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Two years ago, the Sigma Pi Fraternity at ɫ����Ƶ vowed to pursue Greek excellence. 

They can now declare: “Mission accomplished.”

Late last month, the Tennessee-based national headquarters of Sigma Pi Fraternity International announced that the Eta-Eta Chapter at ɫ����Ƶ had earned the Beyer-Fryburg Standards of Excellence Award. ɫ����Ƶ’s chapter earned a near-perfect mark of 98 percent on Sigma Pi’s standards of excellence metric for the 2016-17 school year.

For Dr. Cindy Kane, the director of ɫ����Ƶ’s Office of Student Involvement and Leadership, the award’s announcement brought her back to when the young men of Sigma Pi committed to being better in all they did on campus.

“I vividly remember discussions that happened a couple of years back, when our students made a concerted effort to build their already good organization into an excellent one,” Dr. Kane said. “Through the work of motivated student leaders, strong leadership education from (OSIL Associate Director) Maribeth Flakes and other educators at ɫ����Ƶ and the loyal volunteer support of alumni advisors, their concerted efforts have helped them reach the pinnacle of recognition in their organization. I couldn’t be more thrilled for these men.”

There are more than 120 active chapters of Sigma Pi nationally. The Beyer-Fryburg Standards of Excellence Award was announced at this summer’s Tony Siress Career & Educational Institute. 

“Eta-Eta Chapter made a decision two years ago to aspire to become a top chapter on their campus and within Sigma Pi,” said regional the national fraternity’s director Joe Turck. “They made the changes necessary to operate at an exceptional level, and now they have received the accolades to reflect that effort. I look forward to their continued success as they raise the bar within the fraternity.”

The magnitude of the award was not lost on the students who worked so hard to earn it. 

“Eta-Eta Chapter is truly honored to be the recipient of the Beyer-Fryburg Award,” said John R. McGowan, Jr., ’18, who serves as the chapter sage. “This recognition is the culmination of our chapter’s efforts to live up to our mission, ‘to advance man’s quest for excellence.’ Every day, our brothers inspire each other to become better men than we were yesterday. I am excited to see where we will go in the next year and it is my hope that we finish this biennium strong and return from convocation 2018 as Grand Sage’s Award winners.”

John also made sure to point out those who helped provide leadership to the fraternity during its ascent. 

“We would like to thank all of those volunteers and resources who have helped us get this far, including Joe Turck, Matt Quimby, ’04, our campus professional, Maribeth Flakes, and the many others who have given their time and energy to supporting our chapter,” he said. “Truly, we have been graced by standing on the shoulders of giants.” (Story by Charlie Peters, University News & Media)