Award Applications for 2025

Applications close on December 16th, 2024 at 5:00 PM!

Each year at the Southeastern Greek Leadership Association Annual Conference, fraternity and sorority communities, councils, and individuals are recognized for their outstanding accomplishments over the past year. These awards recognize excellence in leadership, philanthropy, community service and academic achievement among Greek communities. As the Board assessed awards under its new name and mission, it was apparent a change in its awards and recognition program needed to further recognize and support all members of the association. Please see below for information on Council of the Year awards.

Goals:

  1. Move to a council development program that will assess and measure the current operational capabilities of all campus governing councils.

  2. Provide direct feedback, coaching, and strategies for ongoing improvement.

  3. Recognize outstanding achievement in 3 primary and 9 secondary categories, with overall council excellence awarded to council achieving in multiple categories.

  4. Streamline awards distribution during the conference and final banquet.

  5. Collect data that collectively showcases the Southern region fraternity and sorority experience.

  6. Provide campus-based FSL professionals with strategies for the ongoing improvement of their communities.

  7. Enhance the SGLA awards committee experience and impact on the development of FSL communities in the region.

  8. Strengthen the FSL experience in the region for greater reliance and sustainability.

Strategies:

  1. Combine 9 award categories into 3 overarching primary categories (with 3 subcategories each) so that student leaders can realize the interconnectedness of council operations and create a path toward overall excellence.

  2. Redesign the application process to include more specific questions that will provide greater detail on council operations and achievement.

  3. Develop rubrics for each primary and secondary category to align all judging to an equal standard for scoring. 

  4. Provide interactive feedback coaching during the conference to council leaders who submitted award applications.

  5. Provide two levels of recognition: a) for subcategory achievement via pre-distributed certificates, printed announcements and public recognition; and b) main category awards per council distributed with plaques at the closing banquet.

Individual Awards

Council Awards Category Breakdown:

Council Impact Award

  1. Social & Cultural Awareness: This subcategory recognizes councils which exhibited the most successful social concern effort during the past year. The recipient of this award will have incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion in its program and will be selected based on the overall impact on the community, implementation technique, and council participation. Data and statistics from any assessment measures are encouraged.

  2. Civic & Philanthropic Engagement: This subcategory recognizes the councils that best provides initiates and new members with the opportunity to enrich their own lives by giving back to the campus or local community in a meaningful way and recognizes chapters who place an emphasis on hands-on community service and philanthropy. Please submit an explanation of how your council promotes hands-on community service as well as recognizes chapters for excelling in this area. Additionally, submit an explanation of how you council enrich their own lives through charitable giving to the campus or local community in a meaningful way. Please submit an explanation of how your council promotes philanthropic endeavors as well as recognizes chapters for excelling in this area.

  3. Campus & Community Relations: This subcategory recognizes the councils that best fosters understanding and supports the sorority and fraternity movement through positive interactions with neighbors, faculty and administrators, law enforcement agencies, the media, etc. Please submit an explanation of the ways in which your council promotes positive relations with campus and community groups and individuals.

Operational Excellence

  1. Health, Safety & Accountability (sponsored by NovakTalks!): This subcategory will recognize the council(s) and/or community that best illustrate an overall commitment to advancing health & safety as a priority within their council or community. Consideration will focus on; the establishment and clear communication of standards which are aligned with best practices, design of systems and protocols that facilitate meeting those standards, educational initiatives that provide orientation to not only meeting expectations but also strategies to reduce the risks associated with events as well as activities, advancing crisis response planning, and the utilization of fair and equitable accountability systems. Data and statistics from any assessment measures that illustrate success are encouraged.

  2. Cross Council Collaboration: This subcategory will recognize the councils that is dedicated to promoting unity and collaboration between councils/governing boards at their institutions. Evidence of continual collaborations and relationship development between councils, their Chapters, and their members should be demonstrated.

  3. Strategic Branding: This award will recognize the councils who have developed and regularly utilize a brand that includes a descriptive narrative about the fraternity and sorority experience at their campus. This is more than just placing a design on brochures and newsletters. Applicants should showcase how they have utilized this brand to achieve its goals and advance fraternity and sorority life. Applicants may include social media links and other tangible examples to support the application.

Community Cultivation

  1. Educational Programming: This subcategory will recognize councils whose programs provide education for both initiates and new members/neos. Please list the educational programs your council has sponsored and the impact on your community. Include any programming designed to promote a healthy mind and/or body. Please include any partnerships with other groups and how many years your council has been involved with each program. The submission of data and statistics from assessment measures are encouraged.

  2. Leadership Development: This subcategory will recognize councils that best provide initiates and new members with the opportunity to enrich their leadership skills. Please submit an explanation of how your council promotes Leadership Development as well as recognizes chapters for excelling in this area. Data and statistics from any assessment measures are encouraged.

  3. Academic Enhancement: This subcategory will be given to councils that excel in encouraging and assisting high chapter and individual academic achievement and recognizes academic excellence as well as improvement in new members, members and chapters throughout the community. Data and statistics from any assessment measures are encouraged.

Please note the following:

  1. Councils may submit applications for any subcategory and may earn recognition in just the subcategory.

  2. In order to be considered for recognition in one of the three main categories, it must submit at least two subcategory applications.

  3. In order to be considered for recognition as an outstanding fraternity and sorority community (Victor Felts Interfraternity Council of the Year, National Pan-Hellenic Council of the Year, Multicultural Greek Council of the Year, and Dr. Lori Hart Panhellenic Council of the Year), all campus governing councils must submit at least two subcategories in all three main categories.