Last spring the inaugural CU Denver chapter of Pi Delta Phi, the National French Honorary Society, was launched and the national Pi Delta Phi organization has chosen to feature CLAS's chapter on their web site this month.

The chapter's official sanctioning ceremony (pictured here) was attended by Dr. John Janc, Regional Vice-President of Pi Delta Phi, Professor Emeritus from Minnesota State University in Mankato and a "Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academémiques," (an Order of Chivalry of France for academics and cultural educational figures). Pi Delta Phi is the oldest academic honor society for a modern language in the U.S. There are currently over 370 chapters in the United States and representative chapters in American universities in Paris and Aix-en-Provence. The society's overall stated purposes focus first on recognizing scholarship in French, followed by a goal of increasing knowledge and appreciation of Americans for the cultural contributions of the French and the encouragement of French cultural activities.