FALL2014
OF PI KAPPA PHI FRATERNITY
IMPROVING
OUR WORLD
CEO CORNER
Uncommon.
This past August marked the 20th anniversary of my introduction as the eighth executive director of Pi Kappa Phi. It has been an honor and privilege to serve and follow in the footsteps of Durward Owen, Xi (Roanoke), and his 35 years of service. Durward and I (in paraphrasing Aristotle and Founder Mixson) always acknowledge we stand on the shoulders of the giants of our past and present leaders to whom we owe our wonderful Pi Kappa Phi. These past 20 years have seen dramatic change while we’ve maintained the principles and values we hold most dear. In 1995, Pi Kappa Phi was the second national fraternity to formalize a four-year member development program focusing on character building, leadership development, service learning and life skills. While the programmatic mix has changed over the years, we remain committed to these tenets.
Mark E. Timmes
SUBMISSIONS Materials for publication should be sent directly to the managing editor at the P.O. Box address or email address shown below. Letters to the editor will be printed at the discretion of the editors.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
With the print and online STAR & LAMP, we accept materials on an ongoing basis.
Jared Horman
PARENTS The STAR & LAMP is being sent to your address while your son is in college. Please feel free to read through the magazine as we hope it is a publication you will enjoy too. If your son is no longer in college or is no longer living at home, please send his new contact information to the P.O. Box or email address below. PUBLISHER STAR & LAMP (USPS 519-000) is issued three times a year by Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity at 2015 Ayrsley Town Boulevard, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28273 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER Send address changes to: STAR & LAMP P.O. Box 240526 Charlotte, NC 28224-0526 EMAIL ADDRESS letusknow@pikapp.org
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Mark E. Timmes MANAGING EDITOR & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Todd Shelton
GRAPHIC DESIGN
COMMUNICATION TEAM
John Andrews Adam Phillips
CONTRIBUTORS
Justin Angotti Nick Atzenbeck Tom Atwood Chad Coltrane Andrew Richards Kyle Thomas Christian Wiggins
During these past ten years under our Second Century Vision, we have seen unparalleled growth in the number of quality students and student chapters. The breadth and depth of our programming and overall support, despite limited resources, remains unmatched. Because of this we have become a more respected, admired and desired fraternity. Even with these accomplishments, there is much work to be done to overcome the challenges today’s students face. All of this has set the stage to leverage even greater success through a re-branding effort, a new strategic plan and a unified comprehensive capital campaign. Let me briefly describe some of them. First, we engaged an outside consultant to take a fresh look at our fraternity’s brand in the “sea of sameness” of 76 national fraternities to better differentiate and describe what makes Pi Kappa Phi more compelling. We have improved our focus, alignment and linkage among our affiliates, especially Push America with its name change to The Ability Experience. We have updated our mission and vision statements to further incorporate our values of service beyond self and the mantra in the student creed to prepare ourselves diligently to shoulder our full responsibilities as citizens. The Journey encapsulates this path for the young men who join us. Pi Kapp College has
become an overarching brand to describe our educational activities. Our new tagline, “Exceptional leaders. Uncommon opportunities.” succinctly describes why Pi Kappa Phi is the best choice. Second, Uncommon Leadership: the 2020 Pi Kappa Phi Strategic Plan is our road map for the next six years. Three areas of note: Student Experience. We look to move beyond our work with our student officers to motivate the middle third of our chapters and keep juniors and seniors engaged in an increasingly global world. Alumni Engagement. While our student focus is paramount, a major strategic gap has been the lifelong engagement of our alumni. Through mentoring, networking and re-connection we will work to ensure the opportunity of a truly lifelong experience. Growth. Recruitment will always be the lifeblood of the fraternity. We will continue to grow the fraternity in both number of chapters and average chapter size in a measured way. Lastly, Common Loyalty—a campaign to forge uncommon leaders will provide additional funding beyond that provided by our students to drive a more impactful experience. Exceptional leaders such as Kelley Bergstrom, Bruce Rogers, Ernest Johnson and David Morgan have helped lead the way in this ground breaking effort to ensure our future. Birthdays, anniversaries and milestones are a time to reflect. With the 110th anniversary of our founding, please know Pi Kappa Phi remains as relevant for today’s students as it was for you. Indeed, today’s students need true fraternity more than ever in their lives and we remain committed to do our share to make it so. As always, we hope you enjoy this issue of the star & lamp! Yours in Pi Kappa Phi,
Mark E. Timmes Chief Executive Officer mtimmes@pikapp.org
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PAGE ONE EXPANSION
Record setting charterings this fall
During the fall of 2014, Pi Kappa Phi chartered on six campuses including two of our largest charterings in history at Ole Miss and Florida Gulf Coast. We invite you to read about each at pikapp.org in Fraternity News.
Alpha Lambda at Ole Miss Re-founded: October 11, 2014
Iota Upsilon at Florida Gulf Coast Founded: October 25, 2014
Delta Chi at Kansas State Re-founded: November 8, 2014
Iota Phi at Loyola - New Orleans Founded: November 8, 2014
Iota Chi at Ball State Founded: November 15, 2014
Iota Psi at Boise State Founded: December 6, 2014
THIS MAP DETAILS Pi Kappa Phi’s expansion plans for Spring 2015 and those already confirmed for Fall 2015. For more information about expansion, contact Assistant Executive Director of Chapter Development Chris Conner at cconner@pikapp.org.
Spring 2015
SUNY GENESEO
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
(EPSILON CHI)
UNIVERSITY OF
NEW MEXICO
UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO
Fall 2015 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SETON HALL UNIVERSITY
(EPSILON THETA)
(Additional expansions will be listed in the spring issue.)
You can find more expansion news in Fraternity News online. update us on your life: pikapp.org/submitnews
PIKAPP.ORG
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
FALL2014 || VOL CIII, NO. 2 FEATURES
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IMPROVING OUR WORLD
7
PUTTING PEOPLE & ABILITIES FIRST
A future where every Pi Kappa Phi embraces his role as a leader, puts service before self and improves the world around him.
Service has become more than just a project.
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VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
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AN UNCOMMON FUTURE AWAITS
Mark Adamson has been recognized as Wells Fargo’s Volunteer of the Year.
Common Loyalty Campaign helps to chart a new course for the fraternity.
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MORGAN GIFT GOES THE EXTRA MILE PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON FRIENDS
COLUMNS
i || CEO CORNER 1 || EXPANSION NEWS 24 || LIVING OUR VALUES 26 || ONLINE DIGEST 29 || HOUSE & HOME 30 || FIVE MINUTES WITH 32 || SUPREME CHAPTER 33 || PHINAL THOUGHTS Copyright © 2014 Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. Pi Kappa Phi, the Coat of Arms, Star Shield and additional logos are trademarks of Pi Kappa Phi, all rights reserved.
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Reaching a Summit of Awareness
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IMPROVING
OUR WORLD
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Putting People & Abilities First..................... 7 Miss Ability....................................................10 The Ability Experience Programs.................. 11 Wells Fargo Volunteer of the Year............... 12 The Ability Experience: A New Look........... 18 The Journey.................................................... 19
Uncommon Leadership: The 2020 Strategic Plan................................ 7
WHERE WE ARE GOING
OUR UPDATED VISION statement encapsulates much of the activity within Pi Kappa Phi this year. Through the following pages, you will learn about changes that bring focus to our mission to create an uncommon and lifelong brotherhood and encourage service to others for the betterment of our communities. You will read about who we are as leaders and servant leaders—the golden thread that binds us together—where we are going in the future as we plan for continued advancements in the student and alumni experiences and how we plan to get there.
Student Experience....................................8 Alumni Engagement.................................10 Growth....................................................... 12 Chapter Quality & Support..................... 14 Branding & Communication.....................17 Governance................................................ 18 Funding...................................................... 21
HOW WE ARE GETTING THERE
A future where every Pi Kappa Phi embraces his role as a leader, puts service before self and improves the world around him.
WHO WE ARE
ILLUSTRATION BY JARED HORMAN
Campaign at a Glance.....................................9 Early Donors................................................... 11 An Uncommon Future Awaits..................... 14 Campaign Cabinet / Uncommon Leaders... 15 Morgan Gift Goes the Extra Mile.................17 Partnership Built on Friends......................... 21
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PI KAPPA PHI MISSION To create an uncommon and lifelong brotherhood that develops and encourages service to others for the betterment of our communities. PI KAPPA PHI VISION A future where every Pi Kappa Phi embraces his role as a leader, puts service before self and improves the world around him. THE ABILITY EXPERIENCE MISSION We use shared experiences to support people with disabilities and develop the men of Pi Kappa Phi into servant leaders. THE ABILITY EXPERIENCE VISION Create a community, one relationship at a time, where the abilities of all people are recognized and valued.
