Convocation Recap

A Look Back at Convocation

A Recap of the Event in San Antonio, Texas

In August, brothers from across the country – with friends and family – gathered in San Antonio, Texas to celebrate 125 years of the Fraternity at the 55th & 56th Biennial Convocation. The event served as a historical moment for Sigma Pi as members celebrated the occasion but also met in-person on a national scale for the first time in over two years. “This Convocation was truly a great opportunity for the Fraternity to re-establish the way in which it goes about conducting its business and celebrating the success and brotherhood of Sigma Pi,” said Director of Education and Programs Alexander Pettigrew (Indiana of Pennsylvania '15). “With the move to conduct business virtually prior to the in-person event, this convention was a foundational piece in incorporating education into the program." Pettigrew continued, "Moving forward, Sigma Pi will look to expand its opportunities to engage members at events like Convocation with supplemental programming, networking, and additional excursions to heighten the experience of those in attendance.”

The celebration began on Wednesday with the kickoff reception and a special event at the Alamo for alumni attendees. On Thursday morning, the first session featuring the procession of previous Grand Sage Cup-winning chapters, Past Grand Sages, Chapter Advisors, Province Archons, Educational Foundation board members, and the Grand Council. At this time, the 55th & 56th Biennial Convocation officially opened for business following the ritual of the Grand Chapter. The next session was the Grand Chapter Awards Luncheon which presented the award winners listed on page 17. On Friday morning, business sessions continued as usual. A Leadership Luncheon followed, where then-Grand Sage Joe Palazzolo (Monmouth ’00) spoke about the Fraternity’s

history. Following the luncheon, the Grand Council for the 2022-2024 biennium was officially elected. After the new officers were installed, the busy day concluded with a memorial service remembering those who entered the Adytum on High over the previous two bienniums.

On Friday night, the celebration banquet took place. This time allowed the Fraternity to honor the major award winners for the biennium. Founders’ Award recipient Jeffrey Tottleben (Missouri S&T '88) gave a moving speech regarding the reasons he remains committed to the Fraternity and to Alpha-Iota Chapter. Following, the winners of the Grand Sage's Awards were presented to four well-deserving chapters. This biennium's winners included Alpha-Sigma Chapter at Arkansas and Beta-Tau Chapter at Valparaiso, both winning their firstever Grand Sage's Awards. In addition, Omega Chapter at Oregon State and Iota-Tau Chapter at St. John's University both won their third consecutive Grand Sage's Awards, and both tied the record for most consecutive Grand Sage's Awards won by a chapter. A special moment occurred where all attendees from New Jersey came up on stage to thank PGS Palazzolo for his dedication to mentoring and leading the way in their area, as well as his overall commitment to the Fraternity. PGS Palazzolo followed that up with a speech of his own, and afterward, symbolically “passed the gavel” on to new Grand Sage Kent Varney (Kentucky ’97). Lastly, GS Varney then shared his thoughts with the attendees, setting the stage for what is sure to be a great biennium. As a longtime tradition continued, all brothers circled the ballroom, locked arms, and joyously joined in singing “The Fireside Song” together. Saturday had an exciting start with a model initiation ceremony taking place in the morning. During this initiation, Jacob Rovira – son of PGS Larry Rovira (Cal State Fullerton '80) – was initiated alongside Brett Butler (San Diego ’22). After the initiation, attendees hopped on charter buses to Six Flags for a wonderful brotherhood outing, which officially concluded the 55th & 56th Biennial Convocation.

Lastly, we’d like to share a special thank you with PGS Ed Panconi (Loyola Marymount '82), Michael McDonald (Cal State Fullerton ’78), Todd Griffin (East Carolina '90), and Jeremy Lessman (Franklin & Marshall ’88) for their hard work and dedication as part of the 125th Celebration Committee.

Grand Sage's Award

Tier 1 - Oregon State (Omega)

Grand Sage's Award

Tier 3 - Valparaiso (Beta-Tau)

Founder's Award

Jeffrey Tottleben (Missouri S&T '88)

Clegg Scholarship Trophy

Worcester Polytechnic (Gamma-Iota) Grand Sage's Award

Tier 2 - Arkansas (Alpha-Sigma)

Grand Sage's Award

Tier 4 - St. John's (Iota-Tau)

Staff Member of the Year

Jacob Camilleri (Saginaw Valley State '14)

Justice Curtis Shake Award

Ian Wolf (Rutgers' 12)

Grand Sage’s Award Tier 1 - Oregon State (Omega) Tier 2 - Arkansas (Alpha-Sigma) Tier 3 - Valparaiso (Beta-Tau) Tier 4 - St. John's (Iota-Tau)

Grand Council Award Tier 1 - Oregon State (Omega) Tier 1 - Iowa (Xi) Tier 1 - Georgia (Alpha-Phi) Tier 2 - Worcester Polytechnic (Gamma-Iota) Tier 2 - Missouri S&T (Alpha-Iota) Tier 2 - Arkansas (Alpha-Sigma) Tier 3 - Grand Valley State (Theta-Rho) Tier 3 - Montclair State (Iota-Iota) Tier 3 - Valparaiso (Beta-Tau) Tier 4 - Detroit-Mercy (Gamma-Alpha) Tier 4 - Monmouth (Delta-Beta) Tier 4 - St. John's (Iota-Tau)

Grand Chapter Award Arkansas (Alpha-Sigma) Valparaiso (Beta-Tau) St. John's (Iota-Tau) Worcester Polytechnic (Gamma-Iota) Purdue (Eta)

Clegg Scholarship Trophy (Byron R. Lewis) Worcester Polytechnic (Gamma-Iota)

Founders' Award Jarett Wait (Cornell '77) Jeffrey Tottleben (Missouri S&T '88) Dr. Jay Morgan (Murray State '91)

Young Alumni Volunteer Award Ryan Sullivan (St. John's '15)

Young Professional Achievement Award Lucas Sarris (Orlando, FL '13) Andrew Beuschel (Monmouth '07) Brett Stevens (Monmouth '05)

Michael P. Carey Award

Chase Whitt (Kentucky '20) Jack Corriea (St. John's '20) Connor Henson (Arkansas '21)

Harold Jacobsen Award

Krish Gupta (Purdue '21) Greg Auteri (St. John's '20) Dil Sen (UC Berkeley '19)

Cletus A. Broecker Award Ryan Kasper (St. John's '20) Carson Ernst (Cal Poly '19) Kyle Juza (Grand Valley State '19)

Lyle Smith Chapter Advisor Award Erik Murrell (NJIT '19) Peter Georgantopoulos (UC Irvine '95) Yougnand Paul (St. John's '15)

Justice Curtis Shake Province Archon Award Ian Wolf (Rutgers' 12)

Dr. Robert L. Burns Award Faculty Advisor Award Dr. Lynn Agre, Rutgers University

Guy "Red" Mackey Award Christopher McMonegal (East Stroudsburg '20)

Staff Member of the Year Award Jacob Camilleri (Saginaw Valley State '14) Director of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving

Louis Foley Award Iota-Tau, The Hoot

William J. Cutbirth Jr. Award (Philanthropy) Georgia (Alpha-Phi)

William J. Cutbirth Jr. Award (Comm Serv) St. John's (Iota-Tau)

Most Outstanding Alumni Club Award Orange County Alumni Association

Most Improved Chapter Award UC Irvine (Eta-Upsilon)

Merino/Tash 100 Man Chapter Recognition Auburn (Alpha-Delta) - 146 Members Boulder, CO (Zeta-Delta) - 123 Members