Greek Life Recognized Among Best Nationally

Carissa Kelly

Representatives from the Panhellenic Council with their awards

The Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council and Interfraternity Council were recently recognized as recipients of the 2022 Council Compass awards at the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values.

The Panhellenic Council went on to receive the Sutherland Award named after Ms. Shelley S. Sutherland. To be recognized, a council must earn a combined highest achievement score in the four directional areas: accountability, collaboration, education and innovation. This award is among the highest level of council achievements and recognizes the top Panhellenic Council in the nation.

The association shared that "this college Panhellenic built a 'community first' mentality through a willingness to listen and smart usage of assessment data. This ability to put their members first resulted in educational efforts that centered on member safety and well-being, which resulted in council level efforts to support the mental health of its members."

Representatives from the National Pan-Hellenic Council with their awards

The former Panhellenic President Amanda McQuitty was elated with the honor and went on to say, "The Panhellenic Council has made remarkable strides this past year, and being awarded the Shelley S. Sutherland award is incredibly motivating. We worked tirelessly to make meaningful contributions both within the council and to our larger Arkansas community. It is truly incredible what empowered women can accomplish, and I know that being recognized as the best Panhellenic in the nation will continue to encourage the council to continue to making progress in pursuit of diligently serving our community as student leaders."

The National Pan-Hellenic Council went on to receive awards in level two and were recognized in the categories of accountability and innovation. Previous NPHC President Madison Russell shared that, "Our Executive Board set out many goals for the year. These goals went on to set a foundation for future members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. To have our council recognized for our accountability and innovation in the past year is both an exciting and humbling experience. Not only that, but when I reflect on the past year and the many milestones the National Pan-Hellenic Council has met, it feels amazing to have those achievements recognized by parties outside of the University of Arkansas."

2021 Greek Life Council Executive Board Members pose with awards won.

The Interfraternity Council not only received an award in the level three category of accountability from the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values, but also were awarded the Community Cultivation Award while at the Southeastern Greek Leadership Association. Recent IFC President John Wilson shared that, "It is an honor to receive these awards from both the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values and the Southeastern Greek Leadership Association, recognizing UA's Interfraternity Council for our efforts to advance, cultivate and promote the Greek experience. This is a perfect example of what the University of Arkansas' Greek Life community strives for. I cannot begin to express enough gratitude for the effort and support that our Greek Life staff, chapters and executive council put forth this past year."

Parice S. Bowser, assistant vice chancellor of Greek Life and associate dean of students, shares a similar gratitude as her Greek student leaders. She sincerely appreciates the accolades and went on to say, "This is truly remarkable to receive such high accomplishments at the national level. I am beyond proud of our councils and their leadership for their continued efforts in providing a vibrant campus life through educational, leadership and social endeavors. These awards not only show that we are leading the way in fraternal excellence, it also demonstrates student success and development at the highest level."