Sphinx Senior Society

The Sphinx Senior Society is one of the oldest senior honor societies[lower-alpha 1] at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The organization, founded in 1900, is self-perpetuating and consists of a maximum of 30 members selected annually. Its members are a diverse and varied group, coming from all areas of achievement, community, activities, and backgrounds. Each member is chosen because of the singular achievements from his or her committed leadership to the university, community and public.

This article is about the University of Pennsylvania society. For the Dartmouth College society, see Sphinx (senior society).

The Sphinx Senior Society, Inc. is a recognized nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status.

Membership

The undergraduate society consists of 30 members, with 23 being inducted each spring and an additional 7 being inducted each fall. Members, officially called "Sphinges," represent student leaders that have served the university community in some form or manner and are selected based on their character, involvement, leadership, and vision. This membership perpetuates through a "tapping" process every spring, during which current members personally nominate deserving juniors to attend a smoker. This informal smoker provides an opportunity for the taps to pick up an application as well as for the current members to meet and screen nominees before starting the selection process. This process is repeated each fall to tap, select, and induct an additional 7 seniors as members of the given class.

Board of Governors

The Sphinx Senior Society Board of Governors guides, plans and coordinates all activities of the Society, especially expanding alumni outreach and supporting the undergraduate membership. The 17-member Board consists of a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, President-Emeritus, and Chief, Pharisee, or Scribe Emeritus from the most recent graduating Sphinx class, as well as eight alumni Members-at-Large elected by the entire Sphinx alumni membership. These alumni members cover as wide a range of Penn alumni classes as possible. The three officers from the current class of the undergraduate membership also serve on the Board in an ex officio capacity.


2018-19 Board of Governors

Gregory Suss, Esq., PhD., C’75, President

Elizabeth Katz Miller, W’87, Vice President

Louis Hornick III, C’02, Treasurer

Anita Saggurti, C’12, Secretary

Stephen H. Klitzman, Esq., C’66, President-Emeritus

Dhruv Agarwal, E’18, Chief-Emeritus


Eric Apple

Joshua Chilcote

Luis Ernesto Del Valle

John Fiorillo

Urja Mittal

Jeremy Pincus

Kiera Reilly

David Scollan

Jay Shah, Undergraduate Chief

Selected notable members

Notes
  1. The university's oldest digitized alumni catalog,[1] as well as membership books in the University Archives, has shown the first graduating class of Sphinx Senior Society and of Friars Senior Society to be 1900 and 1899 respectively. The first mention of a senior society at the university can also be found in the 1900 edition of The Record,[2] the yearbook of the College. Though not mentioning Sphinx directly, the members notated as a senior society member were the members of the founding class of Sphinx. Due to previously lost records and the past competitive nature between the groups, the title of oldest senior society at the university has been debated by members from both organizations, and has even led to inaccurate references.[3]

References
  1. Compiled by W.J. Maxwell (1917). General alumni catalogue of the University of Pennsylvania. University of Pennsylvania. p. 1336.
  2. University of Pennsylvania (1900). The Record (PDF). Class of 1900. p. 377.
  3. Tamblin C. Smith; et al. (1948). Pennsylvania Pictures, January 1948 Vol. IV, No. 3. Franklin Society Publication. p. 3.
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