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PUTTING PEOPLE &
ABILITIESFIRST
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
BY TODD SHELTON & JUSTIN ANGOTTI WITH CHAD COLTRANE ABILITIES. Teamwork. Empathy. Integrity. These core values were not introduced until 2002, but they have guided our service and philanthropy opportunities since the founding of Project P.U.S.H. in 1977. As Jim Collins wrote in Built to Last, however, core values are discovered, not created. Look to any of our programs and events, and you’ll discover these values embedded in our organization—in the efforts of our students, alumni, parents, friends, and sponsors who promote the abilities of all people. These values truly embody the work of the members of Pi Kappa Phi on behalf of people with disabilities—they are who we are. Over the past year-and-a-half, we learned that Collins’ wisdom goes beyond discovering your organization’s core values; it is also about discovering a name that truly represents your mission. “As Pi Kappa Phi’s national philanthropy has evolved, service has become more than just a project. Service has become a part of who we are and what we do as men of Pi Kappa Phi. It remains one of the differentiating factors from our peers in the fraternal world,” said Push America Chief Executive Officer Chad Coltrane this summer. As our philanthropy has evolved, so too has its name. And so, during a special luncheon at the 54th Supreme Chapter in August, Mark E. Timmes, Pi Kappa Phi chief executive officer; Chad Coltrane, Push America chief executive officer;
and Christian Wiggins, Pi Kappa Phi chief operating officer, made an exciting announcement for the fraternity and its philanthropy: Push America has evolved, once again, to become The Ability Experience.
UNCOMMON LEADERSHIP The 2020 Strategic Plan for Pi Kappa Phi
The new name not only more clearly reflects the organization’s mission to use shared experiences to support people with disabilities and develop the men of Pi Kappa Phi into servant leaders, but it puts the abilities of all people front and center in our daily work. We believe it captures our core purpose even more clearly than our days of building play units. The men of Pi Kappa Phi do not simply raise money, but instead experience the power of service as they promote the true abilities of all people.
After a successful ten year strategic plan the Second Century Vision, Pi Kappa Phi has embarked on an aggressive six year plan which creates new benchmarks for success and establishes a new level of commitment to our members across seven focus areas:
Strengthening our philanthropy More than a year and a half ago, the greater fraternity began a re-branding process in order to strengthen our global brand. The question was posed: How could we create a stronger tie between all of our entities and better position the fraternity’s brand in a crowd of 76 national fraternities? Pi Kappa Phi and all the fraternity entities— Push America, the Foundation, Properties— engaged a brand consulting firm in order to help answer that question and create greater consistency between the four organizations. Early in the process, we knew that in order to strengthen our philanthropy, we needed to strengthen its brand and tie to Pi Kappa Phi.
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Student Experience Alumni Engagement Growth Chapter Quality & Support Branding & Communication Governance Funding CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
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Student Experience Pi Kappa Phi will enhance existing programs and resources, and launch new initiatives, that foster a deeper emotional connection to the fraternity among a greater number of student members while promoting the relevance of Pi Kappa Phi to life beyond the student experience. FOCUS AREAS Create leadership experiences aimed at the interests of upperclassmen that reinforce a culture of fraternal mentorship; encourage wellness; facilitate career connections; and promote greater citizenship. Develop creative content and technology-based interactive spaces that connect individual brothers to the emotional lifelong experience of membership in Pi Kappa Phi. Encourage servant leadership through a new initiative that builds upon the fraternity’s existing service ethic, promotes local action benefitting domestic communities and results in most members correlating their fraternal experience to service.
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In June 2013, a survey was sent to student and alumni members, as well as external constituents of the organization. Through the surveys and follow-up interviews, we learned that people could not clearly articulate the mission of Push America, nor could they consistently identify the organization’s name. Our own students and alumni still thought Push America stood for “Play Units for the Severely Handicapped” or “People Understanding the Severely Handicapped,” names that have not been used in more than 20 years. And so, among the branding firm’s recommendations, was a proposal to change the name of Push America. As the leadership of the fraternity and Push America carefully considered the proposal, three reasons resonated with everyone involved: First, it was to our strategic benefit to have a name that truly represented what
we do. We are no longer building play units, and we are certainly not “pushing America.” We needed a name like, “Toys for Tots”—a name that simply says it all. Second, as our philanthropy has evolved, we have evolved P.U.S.H. to PUSH to Push, confusing generations of members and supporters. Originally Play Units for the Severely Handicapped (P.U.S.H.) was changed to People Understanding the Severely Handicapped when we made a strategic decision to no longer build and donate “play units” in 1989. P.U.S.H. became PUSH America in 1992 in an attempt to further distance the brand from the “play unit,” and in 1997, the name was again changed to Push America. Along the way, our core values have never changed, but brand identity— how others recognize and articulate who we are and what we do—became increasingly diluted.
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Finally, an environmental scan revealed that many organizations with “America” in their name are actually associated with political action committees, and most use red, white and blue as the primary colors in their logos. As a philanthropy seeking to change the way society viewed people with disabilities and fraternity men, we needed to differentiate ourselves from the sometimes polarizing work of these organizations. More importantly, we needed a name that clearly reflected our values and one of the organization’s greatest strengths identified by countless survey respondents: the “shared experiences” between the members of Pi Kappa Phi and people with disabilities.
A name with focus In order to consider the proposed names for Push America, a focus group was created composed of Pi Kappa Phi alumni, board members, national Push America event participants, and staff, along with a fraternity/sorority life advisor and experts with experience in marketing, branding and re-branding. The focus group thoroughly reviewed and discussed the many naming suggestions. The group ultimately concluded that the organization’s new name needed to encapsulate the idea of abilities—one of our core values—and the experiential nature of everything we do. With feedback from the focus group, the Council of Archons, the branding firm and the National Council, the Push America board of directors made the final selection: The Ability Experience.
The future of our philanthropy
visionary organizations are not only their ability to preserve their core values and consistently innovate, but the ability to put those values into practice. Our members, friends and supporters are the people who will truly build brand equity in The Ability Experience, because our new name is who we have always been. Although Push America, and the many iterations of its name since the organization’s founding in 1977, will always have a special place in Pi Kappa Phi’s history, it is clear that our true passion as men of Pi Kappa Phi is service to others before self. You cannot participate in a program of our organization and not come away with an appreciation for the abilities of all people. It is a true Ability Experience. “For more than 37 years, we’ve lived our obligation to leadership and service and honored our vow to change the world through our own philanthropy,” said Christian Wiggins during the luncheon at Supreme Chapter. “Today, we’re proud to present the next step in linking our founders’ vision, our values and our philanthropy.” Over the next few months, you will continue to see us updating our marketing and materials to reflect The Ability Experience brand. As with any change, it may take a little time to fully embrace the change. We encourage you continue to support our mission and our programs. We now, as we always have been, are an organization committed to promoting the abilities of all people through our shared experiences.
If there is one thing we have learned through this process, it is that change is hard; but as Collins identified through his research, the timeless fundamentals of
CAMPAIGN AT A GLANCE The Pi Kappa Phi Foundation Common Loyalty Campaign seeks unrestricted gifts from alumni and friends of the fraternity to establish long term funds that will impact the greater fraternity’s programs in the following areas: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT To help the fraternity increase capacity and improve the quality of Pi Kapp College for Emerging Leaders and Pi Kapp College for Chapter Officers. Also included in Leadership Development is our new Uncommon Leadership Fund to provide rapid deployment grants that will allow the fraternity to test new educational concepts and curriculum without the delay of seeking outside funding. ACADEMIC RECOGNITION To increase support to foster and recognize classroom success including Uncommon Leader Grants which will help chapters recruit talented young men on their campus; broader support for the Pi Kapp Scholars Program, the fraternity’s oldest academic award, and expansion of its International Scholars and Extra Mile Programs. SERVANT LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES To inspire signature servant leadership experiences through the programs of The Ability Experience. Grants will be used to encourage broader participation among student members of the fraternity. Gifts to the Common Loyalty campaign will be allocated 50% to Leadership Development, 40% to Academic Recognition and 10% to Service Learning.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
$3,500,000 ACADEMIC RECOGNITION
$2,800,000 SERVANT-LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES
$700,000
COMMON LOYALTY CAMPAIGN GOAL
$7,000,000
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Miss Ability Alumni Engagement Encourage, support and enable alumni to cause Pi Kappa Phi to be a continued, meaningful and tangible presence in their lives. FOCUS AREAS Establish an alumni engagement volunteer governance structure, including an advisory council and resource allocation strategy. Create and implement an alumni lifelong development program, including a career mentoring program and professional and personal development opportunities. Develop and implement an effective young alumni engagement program specifically oriented to alumni under the age of 30. Develop and implement alumni engagement, understanding, education and encouragement at the undergraduate level. Develop and implement a focused event strategy that provides a wider base of alumni opportunities for interaction that are meaningful to them.
