AMES, Iowa –Junior Melvin Ejim returns for his third season as a member of the Iowa State men’s basketball team as one of its top contributors. A native of Toronto, Ontario, and a two-year starter for the Cyclones, Ejim has also been one of ISU’s top contributors in the classroom.
An All-Big 12 First-Team Academic pick in 2012, Ejim was recently nominated for membership into the exclusive Iowa State University Chapter of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Its chapters are on more than 300 campuses in the United States, and each year, approximately 30,000 members are initiated.
It’s an honor Ejim is proud of.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to say you are a member of the Phi Kappa Phi fraternity and to receive this academic accolade,” Ejim said. “This is something I will treasure and be proud of when I am done here at Iowa State. It’s something I have worked hard for and it means a lot to me and my family.”
Standards for election to the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi are extremely high. Membership is extended by invitation only to Iowa State University’s top 7.5 percent of second-semester juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors, professional and graduate students.
The fall initiation ceremony and reception will be held on Nov. 4 in the ISU Memorial Union Gallery.
Ejim, who is majoring in history, earned Dean’s List recognition in the spring of 2012.
Ejim was an All-Big 12 honorable mention pick in 2012 after averaging 9.3 points and 6.6 rebounds. He has scored 643 points and grabbed 440 rebounds in his two-year Cyclone career.
Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American in his playing days with the Cyclones, continues to stress success in the classroom for his Cyclone squad. Ejim has not let his coach down.
“It’s everything Melvin is all about,” Hoiberg said. “It is the way he was raised. Academics plays such an important role in his life. To be recognized with this award is such a tremendous honor for Melvin. I am really proud of him.”
