Media Releases
Distinguished Brothers Honored With National Awards
CONTACT:
Brad Beacham, Executive Director
Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc.
(540) 463-1869
brad.beacham@sigmanu.org
April 15, 2015
Two distinguished brothers and one of Sigma Nu’s Rock Chapters are among those who will be recognized this month as part of the North American Interfraternity Conference’s (NIC) 2015 awards.
Anish Sharma of Sigma Nu’s Epsilon Xi Chapter at the University of Mississippi was selected for the Undergraduate Award of Distinction, presented to a select group of fraternity men who have found in their experience an outlet for developing as both a leader and a better man. Brother Sharma was previously recognized as Sigma Nu Fraternity’s Man of the Year and Scholar of the Year in 2014. Sharma was initiated into six honor societies at the University of Mississippi and recently completed his bachelor’s in accounting with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Anish is the third Sigma Nu to earn this singular distinction in the last five years. Previous Sigma Nu recipients include Spencer Montgomery (South Florida) and Wells Ellenberg (Georgia). There are an estimated 350,000 students in NIC member fraternities nationwide.
Sigma Nu’s Gamma Tau Chapter at the University of Minnesota was selected for the NIC’s Chapter Award of Distinction that recognizes collegiate chapters that perform at high level and educate others about the benefits of a values-based fraternity experience. The Gamma Tau Chapter has received five consecutive Rock Chapter awards dating back to 2006. Gamma Tau Chapter is the third Sigma Nu chapter to earn the Chapter Award of Distinction in the last four years. Previous Sigma Nu chapters to earn the NIC Chapter Award of Distinction have included Butler University and University of Georgia. In 2012 the Gamma Tau Chapter was featured on the cover of The Delta. Sigma Nu’s Gamma Tau Chapter was among 10 fraternities nationwide to earn this elite distinction out of the 6,000 eligible NIC chapters on 800 campuses.
Howard Pickett (North Carolina State) was selected for the Gold Medal for lifelong service to the interfraternal community. For the past 17 years, Brother Pickett has been involved with nearly every major initiative of the interfraternal community, the NIC said in a statement. Brother Picket is a past Regent of Sigma Nu, past NIC board chairman, and inductee of Sigma Nu’s Hall of Honor. In 2012 the Fraternity Executives Association honored Brother Pickett with its Distinguished Service Award for service to the interfratenity community. Also in 2012, North Carolina State University’s Greek Life Department presented Howard its Servant Leadership Award in recognition of his leadership of his chapter’s housing campaign and his support for the North Carolina State University Greek housing plan.
The Gold Medal is the highest honor that the NIC can bestow. Brother Pickett is the fifth Sigma Nu to earn this the NIC Gold Medal; previous Sigma Nu recipients include J. Edward Murphy, Herman B Wells, Dick Fletcher and Mo Littlefield.
This year’s recipients will be honored during the NIC’s annual meeting on April 19, 2015.
Headquartered in Lexington, Virginia, Sigma Nu Fraternity was founded in 1869 at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. The Fraternity currently has 165 chapters and colonies and has initiated more than 235,000 members since its founding.
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