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Keys to Action Press Release

From Phi Beta Kappa Association of the Chicago Area


For Immediate Release:
December 1, 2015

 

For More Information:
President Judi Strauss-Lipkin
630-842-4911

 

Phi Beta Kappa Association of the Chicago Area Tells State Lawmakers: “Fund Liberal Arts Higher Education”

Chicago, IL — In the spirit of Phi Beta Kappa Society’s Keys to Action Week, the Phi Beta Kappa Association of the Chicago Area (PBKACA) calls on Illinois lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner (Phi Beta Kappa, Cornell ‘78) to fund liberal arts higher education. 

“It is critical that we preserve funding for liberal arts higher education in the state of Illinois,” said Judi Strauss-Lipkin, President of PBKACA. “State lawmakers should be aware that many of our nation’s top employers seek to hire liberal arts and sciences students. This is an economic imperative.”

PBKACA is the Chicago chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society alumni association, representing over 15,000 key holders in the Chicagoland Area. Phi Beta Kappa was founded on December 5, 1776, and is the oldest honors society for the liberal arts and sciences.

“A liberal arts degree allows our citizens the ability to write clearly, speak well, and speak their mind,” added Judi. “These are the highest ideals for members of a democratic society, and we should not inhibit any person’s ability to learn, think, or express themselves. We should fully fund liberal arts higher education.”

Currently, the state of Illinois has discontinued MAP Grants and funding for institutions of higher education. Some universities and liberal arts colleges in Illinois receive as much as 44% of their funding from the state.

PBKACA aims to promote and advocate for excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. For more information about Phi Beta Kappa’s efforts to save the liberal arts, or PBKACA, contact Judi Strauss-Lipkin at jstrausslipkin@gmail.com or 630-842-4911.