Phi Beta Kappa inducts 23 students

Luther College’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter welcomed 23 students into membership at the annual induction ceremony held on Saturday, May 23.

Luther College is one of a select group of private liberal arts colleges in the United States with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. The Eta of Iowa Chapter at Luther College was established in 1983. Members are selected on the basis of broad academic interests, scholarly achievement and good character.

The 2026 inductees include:

Seniors

Nastya Cicala of Chisinau, Moldova
William Coffey of La Crosse, Wisconsin
Neil Grube of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Elizabeth Husemann of Fairfax, Iowa
Enrique Lopez Barriga of Madrid, Spain
Simon McDonald of Northfield, Minnesota
Edie Meehan of Northfield, Minnesota
Kathryn Merten of Ellensburg, Washington
Mari Annika Mineck of Urbandale, Iowa
Enzo Mitidieri of Campinas, Brazil
Lindsey Moseley of Roseville, Minnesota
Bret Muhlbauer of Carroll, Iowa
Anh Nguyen of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Abigail Ostermann of Kimberly, Wisconsin
Mara Pankow of Decorah, Iowa
Lillian Spade of Eagan, Minnesota
Anna Tauscher of Rochester, Minnesota
Amanda Jean Teske of De Pere, Wisconsin
Kieran Ulbee of St. Anthony Village, Minnesota
Jenna Woodsmall of Johnston, Iowa

Juniors

Micah Anderson of Elko New Market, Minnesota
Hannah Batterson of Cedar Falls, Iowa
Julianne Lundvall of Ames, Iowa

Luther College Provost Pam Bacon gave the Ruth A. Davis Memorial Lecture at the ceremony on May 23. Bacon graduated from Carleton College with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. At Carleton, she was inducted into the college’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter (the Beta Chapter of Minnesota). In 2025, Bacon was appointed provost and professor of psychology at Luther College.

Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most respected undergraduate honors organization in the United States. The society has fostered and recognized excellence in the liberal arts and sciences since 1776, and the society’s distinctive emblem, a golden key, is widely recognized as a symbol of academic achievement.