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STARTING IN THE FALL of 2011, the men of Theta Chapter at Cincinnati have been slowly building their annual No Boundaries Week. No Boundaries week began with only a bike-a-thon and accessibility day but has now grown to include empathy dinners, paralympic sports, guest speakers, and finally the Ability Pageant.
In 2013, Theta Chapter held their very first Ability Pageant. Starting as a small event with brothers comprising the majority of the audience, the pageant has grown to have an audience of over 100. Being held in the great hall of the student union, the Ability Pageant this year consisted of three unique rounds in which contestants competed. The first round consisted of a presentation on a disability of the contestants’ choosing. Disabilities ranged from deafness to autism to epilepsy and everything in between. The next round consisted of a talent portion in which contestants chose to showcase their abilities in any way they chose. This year’s talents included country singing, Irish dancing and even an original rap about abilities. To finish the competition off, before the judges deliberated, the contestants had one final round of question and answer. “Each of the women had to answer the question, what does The Ability Experience mean to you? And every single one of them talked about getting to know people first—that every person has an ability, and to not worry about their disabilities. All of the women said that in their speech while I was judging,” said Chad Coltrane, CEO of The Ability Experience. “Every single one of them knocked it out of the park when they talked about people and their abilities. I firmly believe that it is about the name, The Ability Experience. It encourages discussion about abilities
first. Had our name been Push America, I would bet you a million dollars that one of those girls would have said people with disabilities need our support, they need our understanding. This may be true, but we are really promoting the abilities of all people, getting to know people and learning about their abilities... a home run in my book!” “All of the contestants talked about abilities, this is the first event I’ve been to where this was the case. I’ve been to hundreds of Miss Push pageants where I would cringe as they spoke. But because our name is saying what we are doing and emphasizing, it’s all very synergistic. They all got it.” As the attendance has grown and the events have been fine-tuned, so has the message Theta Chapter has been trying to portray. U.S. Army Golden Knight Dana Bowman says it best, “It’s not the disability, it’s the ability.” Theta Chapter continues to emphasize that we are not trying to make people feel sorry for people with disabilities. We are trying to spark the thought about what life is like with disabilities and how, in that situation, you would react and use your abilities to overcome obstacles. By incorporating the disability presentations into Miss Ability, contestants were forced to learn, research and share things that without the pageant, they may have never known. Moving forward, the Miss Ability Pageant will continue to educate and spark the thoughts of awareness for students and faculty at the University of Cincinnati.
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The Ability Experience uses shared experiences to support people with disabilities and develop the men of Pi Kappa Phi into servant leaders.
We appreciate the alumni and friends who have made early commitments of more than $5 million to our Common Loyalty Campaign. We look forward to adding donors through August 2016 and recognizing individual contributions levels.
“These programs shape the men of Pi Kappa Phi into way better leaders than their own chapter would ever be able to on its own. No chapter is an island. These national programs foster individual growth within the brothers, but also growth within the national brotherhood. We learn to understand that we aren’t just Eta Zeta, Zeta Zeta, Sigma, Tau, Beta. We are Pi Kappa Phi.” Rett Abner
Eric Almquist John Andrews Glenn Aspinwall Thomas Atwood Charles Barnard Kelley Bergstrom Rick Berk Robert Berry John Bradford III Wesley Breeden Jerry Brewer Mark Bundy Thomas Carter Robert Cione Thomas Coley Edward Corson II Jeffrey Darnell David DeMarco Stephen DePalma Ajay Desai Todd Dipaola Jason Dodd James Edwards Greg Elam Jeffrey Esola J. Patrick Figley Joe Forehand Jr. Kenneth Forti Jeremy Galvin Matthew Garono Scott Gasparini Charles Goldberg John Greaves Jr. Phillip Hamilton Spencer Harper Jr. Cathy Harrison Michael Hartman Tommy Hartwell Tim Hebson Bret Heidemann Nathan Hightower James House Barry Howell David Jaffee Ernest Johnson Mark King
Brett Lee Gregory Linder Nicholas Linder Emerson Linney Tracy Maddux Andrew McCarthy Glenn McConnell Jack McDonald Gregory Moffett Robert Moody Regina Moody David Morgan Sr. Anthony Noce Kenneth Oubre Durward Owen Paul Parker Frank Parrish III Robert Paterno Pete Petit Joshua Phoebus Walter Pickens Jr. Bruce Rogers Chase Rumley Todd Sargent Gunnar Schalin David Shook III Jefferson Shreve William Sigmon James Smith Jay Stuckel Thomas Sullivan T.J. Sullivan Michael Sweeney Jr. Richard Swensen III Lance Talmage Vincent Thompson III Mark Timmes Jeff Wahlen Walter Wahlfeldt Patrick Walsh Christian Wiggins Allen Woody III Dudley Woody Frank Wrenn III J.B. Yount III Ronald Zlatoper Reflects commitments made as of December 1, 2014.
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WELLS FARGO
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Growth Maintain Pi Kappa Phi’s position as a top ten fraternity in size, specifically reach at least 210 chapters with 14,000 undergraduate members and an average chapter size of 67 and associate retention rate of 88% by 2020. FOCUS AREAS Continue to grow the fraternity through expansion to targeted institutions that meet strict criteria. Develop innovative plans and resources which increase the total undergraduate membership and the average chapter size. Develop a model alumni initiate program which welcomes at least 1,675 men by the end of the strategic plan.
Mark Adamson, Sigma (South Carolina), currently serving as chairman of The Ability Experience board of directors, has been recognized as Wells Fargo’s Volunteer of the Year. In addition to being one of the highest recognitions of Wells Fargo employees, the recognition also comes with a $25,000 grant awarded to The Ability Experience. Adamson’s work with The Ability Experience began as a cyclist on the first Journey of Hope team in 1988, and has continued to his current position as chairman. The following is the article released by Wells Fargo.
THE $25,000 GRANT is being awarded to The Ability Experience, formerly known as Push America, on behalf of Mark Adamson, Wells Fargo Securities. The Ability Experience focuses on serving and enhancing the quality of life for those with disabilities and developing leaders through that service. Adamson says his devotion to the organization hits close to home, thanks to his late cousin Tracy Strubbe. “Tracy lived with disabilities all her life and was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known,” he said. “I can’t understate the impact she had on me wanting to do something to help people who face the same challenges she did.” Adamson first became involved in the organization as an undergraduate at the University of South Carolina. Nearly
30 years later, he’s a member of the organization’s Board of Directors. The Ability Experience is a philanthropic organization of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and initially focused solely on building accessible play units for children with disabilities. Over the years, the mission evolved and Adamson and many other volunteers have participated in fundraising bike rides across the country, disability awareness programs, construction projects for group homes and facilities that serve those with disabilities, and summer camps where volunteers bond with campers. “Just seeing the smiles on their faces, whether we’re helping someone run a marathon or we’re spending one on one time talking, it’s really meaningful,” he said. “It teaches you that we’re all more alike than we are different and we just want to be appreciated for our abilities.” Adamson said The Ability Experience will likely use the grant to grow the organization’s endowment, which helps fund programs where volunteers build accessible pavilions, playground and wheelchair ramps, among other things. “I’m thankful, honored and humbled to receive this award,” said Adamson.
Explore how Wel s Fargo helps communities STORIES.WELLSFARGOBANK.COM
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“Just seeing the smiles on their faces, whether we’re helping someone run a marathon or we’re spending one on one time talking, it’s really meaningful,” he said. “It teaches you that we’re all more alike than we are different and we just want to be appreciated for our abilities.”
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Chapter Quality & Support Pi Kappa Phi will enhance and improve overall chapter quality by actively working to support undergraduate men by leveraging the power of technology, utilizing volunteers and improving business systems for overall chapter success.
