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100 Ideas for Scholarship Programming

 

1. Sit in scholastic order once a month.

2. Offer vocabulary word of the week (place it on bathroom doors, too).
3. Post a calendar that gives reminders of final course drop dates, early registration, etc.
4. Make a weekly announcement of cultural, educational and career opportunities on campus
and in the community.
5. Ask members to answer to the roll call with the number of classes they cut the previous
week.
6. Announce job openings, admission into graduate school deadlines and other deadline dates
for Omicron Delta Kappa, Order of Omega, Mortar Board, Phi Beta Kappa, and other
academic honor societies.
7. Display your scholarship trophies.
8. Display graphs of chapter progress.
9. Display bulletin boards with scholarship information.
10. Chart the progress of the chapter average, the pledge average and the initiated member
average over the past four years.
11. Compare your chapter to others on campus.
12. Show how your chapter compares with other chapters of your fraternity.
13. Compare Panhellenic and IFC Statistics on your campus.
14. Theme for a general scholarship bulletin board:  “Be the Best of Whatever You Are.”
15. Brag Board: members put on a bulletin board the test papers or anything they’re proud of, 
graffiti-style.
16. “A” Board: Roommates or other chapter members put “A” papers, tests or projects for
another chapter member. (This surprises the person who has done well as an extra benefit
to a good grade.)
17. Career Board: visit Career Services for information to put on this bulletin board--maybe
how to put together a resume, to majors and careers to match the major.
18. Board for national and local news.19. Board for movie and book reviews.
20. Submit to your fraternity national magazine or chapter newsletter stories and pictures of
members who have excelled in something.
21. Post a thought of the week. This should be inspirational or motivational.
22. Put up an “I Need Help” sheet for members to sign.
23. Put up an “I Can Help” sheet for members who want to assist with scholastics.
24. List study halls and quiet hours with proctors for both.
25. If you do not have adequate study facilities in the chapter house, secure a room in the
campus library or another academic building.
26. Have roommates rotate as quiet hour monitors.
27. Establish “24-Quiet-Hours” during midterm, the week before finals and the week of finals
28. Change the name of quiet hours to “courtesy hours.”
29. Recommend THREE hours of study per class instead of two for low achievers.
30. Present “How to Study” workshops or “Information Presentation” to the entire chapter and 
pledges to show that good scholarship habits do not end after the pledge program.
a. give refresher training to holdover pledges and members below requirements
b. explain university academic probation
c. explain chapter grade requirements
d. teach study techniques
e. explain honor programs
f. outline your scholarship program
g. suggest members audit a class or two of a course they’ll take later
h. discuss how to improve study atmosphere and chapter performance
i. have skits or slide shows showing good or bad study techniques
j. give members weekly study budget sheets (time management), divided into hours
k. teach how to take essay vs. objective tests
l. teach methods of studying (ex. SQ3R, etc.)
m. provide “library use” booklets for each member
n. describe learning skills centers (ex. writing, language or math labs) and courses
available (ex. First Year Studies)
o. alert members to counseling services
p. distribute lists of chapter members and their majors
q. give members “class progress sheets” for recording their assignments, quiz grades, 
tests and paper
31. Have each member post on his door the number of exams left to go; this idea helps those
who finish quickly remember others are still hard at work!32. Have snacks for study breaks.
33. Have fresh fruit and vegetables (or coffee and doughnuts) available 24-hours a day during
finals week.
34. Posters can show chapter creativity and can remind members of quiet hours, the need to
attend classes, etc.
35. Friendly competition
1. challenge each member to raise his GPA .1 each term (minimum goal)
2. have one class challenge another class each term and the losing class serves the
winning class dinner
3. have a big brother/little brother competition
36. Have a chapter fireside or motivational or achievement before finals
37. Stock finals by having “Clean Out Your Notebooks” parties at the end of each term; 
members can contribute books, notes and tests.
38. Go to Reference Desk at the library, Career Services, the various college advising centers,
etc. and compile a list of study aids that are available on campus.
39. Professor/Course Evaluation Files (or Teacher Comment Files) – outline the instructor’s 
grading procedures, attendance policy, course requirements
40. Course – test files: to be used properly, as a question or style learning aid only.
41. Major and minor files: used for assigning tutors, study buddies, major mates – anytime you
want to find two people with similar interests.
42. Graduate school catalogs and information.
43. Provide study booklets or information regarding the Graduate Record Examine (GRE),
Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT), Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT), Medical
College Admissions Test (MCAT), etc.
44. Have departmental catalogs.
45. Schedule of courses offered each term as soon as they come out. (Include evening school.)
46. Over the-Hump Party (after Mid-Terms)
47. Whine-O Party (for everyone to complain before Finals).
48. Mourner’s Dinner: short meal and no alcohol, where everyone wears black to signify all
other activities must die as you prepare for exams.
49. Apple Polishing Party: members invite their favorite professors and the University administration.
