Soule currently serves as Dartmouth College's Director of Budget and Fiscal Affairs for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Founded in 1776 by five students at the College of William & Mary, the Phi Beta Kappa Society endorses principles of excellence in the liberal arts through supporting its campus chapters and regional associations, as well as issuing publications and organizing lectures.
The majority of the society's members are chosen during the senior year of their college careers for high academic records, as well as breadth and depth of curriculum. Membership is highly selective, offered to only approximately one percent of the graduating seniors in the country each year.
Soule was inducted into the organization as a member upon her graduation from the College. Because both of her parents were involved in the society at Carleton College, she was already closely acquainted with Phi Beta Kappa even before her matriculation at Amherst.
Soule's interest and involvement in the society continued to grow after her graduation as an English major from the College and after receiving an MBA from University of Massachusetts.
Starting at the Phi Beta Kappa Association of Chicago, she then went on to become the secretary and treasurer for the Dartmouth College chapter in 1997.
In addition to working for PBK chapters, units functioning under the umbrella of an academic institution, Soule also has had experience in chairing the Northern New England Phi Beta Kappa Association. Independent of colleges or universities, associations aim to promote friendship and learning within the community.
"I have been involved in Phi Beta Kappa for all my life," Soule said. She added that her previous commitment to the organization was, in her eyes, the most significant factor for her being chosen as a national senator.
On the function of the National Senate, PBK secretary and chief executive officer John Churchill disclosed, "Members of our senate serve as the directors who guide the national office on policy matters and set the direction for the Society's future. They work exclusively to enhance the contribution of the liberal arts in American society."
Reflecting on her education at the College, Soule explained that it provided her with many different perspectives on the world. She aims to promote this multidisciplinary approach to scholarship as a senator.
Soule hopes to focus her work in the PBK National Senate on large state colleges and universities, rather than on institutions like Amherst where the emphasis on breadth and depth of education is firmly established. Such large state schools situate students in a position of choice between designing their education broadly and concentrating exclusively in a of a particular field.
Helping students in this context appreciate the potential of the liberal arts approach to enrich one's education is what she envisions as her contribution to the national society. Soule's position as a senator, a six-year term, started on Nov. 22.
Soule is not the only Amherst graduate to serve on the PBK National Senate. Joseph Gordon '70, currently the Deputy Dean of Yale College, also an Amherst alumnus, was the president of the Senate between 2000 and 2003. He now serves as a senate member.
The distinction of these offices can be measured by the influence of the society itself. Projects supported by its associations include scholarship funds, prizes for distinctive students, recognition of excellence in teaching and other cultural and intellectual activities.
Chapters endorse liberal arts education through lectures, awards for teaching and writing, fellowships and scholarships, mentor programs and teacher workshops.
While only 10 percent of the nation's institutions of higher education have PBK chapters, the number of members exceeds half a million. Membership to the society is for life. Members receive a PBK key in recognition of their distinction. The chapter at Amherst dates back to 1853.