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Scholarship Application Live on January 1, 2019

Through the support of many generous donors, Phi Mu Foundation is proud to further the Fraternity’s commitment to academic excellence by offering scholarship opportunities to eligible collegiate and alumnae members for the 2019-2020 academic year.

There are a wide variety of scholarships available through the Foundation: need-based, merit-based, unrestricted and restricted. Unrestricted scholarships are open to any eligible collegiate or alumnae member who applies, while restricted scholarships are available to members from specific chapters, fields of study, states of residence or certain colleges/universities. The 2019-2020 application is available by clicking here.

Eligible collegiate or alumnae members need only to submit one application to be considered for all scholarships. The application is available now and must be submitted in its entirety by March 1, 2019, to be considered. Members must be in good standing with Phi Mu Fraternity and have at least a 3.2 grade point average to apply. Applicants are scored by an independent volunteer committee in several categories, including academic, involvement (Phi Mu/Campus/Community), financial need, personal statements and recommendations. Members who have contributed to the Foundation will receive extra consideration.

If you have questions about the 2019-20 Phi Mu Foundation Scholarship Program or need more information, please contact Phi Mu Foundation Director of Development Kristin Tofanelli at ktofanelli@phimu.org.

Trustee Tuesday: Meet Trustee Jen Free, Kappa Nu

Next up in this week’s edition of Trustee Tuesday is Trustee Jen Free, Kappa Nu. Jen was appointed to the Phi Mu Foundation Board of Trustees in 2014 and served as Corporate Secretary/Treasurer during her term. She was re-elected to the board in 2018 and currently serves on the Executive and Finance/Investment Committees. Originally hailing from Kentucky, Jen now resides in Jackson, Tennessee, where she is a criminal defense attorney.

Jen joined Phi Mu at Lambuth University where she was a member of the school’s softball team. While she was often busy with practice and on the road with games during the season, her Phi Mu sisters always kept her in the loop and never let her feel out of sync. That feeling of family – an unrelenting sisterhood and commitment to lifting each other up to be their very best – has stayed with Jen long after her years at Lambuth were over.

“My Phi Mu collegiate experience was some of the best years of my life, and I was able to enjoy that time because of the incredibly visionary women who gave of their time and talents before me. Those women continue to inspire me daily, and I work each day to be more like them and the amazing women I serve with on the Board of Trustees. Serving Phi Mu Foundation provides me with a platform to share how Phi Mu had a positive impact on me, and to encourage donors to join me in giving back to the organization that has given us so much.”

One of the many reasons Jen enjoys serving as a Foundation Trustee is being able to hit the road and travel to chapters around the country, meeting women who have benefited from our generous donors. She’s made visits to chapters in Washington, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee and many more states in between! As a member of the 1852 Society, Jen values the opportunity to share with others why she gives back by supporting the Foundation and encourages members of all ages to consider joining her.

“My favorite time of year is when the M3 Campaign kicks off and we’re all working together to inspire each other to give back to Phi Mu in honor of our Founders.  There’s something electrifying about the energy from our collegiate chapters during the month of March, watching them challenge each other to raise funds that will help the women standing next to them. It’s pretty special.”

Jen believes that the Phi Mu experience is unique because of the prominent leadership programs that the Fraternity offers, which are designed to empower women and encourage them to invest in themselves and others. These programs have lasting impacts that far exceed a member’s collegiate years, and Jen believes that the leadership skills she learned in Phi Mu have helped her become a better community member, attorney and friend.

“Each time I talk with a donor about making a gift to the Foundation, the logic is always so clear to me. Phi Mu women are some of the most impressive, outstanding, real women this country has to offer. When I visit chapters and see the outstanding ways our women are leading in their chapters and on their campuses, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to invest in their promising future!”

If you’ve had the chance to meet Jen, there’s no denying her passion for advancing in the lifetime development of Phi Mu women shines through in every conversation. She’s an outspoken advocate for giving back and has her eye on raising the fundraising bar for the Foundation over the next biennium. When we come together for Phi Mu National Convention in 2020, Jen wants to announce that we’ve exceeded our fundraising goals by millions!

Trustee Tuesday: Meet Past National President and Trustee Robin White Fanning, Beta Iota

In this edition of Trustee Tuesday, we’re pleased to introduce to you Past National President and Trustee Robin White Fanning. No stranger to the Board of Trustees, Robin served as Chairman of the Board from 2006-2010 as part of her duties as National President and was elected to serve as a Trustee in 2016. If you’ve had the chance to meet Robin, you know her genuine passion and pride in Phi Mu is what drives her to continue to volunteer for the organization that she holds so dear.

