UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State student chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma has raised $7,385 in philanthropy to support fraternity and sorority research through Penn State’s Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform. The gift will be matched by the University.
The chapter pooled its funds and coordinated a Giving Tuesday campaign to engage alumni, family, friends and fellow Penn State students. The funds raised will help propel research aimed at creating stronger student leaders, safer chapters and successful fraternity and sorority communities.
"I am so honored to be representing the Delta Alpha Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma in support of the Piazza Center. As a chapter, we align with creating a stronger and safer Greek life for all," said Brianna Wishengrad, 2022 president of the Penn State chapter.
The chapter’s gift will support continued and new student-centered research studies, especially around student success and health and well-being, with the goal to create a research-informed professional practice to build students' capacity to flourish.
“We are honored by this meaningful gift. The idea that students recognize the value of our center to our community is motivating,” said Stevan Veldkamp, executive director of the Piazza Center, a unit of Student Affairs. “The generosity of students supporting research indicates we are on the right path to creating stronger and safer Greek life, here and nationwide.”
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 services; 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 the more than 750,000 members across more than 770 campuses with fraternity and sorority life.
Since its founding at Penn State in 1930, the Delta Alpha chapter has welcomed more than 2,500 initiates and has consistently been a leader in the Greek community on campus. The chapter currently supports several philanthropic organizations in addition to the Piazza Center, specifically Mental Health American and THON.
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.