New governance structure passed at 2018 Annual Meeting

By Loretta Good, NPC director of communication & marketing

National Panhellenic Conference leadership, volunteers and guests met in St. Louis, Oct. 19-21, at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel for the 2018 NPC annual meeting. Guided by the theme “Gateway to Our Future,” attendees had the opportunity to meet, strategize and make bold decisions about how NPC and its member organizations work together to advance the sorority experience.

On Friday, Oct. 19, the NPC Executive Committee, board of directors, inter/ national presidents and executive directors met to discuss a number of topics, including NPC governance, trends in higher education, recruitment results and the NPC strategic plan.

The annual meeting began in earnest with the Friday night delegation dinner and meeting kick-off. After the meal, attendees shared in a motivational session in which Erin Fischer, owner and CEO of The Leadership and Training Studio, encouraged participants to challenge old ways of thinking and to shine a light on other women.

The kick-off was followed by the opening business meeting, led by NPC Chairman Carole Jones, Alpha Omicron Pi. During her state of NPC address, Jones focused on accomplishments in 2017-18, noting NPC’s work in preserving and advancing the sorority experience on many fronts. She explained NPC was guided by its five strategic priorities and discussed projects such as the creation of think tanks, the “Call for Critical Change,” projects completed to advance Panhellenic operations and NPC’s legislative and advocacy efforts.

“As we embrace these many opportunities together, it is loud and clear that the state of NPC is strong, but the state of sorority is fragile,” said Jones as she summarized threats to the sorority experience during the past year.

“… Challenging issues in challenging times, but we have leaned on each other for strength, advice, encouragement and comfort. We have all ‘faced challenges and embraced opportunities together.’”

Other meeting highlights included the introduction of local College and Alumnae Panhellenic guests, presentation of the finance report and consideration of NPC legislation.

Attendees began their Saturday at a special meeting of the NPC Board of Directors. During the meeting, the directors voted to increase member organization dues and undergraduate fees. In addition, the directors voted to amend NPC’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. Effective July 1, 2019, NPC will transition to a new strategic governance structure with a seven-member board of directors and a 26-member Council of Delegates. In a historic shift, the chairmanship of NPC will no longer rotate through NPC member organizations according to the order of admission to the Conference. The Council of Delegates will elect the chairman from the seven board members, two of which will rotate into board service based on the order in which their sororities were admitted to NPC and five of which will be elected by the Council. Following the special meeting, attendees participated in educational sessions and spent time with NPC’s partners.

At the NPC Foundation dinner, Janet Brown, Alpha Omicron Pi, outgoing president of the NPC Foundation, spoke about the Foundation’s successes during the past few years. She also announced more than $13,500 had been raised for the Spirit Fund which serves as an avenue for the direct support of various NPC programs. Attendees also received the Foundation’s annual report.

After dinner, Panhellenics training began with a welcome session, an update on Panhellenic extension and regional meetings. Training continued on Sunday morning with an NPC projects update, a discussion of College Panhellenic marketing and an update on the campus concerns process. Attendees then participated in topical sessions, followed by regional meetings and a wrap-up session.

The 2018 NPC annual meeting provided a forum for attendees to discuss important issues impacting the Panhellenic community and for NPC leadership to take bold steps to help the Conference be more proactive in preserving and advancing the sorority experience together – now and for the future.

WHAT DO THE NPC GOVERNANCE CHANGES MEAN TO ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA?

By Sue Zorichak, BB, NPC delegate

During the NPC annual meeting, delegates approved revised articles and bylaws that created a new governing and volunteer structure for NPC. Here are the key aspects of this historic change:

• Rotating into the NPC chairmanship will no longer happen.

• A council of delegates (COD), consisting of one alumna representative from each member organization, will have primary responsibility for NPC membership and Panhellenic policies. The Alpha Sigma Alpha National President will serve as the Sorority's representative. There will no longer be alternate delegates.

• A seven-member board of directors will consist of five members elected by the COD and two members appointed by their member organization on a rotational basis. Alpha Sigma Alpha will rotate onto the board in 2027 . Board members will begin their two-year terms July 1, 2019. The COD will also elect the NPC chairman from among these women. The board will lead NPC and establish corporate policy, set strategic direction, oversee and secure resources and monitor organizational performance.

• A chief Panhellenic officer, appointed by each member organization, will serve as the point person for campusbased information from NPC or volunteers, such as area advisors.

The intended result of the new structure is a nimble and more responsive NPC.