“My collegiate years were truly the best of my life and Phi Mu was a major part of that experience. Phi Mu was my home away from home and my sisters were (and still are) like family! I serve as a Trustee today because I want others to have the same excellent experience that I had.”

Robin and her husband met while she was a member of the Beta Iota Chapter at Clarkson University, and later, they relocated to Michigan and put down roots and raise their two sons. As a full-time mom to her children and National Council member, she was thankful for the flexibility to travel the country, visiting collegiate chapters and alumnae volunteers as they worked together to usher Phi Mu into a new era of developing members into confident, vibrant leaders.

“For the seven years I spent on National Council as Vice President Collegiate Operations and as National President, Phi Mu was my full-time job! I spent many days each month traveling during those years and was lucky to have the support of my husband, babysitters and sons as we juggled everything.”

Later when Robin transitioned off of National Council and her sons were grown, she went to work as a retail manager for Vera Bradley. While she never thought of herself as a sales professional, she soon realized that her years of serving  Phi Mu had prepared her well for her newfound career.

“Looking back on my years of volunteering, I was ‘selling’ the Phi Mu experience to many women during that time. I never really thought about it in that way until I began drawing the parallels between that and the work I was doing at Vera Bradley. There, I was selling a product and mentoring staff members just as I had done for our Phi Mu women.”

As a member of the 1852 Society, Robin understands the important role each of us plays in investing in the future of Phi Mu and she’s seen the good work of our donors come to life in more ways than she can count. One of her favorite memories from her tenure on National Council was the Campaign for Phi Mu, which brought the dream of a new Phi Mu National Headquarters building to life.

“Phi Mu Foundation is investing in women as leaders, which in turn brings success to their careers and to their communities. For more than 166 years, Phi Mu has had an impact on women as they seek educations from campuses across the country. We are their first experience of adult networking and offer opportunities for lifetime enrichment. When you give back to the Foundation, you’re helping others have the benefit of the experience and privilege we call Fraternity.”

When we asked Robin what she’d like to share from the stage at the Foundation Business Session at National Convention in 2020, simply put, she said, “Let’s raise the most money we ever have for Phi Mu women!”

Trustee Tuesday: Meet National President and Foundation Chairman of the Board Andie Kash, Delta Eta

Next up on our Trustee Tuesday series is Phi Mu National President and Foundation Chairman of the Board Andie Kash, Delta Eta.  Following her election as National President this summer at convention, Andie also assumed the position of Chairman of the Board for Phi Mu Foundation. In this role, she works alongside the Foundation President and Executive Director to lead the Foundation into the next biennium. Andie lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and three children.

Andie graduated from Georgetown College and worked for Phi Mu as a Chapter Consultant from 1993-1994. What began as a year spent traveling across Phi Mu America turned into a storied career of volunteering for Phi Mu, including serving on National Council for a total of 10 years and on the Foundation Board of Trustees for four years prior to her election as National President. Andie is a long-standing Foundation Donor and member of the 1852 Society and believes strongly in the power of giving back.

“Phi Mu has given me so much that it is important for me to give back. While there are many fantastic ways the Foundation supports the Fraternity and our members, to me, one of the most important things we can do is to help make college more affordable for our members through academic scholarships.”

Throughout the years, Andie has been instrumental in transforming Phi Mu into an organization equipped to meet the needs of today’s modern woman. Among her many accomplishments, she played a key role in growing the Fraternity through collegiate chapter extension plans and helped develop and implement Phi Mu’s 2003 and 2013 strategic plans. She achieved all of this while also running her family’s business as the Chief Executive Officer and President of HI-FLOAT®.

“I run a family business and that is exactly how I think of Phi Mu! My professional experience and Phi Mu experience share many of the same challenges and I see the parallels on a daily basis. Phi Mu has made me a better business leader, and my job at HI-FLOAT has prepared me to lead Phi Mu.”

When we asked Andie what she’d like to see headlining the Foundation Business Session at the 2020 Phi Mu National Convention, she circled back to her passion for helping to reduce the financial burden on women seeking a college education: “When I look out at all of the women in the 2020 Convention body, I’d like to announce that the Foundation is granting a record number of scholarships that are helping our members  get the education they deserve without the heavy debt that can come from student loans.”