For more than a century, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity has believed that stronger leaders build stronger communities. Today, the Fraternity is extending that commitment to the campus professionals and partners who help create strong fraternity experiences.
Pi Kappa Phi has committed $150,000 to the AFA Foundation’s Elevate the Standard campaign, the largest single gift in the Foundation’s history. The gift will establish a new endowment supporting professional development for fraternity and sorority professionals, with a particular focus on strengthening Interfraternity Council (IFC) advising and the systems that support successful fraternity communities.
The North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) will amplify Pi Kappa Phi’s commitment with an additional $100,000 investment, bringing the total investment in this work to $250,000.
“The professionals who advise and support our chapters are essential partners in creating a strong fraternity experience,” said Jake Henderson, chief executive officer of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. “If we expect strong outcomes for our students and chapters, we have to invest in the people helping guide them. This commitment is about ensuring those professionals have access to the training, resources and tools they need to navigate increasingly complex challenges and help our students succeed.”
The endowment builds upon the partnership established through Guidelines & Guardrails, a framework developed collaboratively by AFA, the NIC, and the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA). The framework is designed to strengthen collaboration and shared understanding among campus professionals, fraternity headquarters and other partners responsible for supporting healthy fraternity communities.
“Investing in our campus professionals who serve on the front-lines in supporting student members is a critical priority,” said Judson Horras, NIC president and CEO. “We believe that the excellent work of the Guidelines & Guardrails framework developed in concert with AFA and ASCA will dramatically improve the way campuses and organizations collaborate in the future.”
The endowment will focus on three priority areas:
- Improving how campuses address chapter conduct issues: Providing training and resources to help fraternity and sorority professionals and campus conduct staff investigate concerns, respond appropriately when problems arise and help chapters address issues and move forward.
- Strengthening IFC advising: Providing training and professional development for IFC advisors and exploring credentials or certifications that recognize the knowledge and skills needed to advise IFCs effectively.
- Better equipping those who support fraternity and sorority communities: Providing education and resources for senior campus leaders, chapter advisors and volunteers, risk management professionals, university attorneys and others who play a role in supporting fraternity and sorority communities.
“This is a transformative gift in every sense of the word,” said Dr. Jason Bergeron, AFA’s executive director. “Building communities of individuals who are knowledgeable about and committed to stronger practice in supporting fraternities, anchored by direct investments in the front-line professionals who bear the increasing load in guiding fraternities toward success, are what moves the needle in our collective work. We are deeply thankful to Pi Kappa Phi for their investment in fraternity/sorority life professionals, and celebrate the NIC’s ability to amplify that gift even further.”
For Pi Kappa Phi, the investment reflects a broader belief that supporting the professionals who work alongside chapters and students ultimately strengthens the fraternity experience itself.
“We believe in the people who do this work,” Henderson said. “Investing in their success strengthens our students, our chapters and the fraternity experience as a whole.”