Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity Announces $250,000 in First-Generation College Student Scholarships
OXFORD, Ohio, August 24, 2021 (Newswire.com) - In an effort to support first-generation college students while complementing and strengthening the Fraternity's diversity and inclusion efforts, the Phi Delta Theta Foundation will provide $250,000 in academic scholarships for first-generation new members during the 2021-2022 academic year. The scholarships will directly impact the financial hardships of first-generation college students and indirectly lower the economic burden of membership into Phi Delta Theta.
"Being a first-generation college student, Phi Delta Theta provided me with the support I didn't even know I needed. The intricacies of the higher education environment are hard to navigate alone. My brothers helped me learn how to register for classes, how to fill out a financial aid form, and how to find a good on-campus job. Without this support, I would have persisted, but it would have been a much bumpier road. In addition to the guidance and moral support, these scholarships will offer meaningful financial assistance to ensure a place for first-generation students on their campus and within our brotherhood," said General Council President Moe Stephens.
In addition to the Foundation's scholarships for first-generation students, continued educational programming that addresses cultural competency and implicit bias will help shape the membership experience for all new and current members. This programming will include online training for the entire chapter while addressing the economic disparity of individual members and increased officer responsibilities for the chapter's chaplain to advocate for diversity and inclusion within the chapter, on campus, and in local communities.
The Fraternity's comprehensive effort will accomplish two important objectives: first, to ensure greater and equitable access to an experience that allows individuals to enhance their personal trajectory through best-in-class leadership programming, mentorship, and community. Second, to broaden the perspective of its members to achieve success in an increasingly diverse and inclusive world.
The success of these important initiatives will be measured annually through the benchmarking of demographic and socioeconomic membership data. The Fraternity will focus on memberships being representative of each campus where there is a Phi Delta Theta chapter. Additionally, Phi Delta Theta's partner Dyad Strategies will conduct an annual assessment of the Fraternity's undergraduate members, gauging the lived experience of diverse members and the individual behavior and beliefs of all members surrounding diversity and inclusion.
These initiatives are possible thanks to the generous and visionary support of Phi Delta Theta Foundation donors alongside the direction of the Fraternity's Diversity and Inclusion Committee; this committee's review helped reshape the Phi Delt 2030 plan, impacting 16 goal statements and objectives across five strategic initiatives.
Founded at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, on Dec. 26, 1848, Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity has 194 chapters and emerging chapters and 85 alumni clubs across the United States and Canada. To date, the Fraternity has initiated nearly 280,000 men into the society whose founding principles are Friendship, Sound Learning, and Rectitude.
Source: Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity