We’ve had a busy and productive year at Phi Kappa Phi’s national office, and a highlight was the Society’s biennial convention last August.

We’d hoped our online format would help drive participation, and I’m happy to report that the results exceeded our expectations. Two hundred and forty-two chapter officers and student vice presidents registered for the convention. Attendance registrants included 280 participants from the general membership, 160 voting delegates, and nine voting board members. There was representation from 211 institutions and chapters, a record number. I want to thank all of you who took part. The sessions were deeply informative and inspiring.

At the convention, I briefed our membership on Phi Kappa Phi’s new strategic plan and its primary goals. First of all, we want to make sure that all deserving scholars can join the Society regardless of their financial status. We also want to raise the stature and visibility of Phi Kappa Phi so that even those who are not members will be more aware of what we do. We have a great story to tell, and we want everyone to hear it. Thirdly, we want to strengthen our chapter engagement. Campus chapters are the heart of Phi Kappa Phi, and we thrive when they do. Finally, we want to diversify our financial support for Phi Kappa Phi. We’re doing vital work in advancing research and scholarship around the world, and we can do even more if we get more stakeholders to invest in our mission. For more details about our strategic plan, please visit our website, phikappaphi.org.

Please know that our strategic plan isn’t gathering dust on the shelf. Already, Phi Kappa Phi’s national Board of Directors has been working with our staff to put this plan into action.

Our office undertook a massive conversion to new association management technology this year that’s more nimble and better able to track and serve our chapters and members. That transition was a big lift for our staff, but we knew it was important in helping to reduce the administrative burdens for chapter officers and give better value to our members.

Meanwhile, we’re growing our social media platforms and using other tools to give Phi Kappa Phi a bigger voice in the national conversation. This year, for the first time in our history, we recorded a national broadcast from the Society’s office for C-SPAN, a cable TV public affairs channel that reaches millions.

In our drive to better support our campus chapters, we recently hired Rebecca Schutte to serve in our newly created role as senior director of institutional relations. Rebecca has extensive experience in nonprofit work at the national level, including stints at The World Bank Group and the Center for Global Development. Rebecca’s primary focus will be helping our community of chapters flourish. You can reach Rebecca with your ideas and suggestions at rschutte@phikappaphi.org.

To diversify our financial support, we also hired Elizabeth Kline as Phi Kappa Phi’s first director of development this year. Elizabeth is talented, and her previous experience includes work in support of Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. You can reach Elizabeth at ekline@phikappaphi.org.

We’ve taken some big steps to realize the goals of Phi Kappa Phi’s strategic plan, and there’s still much work to do. I’m excited to take this journey with you. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and stellar 2025. You can always reach me at bnewcomer@phikappaphi.org.