Pictured L to R: Tray Achorn, Bran Dawson, Parker Ellis, Tim Wolverton, Glenn Wegener, Torrey McKeown. Click image above for publication-quality photo.
On February 16, 2008, Mississippi State University's Interfraternity Council was recognized at the closing banquet of the Southeastern Interfraternity Conference's Leadership Academy with five awards for Excellence. SEIFC is the regional leadership conference for council officers held in Atlanta, GA each year.
The council received five awards, more than any other school at the conference. The awards recognized Excellence in the following areas: Community Service and Philanthropy, Outstanding Educational Program, Publications, Website, and finally, Excellence in Recruitment. During the 2007 Leadership Academy, the council was recognized for Excellence in Interfraternal Relations. Also, Heidie Lindsey, who formerly advised the council, received the coveted "Advisor of the Year" award.
"It was a pleasure having Mississippi State University represented at the SEIFC Leadership Academy again this year. The MSU Interfraternity Council is to be commended for their excellent work this past year", said Victor Felts, Executive Director of SEIFC. "The programs and services coming out of Starkville serve as an example for other fraternity men across the Southeast to emulate. The SEIFC executive board was pleased to present MSU with numerous awards for their efforts."
On top of outshining all other schools at the conference, MSU again gained recognition by having IFC President Tim Wolverton elected as the Area III Vice President of SEIFC. With his position, Wolverton will be responsible for soliciting input from undergraduate fraternity men from LA, MS, and AL on programming elements and logistics for next year's conference. This marks the second time in as many years that MSU has had a member of the Executive Board of SEIFC. George Harris, a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, served as the SEIFC President during the 2007 Leadership Academy.
"I am humbled and honored to have been elected as the Area III Vice President, and am extremely proud of what our Interfraternity Council has accomplished over the past year, as evidenced by the awards that we received. But what I'm more proud of is to be a Mississippi State student and a Bulldog." Says Wolverton on his election, "It's exciting to know that our fraternity community is helping to build the reputation of this great university and did so on a national scale."
Dr. Eddie Keith, Director of the Colvard Student Union at MSU had this to say about the IFC's success at SEIFC, ""It's encouraging to know that our peer institutions around the Southeast recognize what we have known - that Mississippi State has one of the finest fraternity systems around. I'm proud of our IFC leaders for having received all of the awards, but especially the recruitment award because they and chapter leaders had to have the courage to 'think outside the box' and risk making some changes in the traditional way our fraternities have recruited members. Obviously it paid off."
Mississippi State's fraternity community prides itself on the promotion of brotherhood, leadership, academics, and service to others, as exemplified in the awards received at this year's SEIFC Leadership Academy. And although this year's performance at SEIFC was successful, the IFC has committed to raise the bar, year after year, for fraternity excellence not only at Mississippi State, but in the Southeast as well.
For more information or membership questions, feel free to contact the Interfraternity Council at http://www.ifc.msstate.edu or .