“PKC and Build America made me more passionate about changing my chapter for the better. My leadership in other organizations has become more principled. Pi Kappa Phi has given me tools to make myself a better person and the world a better place.” David Straka
Pi Kapp College for Emerging Leaders, Build America
FOCUS AREAS
Ensure each chapter shall have no less than three advisors, with a national average of seven, supported by the appropriate resources and training from the national headquarters. Establish a metric and a benchmark for determining annual chapter excellence, supported by appropriate infrastructure and resources. Develop, enhance and expand the capacity of the fraternity’s educational programs. Continue to invest in a national staff structure to support the development of chapters.
An Uncommon Future Awaits BY TOM ATWOOD
WITH MORE THAN $5 million already pledged, the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation Common Loyalty Campaign helps to chart a new course for the fraternity. “This is an exciting moment for our fraternity,” said CEO Mark E. Timmes, “because this is the first time in our nearly one hundred ten year history that we’ve raised significant funds to directly impact a student’s educational experience with the fraternity. Our previous capital campaign efforts have been tied to special projects. While important, impactful and meaningful, they were not principally about the development of a young man’s leadership potential.” At the 54th Supreme Chapter in Atlanta, Ga., in August, the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation announced plans for an ambitious $7 million capital campaign to support the leadership, academic and service learning programs of the greater fraternity. Organized around the immutable principles espoused in the student creed, a guiding document for the fraternity for the last eighty-two years, the foundation’s Common Loyalty Campaign seeks capital gifts and multi-year pledges from every brother and friend of Pi Kappa Phi who believes in the mission of forging uncommon leaders for the challenges of tomorrow. Rooted in the fundamental belief that leadership is not positional, but rather a personal potential that can be cultivated and developed with proper investment, Pi Kappa Phi seeks to expand the capacity and improve the quality of its existing,
award-winning educational programs, offer additional grants and scholarships to deserving students, and offer greater access to its signature, servant-leader experiences through The Ability Experience (formerly Push America). In 2006, we had a very successful campaign for the Kelley A. Bergstrom Leadership Center of Pi Kappa Phi which raised $1.6 million to support the build out of the fraternity’s new administrative office and established a leadership center for students and alumni. The Common Loyalty Campaign will push the philanthropic bar even further as it looks to help effectuate important, strategic goals. Co-chaired by former Foundation Chairman Kelley A. Bergstrom, Alpha Omicron (Iowa State), and former Ability Experience Chairman Bruce Rogers, Chi (Stetson), the campaign is first and foremost about establishing long-term funds for the Foundation from which additional educational grants can be made. “Strengthening the Foundation’s ability to deliver on its core mission of supporting our student members is critical for several reasons,” said Kelley Bergstrom. “Increasing long-term funds, that can augment the fraternity’s grant each year from the Foundation, not only diversifies the fraternity’s revenue streams, blending income derived from student dues and other sources with qualified donations from alumni, but also gives Pi Kappa Phi additional tools with which new programs can be tested and implemented. The college landscape is dynamic and ever-changing. Within
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CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRS Kelley A. Bergstrom Alpha Omicron (Iowa State) Bruce L. Rogers Chi (Stetson) CAMPAIGN CABINET J. Ernest Johnson, Chair Alpha Iota (Auburn) Past National President Nathan Hightower Omicron (Alabama) Trustee, Pi Kappa Phi Foundation John R. Andrews Delta Delta (Truman State) Chairman, Pi Kappa Phi Foundation Tracy Maddux Zeta Theta (Texas) National President Jeremy D. Galvin Alpha Omicron (Iowa State) National Council Member William Sigmon Alpha Sigma (Tennessee) National Council Member
my lifetime, the fraternity experience has changed from a predominantly social one to one that combines the best of a social aspect with a true ‘valueadd’ that includes meaningful service opportunities, alcohol education, officer training and leadership development. Like all effective businesses, we need to be nimble in order to react to a fickle marketplace and have capital to drive innovation. This campaign is a big step in that direction.” Of additional importance is the cultivation of new leaders and donors to support Pi Kappa Phi well into its second century. There is a fundraising axiom that capital campaigns are not a destination, but a means to a better, more vibrant end. In that spirit, the Foundation is intentionally seeking “new” donors, using the campaign to reach and inspire the next generation of men who will help lead Pi Kappa Phi. According to Past National President J. Ernest Johnson, who is leading the volunteer steering committee which oversees the campaign on a week to week basis, “The personal testimonials and sense of gratitude our brothers have toward Pi Kappa Phi is inspiring. I have been volunteering with the fraternity since the early 1980s, so I have kind of sipped the Kool-Aid. But to sit in an executive’s office on a fundraising call and listen to how important their fraternity brothers are to them, or how their time as treasurer helped lead them to a successful
accounting career, is simply wonderful. Then to hear them enthusiastically commit to the campaign with a leadership gift is not only gratifying and affirming, but keeps our core campaign volunteers motivated to keep pushing ahead.” Lastly, guiding this campaign is a broader strategic vision which will drive resources to seven critical areas. The gold thread which runs through the greaterfraternity’s new plan is the Foundation’s Common Loyalty Campaign. Some of the strategic areas which meet the IRS educational program test will directly benefit from the campaign while other areas will see indirect benefits since dollars are fungible. As the fraternity receives increasing support from the Foundation for educational activities, other dollars are freed up to impact other areas of the strategic plan. Success in the Foundation’s Common Loyalty Campaign will ultimately be found when hundreds and thousands of young men matriculate and become productive and engaged citizens—leading in their families, communities and workplaces. The cultivation of young men bound by a common loyalty to one another and to the advancement of the fraternity realizes the promises made during initiation and brings into view an uncommon future for Pi Kappa Phi.
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J. Jeffry Wahlen Alpha Epsilon (Florida) The Ability Experience Board Thomas B. Sullivan Delta Omega (Texas A&M) National Vice President & President-elect Allen O. Woody III Xi (Roanoke) Chairman Emeritus, Pi Kappa Phi Foundation UNCOMMON LEADERS distinguished alumni serving in a special advisory capacity to the campaign efforts David D. Morgan Beta Omicron (Northwestern State) Founder & Past President AMBA Joe W. Forehand Alpha Iota (Auburn) Former Chairman & CEO Accenture Durward W. Owen Xi (Roanoke) Executive Director Emeritus, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity James B. Edwards Alpha (Charleston) Former Governor, South Carolina & Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ted Scharfenstein Beta Beta (Florida Southern) Chairman, Rockport National Bank; Former fraternity staff member Thomas H. Sayre Kappa (UNC-Chapel Hill) Sculptor & Co-founder, Clearscapes T. Phillip Tappy Lambda (Georgia) Retired Sales Executive, Eastman-Kodak
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MORGAN GIFT GOES THE
EXTRA MILE “. . . we developed this concept to recognize students who pursue a wellrounded college experience that includes good grades, involvement with the fraternity, the pursuit of leadership activities on campus and who ‘go the extra mile’ by working while going to school.”
For more information, please contact Tom Atwood at: (980) 318-5365
MATCHING THE campaign gift of Co-Chairman Kelley A. Bergstrom, David D. Morgan, Beta Omicron (Northwestern State), recently committed $1 million to the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation Common Loyalty Campaign, expanding the Extra Mile Scholarship Program from helping the students at his Beta Omicron Chapter to a nationwide footprint where all initiated student members in good standing are eligible to apply. The expansion of this program will allow the fraternity to recognize dozens of students with grants ranging upwards of $1,000 each. Thanks to Morgan’s early fulfillment of the entire pledge, the Foundation was in a position to launch the program this fall and will recognize the inaugural class of National Extra Mile scholars in January at the five Pi Kapp College for Chapter Officers conferences (formerly Mid Year Leadership Conference) held regionally. “This project has been near and dear to me since we launched it several years ago,” said former Pi Kappa Phi Properties Board member and Hall of Fame inductee David D. Morgan. “Working with Foundation staff and a handful of volunteers, we developed this concept to recognize students who pursue a well-rounded college experience that includes good grades, involvement with the fraternity, the pursuit of leadership activities on campus and who ‘go the extra mile’ by working while going to school.”
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Branding & Communication
David (center) during a 2008 scholarship presentation at Beta Omicron Chapter
At the heart of the National Extra Mile Scholars Program is a rubric that assigns point totals to various activities and accomplishments a student can earn while in school. Points can be accrued for academic performance, holding elected position within the chapter, serving in student government and working part time to name a few possibilities. The points are totaled and, when considering other factors like a student’s response to the short-answer essay questions, award amounts are then linked to performance. The Pi Kappa Phi Foundation David D. Morgan “Extra Mile” National Scholarship Program will be awarded each fall term.
