The Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society of the Republic of China (simply Phi Tau Phi or ; ) is an honor society based in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. It was founded in 1921 by American professor Joseph H. Ehlers of

Peiyang University National Peiyang University (北洋大学堂), originally Imperial Tientsin University, was established in Tianjin in October 1895 by Sheng Xuanhuai, the official of the Tianjin Customs, with the approval of the Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty. I ...

, China.The Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society of the Republic of China. (n.d.). ''The Founder of Phi Tau Phi.'' Retrieved April 13, 2023, from http://www.phitauphi.org.tw/builder/builder.htm Phi Tau Phi stands for Philosophia (the mother of all sciences), Technologia (applied science), and Physiologia (theoretical science), which collectively represent all disciplines of learning. The Society aims to encourage scholarship, stimulate research, reward scholastic achievement, and form bonds of intellectual and professional fellowship. It has recognized 70,000+ members over the past hundred years.The Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society of the Republic of China. (n.d.). ''The Founding of Phi Tau Phi and its Purpose.'' Retrieved April 12, 2023, from http://www.phitauphi.org.tw/index2.htm

History

On May 25, 1921, Joseph H. Ehlers, then a professor at

, proposed the idea to establish an honor society that encourages integrity and diligence across universities in

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

. The name "Phi Tau Phi" was first mentioned at the time, which stands for philosophia, technologia, and physiologia, respectively. On May 4, 1922, the first general meeting was held at the Shanghai Youth Association. Fourteen nationwide university representatives, including those from

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU; ) is a Public university, public research university in Shanghai, Shanghai, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Education of China ...

, National Southeast University,

Yenching University Yenching University (), was a university in Beijing, China, that was formed out of the merger of four Christian colleges between the years 1915 and 1920. The term "Yenching" comes from an alternative name for old Beijing, derived from its status ...

, etc., attended the meeting. The first board of directors was then elected, with Ping-Wen Kuo serving as the president. After the retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan, the society once suspended its activities. However, it was resumed in March 1964 at the call of the members. Multiple university chapters have since been established in Taiwan, including

National Chiao Tung University National Chiao Tung University (NCTU; ) was a public research university located in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Established in 1896 as Nanyang Public School by an imperial edict of the Guangxu Emperor, it was one of China's leading universities. After th ...

, Soochow University,

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

, etc. The society has also established several regional chapters, such as the East America Chapter, the Central America Chapter, and the West America Chapter in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Until 2023, the society has 56 chapters across Taiwan.

Membership

Membership is by recommendation only, by an established university chapter. According to the Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society of the Republic of China Honorary Membership Criteria,The Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society of the Republic of China. (2017, July 20). ''The Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society of the Republic of China Honorary Membership Criteria.'' http://www.phitauphi.org.tw/mstan/mstan.htm the membership recognizes and honors those who are * the top 1% of undergraduate graduands in each university based on the cumulative grade prior to the semester of graduation as well as the excellence in moral conduct; * the top 3% of master’s graduands in each university that are excellent in academic performance as well as moral conduct; * the top 10% of doctoral graduands in each university that are excellent in academic performance as well as moral conduct; or * one of the 1 to 3 alumni of each university who have had significant contributions to academic research or social undertakings.

References

{{authority control Honor societies Student organizations established in 1921 1921 establishments in China