Impacting brothers from 169 different Sigma Chi chapters and their respective institutions of higher learning, the Sigma Chi Foundation has issued an organizational-record $505,000 in academic scholarships for the 2018 to 2019 academic year.
The Foundation marked its 12th consecutive increase of at least $25,000 in awards with a 6-percent increase in scholarship funding from the previous year, and honored 309 individuals via undergraduate and graduate-specific awards.
“We are pleased to announce that we have we have surpassed the $500,000 mark in scholarship awards for the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year,” says Sigma Chi Foundation President and CEO Ashley Woods, EAST TENNESSEE 2000.
“These awards were made possible by generous brothers supporting our endowed Donor-Scholar academic scholarship program, the Thomas Cowan Bell Chapter Challenge, graduate award endowments and our annual fund. Providing scholarships and academic awards furthers the Foundation’s goal to promote academic excellence,” he says.
Sigma Chi Foundation scholarship applications are reviewed by members of the Foundation Board of Governors, staff and Fraternity volunteers.
“We are grateful for the many volunteers who helped review this year’s applications and the many nominators who wrote letters of recommendation for the worthy candidates,” added Woods. “We received applications from hundreds of exceptional brothers, and proudly award 307 brothers and two sweethearts who have shown outstanding values-based leadership, academic motivation and commitment to their chapters and campuses.”
Seven Members Receive Founders Honor
The top seven undergraduate applicants were honored with the fifth-annual Sigma Chi Founders Scholarships, awarded to the top-seven applicants based on academic performance and demonstrated leadership. Each brother received an award of $10,000.
Chuck and Kim Watson Award: Calen Griffin, NEBRASKA 2019
Griffin holds a 3.967 GPA in finance. He is an active member of campus organizations such as Phi Beta Lambda, and serves on numerous committees. He has helped his chapter in the roles of Consul, Pro Consul, Quaestor and scholarship chairman.
John and Nancy Peterson Award: Christian Hanke, MASSACHUSETTS-AMHERST 2020
Hanke holds a 3.981 GPA in finance and is a founding member of his Fraternity chapter. He is a member of his school’s finance society, Minutemen Venture Capital Club, UMass Ski and Board Club, among others, and has volunteered for efforts combatting blood cancer and homelessness.
Greg and Carol Harbaugh Award: Marc Sleiman, ILLINOIS 2020
Sleiman holds a 3.98 GPA in molecular and cellular biology. He is an undergraduate research assistant at his school’s Body Composition and Nutritional Neuroscience Lab, among other campus activities, with volunteer efforts at the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois. He serves his chapter as scholarship chairman and
Bob and Sabrina Johnson Award: Weston Boardman, HILLSDALE 2020
Boardman carries a 3.933 GPA in politics and economics. Planning to become a Marine Corps’ officer, Boardman is active in Citizens for Self-Governance, Convention of States Action, Young Americans for Freedom and has volunteered for Ronald Reagan Library Foundation, among other organizations. Boardman serves his chapter as its scholarship and risk management chairman.
James Parks Caldwell Award: Logan Cho, BROWN 2020
Cho holds a 3.5 GPA in neuroscience. A member of Brown’s club soccer program, Cho also serves as a research apprentice between Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, and Brown University; is a sleep research fellow for Brown University’s sleep research lab; and a recipient of the Union League of Philadelphia’s Good Citizenship Award. Cho serves his chapter as its risk management chairman.
Isaac M. Jordan Award: Samuel Pan, DUKE 2019
Pan holds a 3.9 GPA in biology. He is an intern at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and has volunteered at the Duke Cancer Center at Duke University Hospital. He has received Bergen County’s Unsung Hero Award and finished second place in the Montclair State University National Spanish Day Film Festival.
Benjamin Piatt Runkle Award: Christian Hanway, BROWN 2020
Hanway carries a 4.0 GPA in economics with a minor in theatre arts and performance. He serves as managing editor of the Brown Political Review magazine, is an active writer, actor and director for the Brown Theatre and served as a youth ambassador to China for the United States Department of State National Security Language Initiative for Youth Scholarship. He serves his chapter as public relations and philanthropy chairman.
Additional Highlights
The Sigma Chi Military Scholarship was awarded to 12 undergraduate or graduate brothers (four at $3,500; two at $1,750; five at $1,000; and one at $500) who have served in United States or Canadian military branches.
The Thomas Cowan Bell Chapter program impacted the undergraduate scholarship realm as 85 brothers representing Bell chapters received a $1,000 or $2,000 academic award.
A growth in undergraduate Donor-Scholarship endowment saw 99 brothers receive awards with chapter preference, including $10,000 recipients of the Carl Scering Memorial and Kenneth King-Joe Kelly scholarships.
In the graduate scholarship realm, 44 brothers received awards in business, engineering, medicine, general graduate studies, media arts and law.
For the second year, the Foundation awarded $1,000 to an undergraduate chapter sweetheart.
The Foundation issued a total of $28,000 in grants and awards to Sigma Chi’s Daniel William Cooper Award winner, its top Legion of Honor Award recipients, the International Balfour Award winner, the 2017 to 2019 International Sweetheart and awards for summer interns.
For additional information or to donate toward the general scholarship fund, contact the Sigma Chi Foundation via email at foundation@sigmachi.org or call (847) 869-3655.