Develop a new branding strategy which better connects the greater fraternity’s four brands and revise the communications strategy to leverage the collective successes of the organizations in a way that informs and engages members while promoting the brand. FOCUS AREAS
Ensure that the organization’s brand is communicated consistently and effectively, answering why it is relevant to students, alumni, higher education and campus communities, parents, and other stakeholders. Ensure communications & contact strategy keeps students and alumni engaged.
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Governance Pi Kappa Phi will continue to strengthen its global governance model to ensure the quality of its future national and student leadership. FOCUS AREAS
Strengthen the global board governance model, including the identification, onboarding and evaluation process, as well as planning metrics. Launch work group focused on developing Supreme Chapter into a stronger fraternity program, including a more effective legislative body and better learning experience for alumni and students. Reevaluate the chapter governance structure, executive council and other committees.
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A NEW LOOK
WITH A NEW NAME comes a new logo. When changing from Push America to The Ability Experience, a great deal of thought and discussion went into the visual component of the name. The “clasped hands” are taken directly from a "mission moment" captured in a photograph (above) which hangs in the Porterfield-Tirado Seminar Room at the Kelly A. Bergstrom Leadership Center (national headquarters). In the photo, a Pi Kappa Phi member is sitting, gripping hands across a picnic table from a gentleman with a disability. The two are sharing a moment, peer to peer, man to man, a definite shared experience.
The hands represent that shared experience. The hands are not merely a handshake. They are also the conversations, the lessons learned, the attitudes changed, the comfort zones being stretched, the stereotypes being dispelled from both sides of the table and even the tears that are sometimes shared when it is time to part ways. The tagline strengthens the tie to Pi Kappa Phi and forms a smile in the logo. Because it is simply a fact that you can’t have a true “Ability Experience” moment without shared smiles.
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The Journey is our collection of uncommon opportunities which include innovative educational programs, resources and service opportunities offered to students, alumni and volunteers to meet our goal of developing exceptional leaders.
Fifty years after the summer leadership academy’s inception, the fraternity launched Pi Kapp College for Emerging Leaders. This transformational, six-day leadership development experience empowers participants to create the ideal chapter.
Pi Kappa Phi hosts Pi Kapp College for Chapter Officers each January in five cities across the country. In addition to the volunteer facilitators, more than 1,800 student leaders attend each year. (formerly known as Mid Year Leadership Conference)
“I had the chance to work with undergrads for a whole week discussing two of my favorite things: Pi Kappa Phi and leadership. I built many strong bonds with students and fellow volunteers, but most importantly I knew I had a major impact on some of these guys’ undergraduate lives. The best part is the experience had a major impact on my adult life.” Phil Benevides
Journey of Hope, Ability Experience Challenge-Marine Corps Marathon, Ladder of Risk facilitator, Pi Kapp College for Emerging Leaders facilitator, New Member Ed Specialist, Pi Kapp College for Chapter Officers facilitator
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“Seeing our undergraduate brothers go back to their chapters and make a long lasting impact not only in their houses but also on their campuses is pretty amazing. However, the most rewarding part of volunteering for my fraternity is to be able to see those same young brothers become engaged alumni, incredible husbands, fathers, and overall winners in life.” Wes Breeden
Journey of Hope, Pi Kapp College for Emerging Leaders facilitator, Pi Kapp College for Chapter Officers facilitator
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PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON
FRIENDS BY CHAD COLTRANE
IT’S BEEN QUITE A YEAR for The Ability Experience and Pi Kappa Phi. As you have read in this issue of star & lamp, we unveiled our new brand, including a new name and visual identity. Although our name has changed, our mission has not. We remain as focused as we have ever been on serving both people with disabilities and developing men of Pi Kappa Phi into servant leaders. Not to be diminished by the excitement of our new name, however, is the work that you, the men of Pi Kappa Phi and our supporters, have accomplished this year. We enjoyed another successful summer with our Gear Up Florida, Journey of Hope and Build America teams on the road. In addition, chapters of Pi Kappa Phi, yet again, broke fundraising records. Still, in the midst of all that, we are looking toward the future. Also announced at Supreme Chapter in Atlanta was a new and exciting partnership with Best Buddies International, a widelyrecognized and respected organization dedicated to establishing one-on-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with disabilities. Especially with our recommitment to connect the members of Pi Kappa Phi to people of all abilities one relationship at a time, this partnership makes more sense than ever. Over the last few years, we unofficially partnered with Best Buddies during their Spread the Word to End the Word campaign. The success of that campaign among Pi Kappa Phi chapters was yet another reason it made so much sense to fully pursue this partnership.
Our organizations share such similar missions. The new mission and vision statements of The Ability Experience, as you can read in the rebranding article (page 7), align closely with those of Best Buddies. We share similar values. We put the same emphasis on the importance of using people-first language. We want to help each other achieve the same goals. One of the great things about this partnership is that, because our organizations are so similar, this partnership won’t create new work on either staff. Both organizations will be able to utilize existing programmatic infrastructure. It’s important to remember that our new relationship with Best Buddies isn’t replacing anything—it’s a purely an additional option for our chapters. It’s no secret that fundraising is a huge part of what we do, and it’s something that the members of Pi Kappa Phi have embraced and taken to new heights year after year. But over the last few years, we’ve also been trying to stress the importance of having a local volunteer relationship. Those volunteer relationships were why we introduced Circle of Giving grants a few years ago, so chapters could see the immediate impact they were having in their local community. Please know that we are not asking those chapters with existing volunteer relationships to end those relationships; they are such a valuable part of your chapter, campus and community. This
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Funding Pi Kappa Phi will find innovative revenue streams, adjust financial polices and repurpose existing resources as needed to support the strategic plan’s mission to drive quality of the alumnus and student experience to new heights. FOCUS AREAS
Ensure that the organization’s financial policies and procedures are resulting in the efficient, effective and prudent deployment of all of financial resources. Grow Pi Kappa Phi’s annual budget to at least keep up with inflation, fund current programs and new or modified initiatives as identified in the 2014-2020 strategic plan. Pi Kappa Phi must develop new revenue streams in order to grow the organization’s budget to meet current and new strategic initiatives.
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partnership simply allows chapters or members searching for a volunteer relationship to potentially utilize Best Buddies. There may not be a Best Buddies chapter on your campus, but the great thing is that this partnership will provide the opportunity for your chapter to start one! Several chapters of Pi Kappa Phi were already partnered with Best Buddies before our relationship was officially established.
“I would not be the man I am today if it were not for those initial experiences with the national fraternity. Pi Kapp College served as a tool for me to grow and learn about myself and about how to be an impactful leader.” Sam Martorella Pi Kapp College for Emerging Leaders, Supreme Chapter, National Council Student Liaison
Evan, a member of Alpha Chi Chapter at Miami said, “As a leader in both Pi Kappa Phi and Best Buddies at the University of Miami, I have seen a dramatically positive shift in attitude and understanding among both populations. By bringing together very different groups of people, I was able to witness a uniform sense of inclusion, regardless of background or appearance.” Michael, a brother from Theta Rho Chapter at Western Michigan pointed to the mutually beneficial nature of the relationship. “Best Buddies and Pi Kappa Phi have impacted each other by expanding their horizons and creating more interaction within a community of people invested in the same purpose. Being able to plan events together has not only increased the number of people coming out to the events, but has spread our mission of inclusion and disability awareness to more people on campus and in the community.” These are just two examples of the impact that The Ability Experience and Best Buddies are already having working together. And those aren’t the only chapters with those relationships and those stories. If you talk to anyone that has participated in a friendship visit with The Ability Experience through our cycling events, construction events or chapter
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events, you’ll find that the most impactful experiences were had when one-on-one relationships are established. I have the opportunity and distinct pleasure in my position to talk to our students and volunteers on a daily basis, and they all point to those relationships as the major transformational aspect of The Ability Experience. Looking back at my time as an undergraduate, both in my chapter and two summers on Journey of Hope, those are the experiences I remember with the most clarity. Essentially, that’s the main goal of this partnership. We hope that you, the members of Pi Kappa Phi, will take the opportunity to establish those friendships. It may be out of your comfort zone—I realize that, and experienced it at one point myself. But I can promise you that you’re going to get more than I can say out of this new friendship, and you’re also going to give more than any of us could ever know. You’re helping to make yourself into a better man, citizen, brother and so much more, and you’re also going to changing someone else’s life through friendship—something that most of us take for granted every day. I hope that helps to explain a little more about this new partnership. If you have any remaining questions, please contact The Ability Experience staff at any time, and we’ll do everything we can to help your chapter. It’s by no means a mandate from the national organization. However, I know that, if utilized, this is an incredible opportunity that will help further the missions of The Ability Experience, Pi Kappa Phi and Best Buddies alike.
