WMU News

Greek executive boards named among nation's best

March 18, 1999

KALAMAZOO--The National Panhellenic Conference and the Interfraternity Council at Western Michigan University have been named among the nation's strongest Greek executive boards for the 1998-99 academic year.

The boards won 13 of 18 excellence awards at the Mid-American Greek Council Association's annual conference Feb. 18-21 in Chicago.

The association, U.S. higher education's premier organization of Greek governing bodies, covers a 17-state region from Michigan to Texas and Ohio to Colorado. It's annual conference gives Greek officials at member institutions a chance to participate in topical discussions and skill-building workshops as well as to compete for national awards.

Schools vying for the awards are judged in eight categories of operations: academic achievement, council management, community service, leadership and educational development, membership recruitment, public relations, risk management, and self-governance and judicial affairs.

WMU's NPC, a campus sororities governing body, garnered firsts in all eight programming categories. This placed the board among the top four finalists for the Sutherland Award, which goes to the nation's best overall National Panhellenic Conference.

In addition, WMU's IFC, a campus fraternities governing body, took top honors in four of the eight categories. This allowed the board to make a strong showing in competition for the Jellison Award, which recognizes the nation's best overall interfraternity council.

"We're proud of our Greek governing boards and the excellence awards they continue to earn each year," said Stevan J. Veldkamp, WMU assistant director of student activities and leadership programs.

"The awards clearly show our boards are achieving national acclaim," Veldkamp added. "They're also a testament to the increasing national stature of WMU, as both a student-centered university and a research institution."

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu


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