UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Alpha Mu Chapter Penn State Alumni organization has committed $80,000 to support the ongoing and future research through Penn State’s Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform. The contribution will be matched by the University.
With this commitment, the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Alpha Mu Chapter Penn State Alumni, organization hopes to join other supporters in enacting positive change by helping to create healthy, life-changing fraternities and sororities. Alumni president Stephen DiOrio noted that the Piazza Center strongly supported the Pi Kappa Phi vision of a future where every Pi Kappa Phi embraces his role as a leader.
“Nothing is more important to those of us in Pi Kappa Phi than the health and safety of our undergraduate student leaders. The chapter’s commitment to the Piazza Center aligns well with our desire to make this rather unique living experience safer, healthier and more supportive of the most robust leadership lessons integrally available in the self-governed, community lifestyle of Greek Life,” said DiOrio. “While much has changed since many of us were on campus, the mission of the Piazza Center improves the likelihood that the desired outcomes of a great education, lifelong friendships and success in the personal and professional lives of our students will be fulfilled.”
The Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Alpha Mu Chapter Penn State Alumni contribution provides vital support to expand the programming and educational initiatives that will improve the collegiate experience of Penn State students and thousands of undergraduates nationwide.
“The University’s effort to strengthen and create a safer fraternity and sorority experience requires partnership with each and every organization,” said Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs. “Pi Kappa Phi’s leadership gift in support of the Piazza Center is a confirmation of our shared values for excellence, responsibility, and community. I could not be more grateful for both their generosity and their shared commitment to our Penn State values.”
The Piazza Center is a multidisciplinary research initiative whose mission is to uplift fraternity and sorority life. The center’s research agenda is based on a change model focused on a two-pronged approach to stronger and safer organizations.
- Stronger: Enhancing student learning, leadership and service; improving diversity, equity and inclusion; and increasing health and wellness.
- Safer: Focusing on campus prevention and intervention, including prevention of hazing, substance misuse and dangerous drinking.
The center produces actionable data to give practitioners, campuses and headquarters the evidence needed to enact significant change on their campuses for more than 750,000 members across more than 770 campuses with fraternity and sorority life.
Penn State hopes to generate an endowment of $8 million to support the center's research. Toward that end, the University has committed $2 million in initial funding and will match up to $3 million in additional endowment funds committed for this purpose. Through this opportunity, organizations, alumni, parents and friends can leverage their gifts to secure matching funds that double the impact of their generosity. To learn more about supporting the center and the goal that students in fraternities and sororities have a safe and enriching college experience, visit the Piazza Center website.
With the record-breaking success of “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” which raised $2.2 billion from 2016 to 2022, philanthropy is helping to sustain the University’s tradition of education, research and service to communities across the commonwealth and around the globe. Scholarships enable our institution to open doors and welcome students from every background, support for transformative experiences allows our students and faculty to fulfill their vast potential for leadership, and gifts toward discovery and excellence help us to serve and impact the world we share. To learn more about the impact of giving and the continuing need for support, please visit raise.psu.edu.