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Share Pi Kappa Phi with your family. Your son or daughter can be enrolled anytime and will receive a gift from the fraternity then birthday cards as they grow up.
FAMILY MEMBER PROGRAM update us on your life: pikapp.org/submitnews
PIKAPP.ORG/FAMILY 23
LIVING OUR VALUES
Reaching a Summit of Awareness As we stand above 13,000 feet, Mother Nature announces her presence with gusts of wind so strong it is impossible to escape. Wet snow whips in our faces soaking us to the core and every step forward requires a level of strength that seems ever fleeting. We can see the summit, which is both encouraging and also a depressing reminder we are hours from our goal in conditions accurately described as “epic!” In an instant, without much of a conversation, a decision is made—a decision that not only shapes the remaining hours of our day, but shapes the very meaning of this trip and serves as a great metaphor for our lives. One team member has been pushing incredibly hard and has come to the reality that his current elevation is as high as he will climb on this day. We all stand perched on an exposed ridge contemplating the logistics of splitting the group. But before the guides can even ponder a plan, the team collectively decides to descend together as a unit leaving the summit to stare down our backs as a reminder of who is boss. While the summit did not meet our acquaintance, the level of camaraderie within the group has grown ever stronger and we are returning to camp a family of one.
BY KYLE THOMAS
ON OCTOBER 2, 2014, a group of military veterans descended from the approach of Redcloud Peak (elev. 14,034 ft.) in the San Juan Range in Colorado. For months, the team prepared for this day in the mountains. The final session of three, this group was planning to push the envelope in order to reach the summit of three of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks. After two days of weather delays, the group of veterans—three with total vision loss—had one window of opportunity to make a push for the summit and celebrate the abilities of all people with a ceremonial ending to a life-changing event. However, the mountains had different plans. While cliché, The Ability Experience Summit Vision program is not about reaching physical summits at all, but about embarking on a journey with a team to reach the summits of our souls. During the summer and fall of 2014, The Ability Experience teamed up with the Adaptive Sports Center for three sessions of mountaineering programs designed to enable athletes with visual impairments to climb the high peaks of the Rocky
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LIVING OUR VALUES
Mountains. Each trip customized to encourage participants to dig deep without experiencing the impossibility of success. With grant support from the Delta Gamma Foundation’s Service for Sight program, ten athletes with disabilities—five of whom were U.S. Military Veterans—and a group of volunteers and guides worked together to show that perceptions of limitations become blurred with teamwork and determination. Session one was comprised mostly of female participants and focused on introductory mountaineering skills and backcountry travel. Lieutenant Colonel Kathy Champion, a participant from a previous event, served as a mentor for the group and positive source of encouragement for all involved. “You will never understand the freedom I felt at that moment in time on the mountain,” stated Champion. “It made me realize I am blind, not broken, and the only limitations I have are ones I set on myself.” Mary Winter, who used to race in triathlons before a back injury and subsequent vision loss from surgical complications, made dramatic strides and found a renewed sense of confidence through her successes in the mountains. “Despite my inability to see, I wanted to run down the mountain in celebration of my ability to be ambulatory and capable of climbing this mountain,” claimed Winter. “As I climbed into my sleeping bag at night, I reflected on the amazing experiences I had only previously dreamed about. They are all very real now thanks to the awesome Summit Vision program! I was not ready for this lifechanging trip to end and have so many areas of excitement rekindled from year’s past; I am speechless with the flood of memories and feelings. This adventure is the perfect opportunity to journal new accomplishments that format new dreams. Life starts again!”
“My mission is to use my gifts and abilities to encourage others to get out and push themselves.”
individual, who lost his sight from a rare eye disease, had never before been in the mountains and required a significant level of communication and assistance to traverse the rugged terrain. By the end of the week, this individual had gained a level of confidence that enabled him to descend from the mountains independently from his guides with only touch and sounds to lead him down—a truly emotional and inspirational display of progression. Summit Vision was born out of a simple conversation amongst friends. Lonnie Bedwell, the first blind individual to kayak the Grand Canyon, expressed his desire to climb big mountains and bring others with him to find out what is possible. “Selfishly, I love to push my own limits to reach far beyond what is thought possible,” says Bedwell. “However, I truly
Session two occurred in late September and presented a cathedral of fall colors and smells allowing the group of inexperienced climbers many firsts. One
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believe it is only really worth it when I can share the experiences with others facing limitations in their own lives. My mission is to use my gifts and abilities to encourage others to get out and push themselves. When we reach beyond ourselves, the world becomes a much more pleasant place to play!” In its second year, Summit Vision has become a premier event for The Ability Experience and the Adaptive Sports Center enabling athletes with disabilities to push themselves in the backcountry and empower them to live active lives. However, the uniqueness of the event comes in the inclusive teamwork found inherently in the structure of the program. The interaction between participants and volunteers brings a deep level of camaraderie that is only understood by those involved. As witnessed in session three of this year’s Summit Vision trip, the event is not about reaching the summit of the peaks, but about working as a team to reach the summits within our souls! As The Ability Experience and the Adaptive Sports Center embark on the mountains in 2015, it is guaranteed that with every step forward will represent leaps in the effort to raise awareness for the abilities of all people.
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WHAT’S ON Always current!
STARANDLAMP.COM FEATURES & SPOTLIGHTS Coastal Carolina brothers shave heads in honor of chapter advisor The brothers of the Eta Pi Chapter shaved their heads in honor of Scott Hucks, who is going through treatment for Multiple Sclerosis.
27 Days of Thanks
For Pi Kappa Phi, November is a special time of thanks giving.
Pi Kappa Phi has a new home in the Sunshine State
Easy to like & share on social media!
Having a place to call their own has been a dream for the Theta Delta Chapter at Florida International since colonization in 2000.
2014 Holiday Gift Guide
With the holiday’s approaching, the staff of the star & lamp decided to go looking for some of the best gift giving ideas.
CHAPTER NEWS
YOUR FEATURES
ARCHIVES
Reported by your chapter and published almost as it happens. No more waiting months to see the success.
Stories of our members and friends successes in life. Professional and personal accomplishments from around the world.
Special features about our museum and archives. Learn about new and old parts of our Pi Kappa Phi collections.
Five Minutes with . . . Andrew Carnes
Andrew Carnes was selected as this year’s student representative to the National Council. He recently sat down with star & lamp to discuss his new appointment to the position, as well as some of his thoughts on leadership.
FOR THE LATEST SUCCESSES, PHOTOS AND BREAKING NEWS, FOLLOW PI KAPPA PHI ON . . .
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SUBMIT YOUR NEWS AT PIKAPP.ORG/SUBMITNEWS
OR EMAIL LETUSKNOW@PIKAPP.ORG
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ONLINE DIGEST The star & lamp receives stories every week of the successes of our members, chapters and friends. Stories are posted constantly at starandlamp.com. We have selected a sampling below for you to enjoy.
Director Emeritus Durward W. Owen and various staff and guests. This year’s Mr. Pi Kappa Phi recipient and fellow Hall of Fame member Pete Petit, Iota (Georgia Tech), was also in attendance.
Lynchburg College President Garren was honored with Roanoke College Medal Lynchburg College President Kenneth Garren, Xi (Roanoke), was honored with a Roanoke College Medal. The medal is the highest honor given to alumni of the college. It recognizes Roanoke College graduates for leadership, intellectual integrity and dedication to serving their communities.
stretch of flying through the East and Southern United States, something caught the captain’s eye. The captain noticed a Pi Kappa Phi sticker Allen had on his luggage and they realized that they were both Pi Kappa Phi alumni. By chance, Allen had the pleasure of flying with a fellow Pi Kapp, Captain Jonathan Frost, Eta Chi (Texas Christian). The two had a great stretch of safe and fun flying.
