Grants Help Offset Costs of College Panhellenic Programming Related to Supporting Women’s Academic Pursuits
INDIANAPOLIS – The National Panhellenic Conference Foundation (NPC Foundation) today announced the inaugural recipients of NPC Foundation’s Phi Mu Academic Excellence Fund Grants. These grants are intended to help offset costs related to College Panhellenic academic excellence programming that supports collegiate sorority women’s academic pursuits. The first two grant recipients are Auburn University College Panhellenic Association and Purdue University College Panhellenic Association. Each has been awarded $3,000.
“For more than 20 years, NPC has celebrated February as the Month of the Scholar to promote academic excellence and achievement,” said Dani Weatherford, chief executive officer of the NPC Foundation. “Each of our 26 member organizations holds high academic standards for their members, and College Panhellenics play an important role in promoting good scholarship across their communities. We’re pleased to award these grants to the Auburn and Purdue Panhellenics so they can further support the academic pursuits of sorority women on their campuses.”
Auburn Panhellenic will use the funds to provide professional development workshops to Panhellenic sorority members, including a session devoted to helping women identify their personal strengths, an interview and resume-building workshop and a session for professional headshots. The grant will help cover fees for the facilitators, a photographer and the venues.
“We’re offering this programming because it provides the resources to be successful either in the professional world or for those considering advanced degrees after graduation,” said Holland Schell, former panhellenic director of scholarship for the Auburn University Panhellenic Association.
Purdue University College Panhellenic Association will use its grant to host a mental health education speaker in an effort to build awareness of issues impacting collegiate women, including eating disorders and body dysmorphia. The grant will help offset the speaker fee.
“Successfully balancing mental, physical and emotional wellness can help women achieve in their academic pursuits,” said Hannah Semler, vice president of operations for the Purdue University Panhellenic Association. “This program can help foster crucial conversations around mental health in our community, thereby supporting women’s academic excellence.”
The NPC Foundation’s Phi Mu Academic Excellence Fund has been made possible by a generous gift from Phi Mu Fraternity, one of NPC’s 26 women’s-only member organizations, in order to support creating a climate in which there is a constant presence and appreciation of academic excellence within a College Panhellenic community. Grant applications from College Panhellenics are accepted on a rolling basis and are reviewed twice annually. For more information, visit the NPC website.
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About the National Panhellenic Conference Foundation (NPC Foundation)
Established in 1995, the mission of the National Panhellenic Conference Foundation is to support the priorities and initiatives of the National Panhellenic Conference. The NPC Foundation does so through prudent investment and disbursement of funds that enables the Conference to better advocate for and support the sorority experience. (npcwomen.org/foundation)
About the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC)
NPC, one of the largest organizations advocating for women, is the umbrella group for 26 national and international sororities. NPC sororities are located on more than 670 campuses with more than 375,000 undergraduate members in more than 3,350 chapters. Alumnae are represented in nearly 3,500 associations throughout the world. For more information, including a complete list of NPC sororities, visit npcwomen.org.