50. Cheese Week: instructors from different departments are invited to dinner each night and
talk about their departments.
51. Steak and Beans Dinner: for chapter recognition
52. Smart Party: for chapter recognition
53. Start at the Top Party: those with higher grades get to eat first, lower grades get leftovers
54. Achievement Reception: for chapter recognition, invite faculty or alumni members.
55. Scholarship Banquet: for chapter recognition, invite faculty or alumni. (Note: Write the
GPA of each member you are honoring on a place card.)
56. Guest Speakers: invite to any event or open meeting.
1. campus librarian
2. placement office personnel or visiting representatives from businesses
3. administration officials from the university’s president to the Greek affairs
advisors
4. the winner of your local scholarship
5. board of education officials in your community (if appropriate)
6. alumni on the faculty
7. prominent and successful alumni in the community
57. Take every opportunity to recognize your achievers in your national magazine, your
community newspaper, their community newspaper, your IFC’s newsletter, or your chapter 
newsletter.
58. Send letters to parents of excelling members.
59. Recognize Mortar Board, Phi Beta Kappa, Order of Omega, Dean’s List, Phi Kappa Phi, etc.
60. Recognize 4.0’s and other high GPA’s with a reduction in the chapter bill for those 
individuals
61. Recognize the most improved in both the chapter and the pledge class
62. Add an inverse amount to the bill proportionate to the GPA (ex. high grades, low bill)
63. Give each member door signs: Red = Do Not Disturb, Yellow = I’m Studying, Green = 
Welcome
64. Have members take an Asset Inventory at the beginning of the year or a Skill and
Problem Inventory.  (Let them tell you their “good assets” and where they might need help)65. Have members write a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) card at the beginning of each term.
(Let them predict the performance.)
66. Have members sign scholarship contracts at the beginning of each term.  “I promise to study
____ hours per week during the semester. I also pledge not to cut class. I will do everything
I can do to live up to this promise because I value my education and dedication to Phi
Gamma Delta
67. Sponsor a “Scholarship Scoops” afternoon when people can come talk about questions or
concerns about different courses.
68. Sponsor a book sale and trade each term
69. Develop a booster program whereby each member of the committee is directly responsible
for a certain number of pledges or members below minimum requirements.
70. Have a library night once a week
71. Take a pledge on a library tour. (Arrange for someone at the library to give the tour)
72. Give members in poor academic standing assignment notebooks.
73. Combine pledge meetings with pledge study sessions.
74. Have the pledges elect a pledge scholarship chair to serve as a member of the chapter
scholarship committee
75. Encourage the pledges to challenge another class on campus
76. Ask the pledges to sign scholarship contracts similar to the PMA cards or study contracts for
initiated members. (See number 64)
77. Give each pledge a study partner, one member especially responsible for motivating the new
member to study and to serve as a resource for academic adjustment. (Eithertry to match
majors, or you may use the Big Brothers
78. Have a former holdover pledge talk with the current ones at a scholarship committee
meeting. They should emphasize the adjusted study habits and the assistance provided by
the chapter members.
79. Give each holdover pledge an initiated member in his major from two different class levels.
They can advise him on academic concerns from a “just been there” and a “this is what you
can expect” point of view.
80. Suggest that IFC and Panhellenic sponsor a campus-wide “Learning to Learn” seminar for
freshmen or other classes. The participant group should include non-Greeks as well.
81. Suggest that IFC and Panhellenic plan and participate in a Quiz Bowl as part of Greek week.82. Have your fraternity challenge a sorority.
83. Have your fraternity pair with a sorority and challenge another male/female Greek pair.
84. Work for a fraternity scholarship column in the Greek newsletters.
85. Suggest the IFC/Panhellenic scholarship trophies be given each term, highest and most
improved averages, both chapter and pledge associate.
86. Suggest that IFC/Panhellenic offer workshops for scholarship chairs and scholarship
advisors as they do for rush and new member education.
87. Suggest that IFC/Panhellenic host a Scholarship Reception each term (One term invite only
those with a 3.0 and above . . . award certificates for outstanding student achievement; next
term invite only 3.5 and above.) Invite members of the University administration, alum
advisors, IFC/Panhellenic delegates, chapter presidents and have a theme and presentation
pertaining to scholarship.
88. Buried in the Books Award: To the person who has been studying the most that past week.
89. Highest GPA (for the term and cumulative)
90. Most Improved GPA (for the term)
91. Highest Big Brother / Little Brother team.
92. Real Brother: To the person who is most helpful to other active members, etc. during finals.
93. Highest GPA over their expectations (Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) estimate)
94. I’ll get a Life Later Award:  Most often seen in the Library.
95. Top of the Heap: Active and/or Pledge with the most A’s that week.
96. The Heap:  Actives and/or Pledges with 3.0’s or 3.5’s and up.
97. Most Swamped: Active and/or Pledge facing the most tests next week.
98. Smartest Big / Little Brother Family: At least three people to make the family.
99. Miracle Worker:  Active and/or Pledge with 4.0’s.
100. Library Book donated to the University or chapter library in the name of the senior with the
highest GPA.

 


Adapted from materials by
Delta Upsilon Fraternity