Garren, who graduated from Roanoke College in 1962, was a member of the track team and is a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
Shawn Miller spends summer giving back to the Haiti community
He worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where he was part of the manual abort launch of Apollo, before earning his master’s degree in mathematics at William & Mary and a doctorate at Virginia Tech. Garren returned to Roanoke where he started the college’s math national honor society, Pi Mu Epsilon. After 34 years with the college, Garren became president of Lynchburg College in 2001. Since then, the college’s undergraduate enrollment has increased by 32 percent and graduate program enrollment has grown 169 percent.
Brotherhood Spans the Skies As a pilot for US Airways Express, First Officer Christopher Allen, Eta Beta (Indiana State), has the opportunity to fly with a lot of interesting people from all over the country. Recently, Allen was scheduled to fly with a captain with whom he had never flown. Before taking off for a two-day
Zap currently lives in Hawaii where he serves as a trustee of the estate of industrialist James Campbell, but traveled to Atlanta to visit family. Due to his infrequency of traveling east, this was a fantastic opportunity to officially present Zap with his Hall of Fame certificate. (Learn more about Zap in Fraternal News at pikapp.org)
Luncheon held in Atlanta for Hall of Fame inductee On Monday, October 6, a special luncheon was held in honor of Pi Kappa Phi’s newest Hall of Fame inductee Admiral R.J. “Zap” Zlatoper, Alpha Tau (RPI). The luncheon, held at Atlanta’s prestigious Capital City Club, was coordinated with the help of Pi Kappa Phi Foundation trustee Tom Coley. Due to distance, Admiral Zlatoper was not able to attend the summer’s Supreme Chapter, where his induction into the Hall of Fame was announced. Joining Zap at the lunch were Foundation trustees Barry Howell, Walter Pickens, Michael Sweeney and Tom Coley, as well as Pi Kappa Phi Properties board member Glenn Aspinwall, Chief Executive Officer Mark E. Timmes, Executive
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While many students across the nation enjoyed their summer months working or going on vacation, one brother of the Eta Pi Chapter at Coastal Carolina University spent a large portion of his summer giving back to others. Shawn Miller spent roughly a month in Haiti helping others who are less fortunate. With a budget of roughly $8,000 fundraised through his church community, Shawn and a team of 27 others were able to run a medical clinic for over 630 people and also put a roof on a widow’s house. The medical clinic was in downtown Cap Haitian, Haiti, and the house was just outside the city, in the town of Berard Nord. Shawn and three other men worked with Haitian contractors and construction workers to complete the roof. The rest of the team which consisted of nurses and people of other occupations went into the clinic everyday and helped people both physically and financially try
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to solve their ailments. With $5,500 dollars, they were able to purchase the American equivalent of $45,000 in medication because of the strong value of the dollar compared to the Haitian currency. For two weeks, Miller both served people and also learned a wealth of information about Haiti and the people there. “Haiti is a proud nation in a very dark political and economical depression. The country is one of the most beautiful places in the world and as long as there are good people there trying to change the negative light, I will continue to return as I have faith Haiti will someday show its true colors. It is not all pirates and guns like many people think. There are good people who have great children who just want to work and provide for their families. They have nothing. If all I could ever bring them was hope, that would be enough reason to go back again. I am glad I got to make a positive impact on people. I continue to see and befriend more every time I return,” said Miller.
Iota Lambda Chapter lets the bass drop for abilities On October 16, the Iota Lambda Chapter at Quinnipiac University held their biggest event to raise money for The Ability Experience and people with different abilities. The inaugural Electric Ability Carnival
(EAC) held at The Dome at Oakdale in Connecticut. The EAC was an electronic dance/house music concert and at this alcohol-free event, they sold more than 900 tickets and are reported to have raised over $13,000 for The Ability Experience and people with different abilities. The DJ for the event was brother Joe Zehentner (DJ Zehti), the chapter’s current treasurer.
Theta Sigma Chapter honors fallen brother
believes truly represents the beliefs of Pi Kappa Phi. Rzyski meant a lot to the chapter, so when he passed away, the chapter wanted to honor him. They decided the best way to do that would be to set up a golf tournament as a fundraiser where the profits go to a deserving brother. Currently, the Rzyski Scholarship pays for one semester of dues for that brother, but they hope to soon expand that into possibly tuition scholarships or other academia related awards. The fall 2013 recipient was Andrew Carnes, current archon at Theta Sigma Chapter.
On May 4, 2014, Kyle Jones, Theta Sigma (Cal State – Long Beach), hosted the chapter’s third annual Matthew Rzyski Golf Tournament in honor of their brother Matt Rzyski, a founding father who passed away in 2011. The profits from the golf tournament go towards a scholarship created in honor of Rzyski. The recipient of this scholarship is a brother who the chapter
Illinois State associate chapter leads campus recruitment
Testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer for men who are 20 to 34.
Learn more at pikapp.org/Testonthe10th
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The fall 2014 was the first formal recruitment for the associate chapter of Pi Kappa Phi at Illinois State University. The chapter had over 100 guys come through the house and were extremely happy with the turnout. The chapter extended 37 bids to possible new members, with 36 of those men signing bids, which was also the top retention rate out of any chapter on campus. The men also recently held a fundraising event at their new chapter house. Unfortunately, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha on campus recently had a heart attack. The chapter decided to invite the whole Greek community over for a barbeque and raised $4,500 to benefit the young man’s family and also united the Greek community on campus.
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HOUSE & HOME
A home at the Mother of Fraternities
Wil iam Shideler was one of the four founders of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity PI KAPPA PHI PROPERTIES
continues to acquire chapter homes for Pi Kappa Phi chapters around the country. In June, Pi Kappa Phi Properties purchased a 50-bed chapter house on the Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) campus to house our Eta Upsilon Chapter. Since the chapter’s chartering in 1996, Eta Upsilon has leased a small 24-bed chapter house near campus from a local property management company. Now the 115 man chapter will have a permanent home on the campus, one that has a rich Fraternity history. The Miami University campus is known as the “Mother of Fraternities,” as it is home to the founding chapters of national fraternities Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi and Phi Kappa Tau, as well as the sorority Delta Zeta. Ownership of a permanent structure at such a storied institution has been a long process for Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and Eta Upsilon Chapter. In recent years, the Eta Upsilon Housing Corporation and Pi Kappa Phi
Properties have pursued a number of opportunities to purchase fraternity houses with little success, until this summer’s acquisition, which will be the chapter home for many years to come. The chapter moved into the property this semester after some initial construction repair work over the summer. According to the City of Oxford, the chapter’s new home comes with great history. Also known as the David Swing House No. 3, this brick residence with Italianate elements was built by David Swing, a Miami University graduate who returned to Oxford to teach after studying theology in Cincinnati. The home was built in 1862 as a single family residence. The “No. 3” designation comes from the fact that it was the third residence Swing built on campus. Coincidentally, it was also located on lot #3 of Campus Avenue. This house was the grandest of the three. It was the home to the growing family of Elizabeth (Porter) and David Swing until the Swings moved to Chicago in 1866, where Rev. Swing became a nationally known minister.
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For almost a decade it was a fraternity house before being purchased by geology professor William Shideler, who lived in the property until the late 1950s. The university owned the property for a time and leased the land to Acacia Fraternity in the 1960s. Soon after, Acacia Fraternity acquired the property and land and enlarged the house with a two-story addition to the rear of the building. For more information about the property, please contact Pi Kappa Phi Properties by emailing them at properties@pikapp.org
The Pi Kappa Phi Properties staff consults chapters and provides asset management services in third-party leasing relationships with local real estate partners and at many universities across the country. Properties also provides support to alumni-corporation-owned properties and operates a national loan program through the Stephen P. DePalma Infrastructure Loan Fund and the Housing Investment Fund.
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FIVE MINUTES WITH
Pete Petit, Mr. Pi Kappa Phi 2014
EACH YEAR, PI KAPPA PHI HONORS one alumnus with the Mr. Pi Kappa Phi award, the fraternity’s highest and most prestigious honor. Although the recipients come from different backgrounds and professions, they all have one thing in common: a profound love of and dedication to their fraternity. Parker “Pete” Petit, Iota (Georgia Tech), is no different. After receiving both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Georgia Tech, Pete worked as an engineer before ultimately entering the world of health care. In 1971, Petit founded what would eventually become Healthdyne, an international healthcare company that manufactured high technology healthcare devices, provided healthcare information systems and technology, and provided healthcare services and disease management. While an undergrad, Petit served as the archon of the Iota Chapter at Georgia Tech, and was also a graduate of the very first Pi Kapp College in 1959. During that experience, Petit met Durward W. Owen, which helped spur a lifelong commitment to Pi Kappa Phi. Since his undergraduate career came to a close, Pete has continued to support the Iota Chapter in numerous ways, including major renovations to the chapter house in Atlanta. In addition, Pete served for several years on the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation Board of Trustees, including time on the investment committee, and acted as the regular host of meetings at his Atlanta headquarters. Petit has been a faithful donor to the fraternity for many, many years, including support for Pi Kappa Phi’s new national headquarters, where he made a lead gift.
