to advance the society’s mission.”

A longtime Phi Kappa Phi leader, Phillips was initiated into the society as a faculty member at MTSU in 2011 and has served in leadership roles at both the chapter and national levels. He previously served as president of the Phi Kappa Phi chapter at MTSU and as a director on the society’s Board of Directors before being elected president-elect in 2024. He also chaired Phi Kappa Phi’s first Strategic Planning Task Force and has served on the society’s fellowship and bylaws committees.

At MTSU, Phillips teaches American, British, and early European literature. His research interests include American studies, literary history, English poetry, spatial literary studies, and ecocriticism. In 2025, he was appointed to the Fulbright Specialist Roster in American literature, reflecting his international reputation as a scholar and educator.

Phillips is serving a fourth term as president of the Poe Studies Association and is executive director of the International Boethius Society. He has organized international scholarly conferences and taught or delivered lectures throughout Europe and Asia. His scholarship has received international recognition, including the Poe Studies Association’s J. Lasley Dameron Award for his books Poe and Place and Poe Spaces: Within and Beyond the Spatial Turn.

Phillips earned master’s and doctoral degrees in English from Vanderbilt University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Belmont University. Through his scholarship, leadership and service, he has distinguished himself as an advocate for honors education, scholarly engagement and excellence in higher education.

About Phi Kappa Phi

Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The society has chapters on more than 300 select colleges and universities in the United States and its territories.

Membership is by invitation only to the top 10% of seniors and graduate students and 7.5% of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The society’s mission is to “cultivate a community that celebrates and advances the love of learning.” For more information, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

— By Alyssa Papa, Phi Kappa Phi