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Recently, the star & lamp was able to sit down with Pete to ask him about his Pi Kappa Phi experience, leadership and more.
If you had the opportunity to start your collegiate career over again from scratch, is there anything you’d do differently? If so, why? I do not believe there is anything I would have done differently or could have done differently. I was fortunate to be able to attend Georgia Tech on the cooperative program where I went to school a quarter and worked a quarter. If I had not had my co-op job, I could not have attended college. It was a rapidly maturing phase of my life because of the disciplines I had to learn quickly both with study habits and work habits. I had to save $550 in my work quarter in order to get through my next school quarter. That required extreme financial discipline, but it became a practical routine. At Georgia Tech, I had to put in long hours studying so I had to learn time management. I learned to multi-task and not waste time on frivolous matters. I had a reasonably active social life although it was much more limited than what students have today.
As an alumnus, you’ve clearly been a leader for Pi Kappa Phi. How has the concept of leadership changed for you over the years? I believe that leadership is a component of management. I learned decades ago to characterize management as having two components. There is the leadership component and the administrative component. Often, strong abilities with both are not found in the same person. However, an organization needs both components to be effectively managed. An effective manager either has both abilities or must surround themselves with people that will fill in with one of the other abilities that they are missing. I have always defined leadership as “making good things happen.” I have
defined administrative skills as “keeping bad things from happening.” As I mentioned, both of those functions are needed in a well-managed organization.
occurred as I made three attempts to run for archon. I finally was elected on the third try as a senior. In that process, I learned a little bit about politics.
I think I have been blessed with being reasonably balanced with both leadership and administrative skills. I believe that administrative skills can be taught, but leadership skills are generally a personality trait that is in a person’s DNA.
Finally, in my later years, the most meaningful experience was when Mark Timmes and Durward Owen recently came to visit me to tell me that I had been selected as Mr. Pi Kappa Phi. This caught me by total surprise, and I am extremely grateful and flattered by the award.
As I started my first business, I had already been managing projects in the aerospace industry so I had some basis for understanding these principles. However, as I became an entrepreneur, it became quite evident that my leadership skills had to be perfected. As my organization grew, then the administrative skills became as important. At my current point in life, I understand clearly the importance of management and the leadership and administrative components in getting almost anything done in an organizational environment.
What are some of the most important pieces of advice you’ve received in your life? As I recall, my father continually emphasized to me to “seek advice.” Over the years, I have learned to ask many questions to experienced individuals. For making any important decisions, I have always sought counsel. However, I am a decisive person and it does not take me long to make a decision and act on it. However, I think the key is to understand that there are always people who have experiences that you do not have, and it is important to draw on them.
What have been two or three of your most meaningful Pi Kappa Phi experiences? My first and most meaningful experience at Pi Kappa Phi was when I met Durward Owen for the first time. He came to the Iota Chapter house at Georgia Tech for a brief meeting in December of 1959. He had just been appointed as the Executive Director, and he was visiting many of the chapters. We had a problem because our house had just been condemned by the city of Atlanta as being unfit for human occupancy. Durward’s leadership came through that afternoon, and when he left the house, we all felt much better about our future. My second most meaningful experience
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Between all of the undergraduate and alumni members of Pi Kappa Phi, there are brothers that span so many different “ages and stages” of life. What have you learned about brotherhood, and also leadership, that could apply to all of those men, no matter their stage of life? What I have learned about brotherhood and leadership can be summarized in one word: “integrity.” When you become my age, you have had an opportunity to see many instances of integrity versus dishonesty. That has come through numerous individuals and situations in your life. The conclusion is that real success through leadership comes to those with integrity. These are individuals who can be honest with themselves and everyone else. They take honesty and integrity very seriously in their lives. Unfortunately, I believe our country has become accustomed to misinformation and lack of integrity coming from people in positions of power. I have seen too many instances over the last number of years where individuals feel that if people in power can behave in that way, it must be a new standard for America. This is very unfortunate. I remember posters in my grammar schools of George Washington cutting down a cherry tree and saying “I cannot tell a lie. I cut down the cherry tree.” Some of our politicians today grew up in a later period, and they didn’t get that message about the importance of integrity.
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FIVE MINUTES WITH
Petit remains active, both professionally and philanthropically, in the Atlanta area. In 2011, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2011 Health-Care Heroes Awards.
SUPREME CHAPTER
Hall of Fame & Order of the Rose THE NEWEST ADDITION to the Pi Kappa Phi Hall of Fame is Admiral R.J. “Zap” Zlatoper, Alpha Tau (RPI). The Pi Kappa Phi Hall of Fame consists of distinguished alumni members who have brought honor to their fraternity through lifetime achievement in their careers. During his service in the private and public sectors, Admiral Zlatoper has served for over ten years as the chief executive officer of large organizations in the national defense and commercial sectors. Most notably, however, Admiral Zlatoper has had a long and distinguished naval career. His final assignment was Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the world’s largest naval command encompassing half the Earth’s surface, and including more than 190 ships, 1,600 aircraft, and 200,000 personnel, with an operating budget of $5 billion per year. In this command he was directly responsible for naval relations with 45 countries throughout the Asia Pacific rim. A combat experienced naval aviator with over 4,000 flying hours and 1,000 carrier landings, in addition to numerous operational assignments, he also served as: the Chief of Naval Personnel; a Battle Group Commander in Desert Storm and Desert Shield; a Carrier Air Wing Commander; the Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense; the U.S. 7th Fleet’s Chief of Staff; an Executive Assistant on the staff of the Secretary of the Navy; and a Program Coordinator for the F/A-18 jet aircraft on the Navy staff in Washington, D.C. Admiral Zlatoper has also received numerous personal decorations including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; the Navy Distinguished Service Medal; the Legion of Merit; the Distinguished Flying Cross; the Meritorious Service Medal; the Air Medal; and the Navy Commendation Medal (with Combat “V”); plus various campaign and unit awards. He is the honored recipient of the Japanese Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun and the Korean Presidential Tong II medal. In addition to his naval achievements, Admiral Zlatoper has also amassed several academic honors. He holds an Honorary Doctorate in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts
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Institute of Technology, a Master’s degree in administration from the George Washington University, and a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from RPI.
Connie Owen Order of the Rose The National Council authorized the creation of the Connie Owen Order of the Rose Award, as well as a class of inaugural inductees in March 2014. The Connie Owen Order of the Rose recognizes those spouses of members who have exemplified sustained involvement that advances the mission of Pi Kappa Phi. It was only appropriate that the first award go to the namesake, Connie Owen, for her more than 55 years of support of Pi Kappa Phi. Connie is the wife of Durward Owen, executive director emeritus and honorary fourth founding father. It is impossible to overstate her contribution to this fraternity. The National Council also recognized a second recipient on the inaugural year. Lyn Havard stood by her husband as he planned a convention in Mobile, Ala., and attended many more after that. For her husband Frank Havard, Supreme Chapter was truly a family affair and his daughter, Anne, grew up with the fraternity. He served in multiple volunteer roles, including several years as a member of the Foundation board of trustees, participating in all aspects of the Foundation’s mission. While her husband passed to the Chapter Eternal in 2006, she has remained a loyal friend of our fraternity. Both women were honored during a reception at Supreme Chapter in Atlanta.
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PHINAL THOUGHT
100+
We appreciate the chance to return to Ole Miss and reestablish our historic Alpha Lambda Chapter. This rechartering was not only significant in the regard that we returned to campus, but just as importantly because it marks the first time our fraternity has chartered (rechartered) a chapter with more than 100 (re)founding fathers. This accomplishment comes on the heels of completing our Second Century Vision, the strategic plan which guided us through the first ten years of our second century, a plan most notable for the growth that it inspired. Alpha Lambda Chapter will join our two existing chapters in the state of Mississippi, Theta Alpha (Southern Miss) and our Iota Nu (Mississippi State) chapter, which was chartered in 2012. —Christian Wiggins, Chief Operating Officer
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