UT Tyler Fraternity Earns Highest Honor at National Leadership Conference

August 10, 2026 | Hannah Buchanan

Kappa Sigma Rho-Nu Named Top 10 Most Proficient Chapter, Earns 13 Awards

The University of Texas at Tyler’s Rho-Nu Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity earned the 2026 Founders’ Circle Award, the highest honor presented to an undergraduate chapter by the fraternity, at this year’s Kappa Sigma Leadership Conference. UT Tyler’s chapter was one of only eight across the United States and Canada to receive the honor. Additionally, Rho-Nu ranked as the sixth-most proficient chapter in the fraternity.

“Earning the Founders’ Circle Award is a monumental achievement for the Rho-Nu Chapter of Kappa Sigma and a proud moment for UT Tyler,” said chapter adviser Dr. Rosemary Cooper, UT Tyler executive director of career success. “The dedication these young men have poured into achieving these accolades is remarkable. Having witnessed their extraordinary growth over the past year, it’s clear this success is driven by their deep commitment to the fraternity’s four pillars.”

Selection is based on overall chapter performance, including academics, community service, charitable fundraising, recruitment and membership growth, leadership, chapter administration and ritual proficiency, which evaluates members’ knowledge and accurate performance of the fraternity’s formal ceremonies and traditions.

“This award crowns the very finest of the fine, recognizing elite chapters that, through relentless diligence and immense sacrifice, have demonstrated the highest degree of excellence and achievement,” said Isaac E. Lipscomb, Kappa Sigma vice president and worthy grand procurator.

Overall, Rho-Nu’s 13 awards earned at the conference recognize the chapter’s collective performance as well as undergraduate officers and alumni advisers.

2025-26 Individual Awards

• Outstanding Grand Master — Josue Funez of Arlington, chapter president.

• Outstanding Grand Procurator — Asa Clark of Tyler, chapter vice president.

• Outstanding Grand Master of Ceremonies — Nathan Witt of Mineola, recruitment and member-development officer.

• Outstanding Grand Scribe — Sebastian “Biff” Downing of Bullard, chapter secretary.

• Outstanding Alumnus Adviser — Jared Daniels of Wills Point.

• Outstanding Assistant Alumnus Adviser — Demetri Moore of Tyler.

• Outstanding Assistant Alumnus Adviser — Nicholas Clements of Lindale.

2025-26 Chapter Awards

• Founders’ Circle Award

• Founders’ Award of Chapter Excellence

• Most Improved Chapter Award

• Most Improved Chapter Ritual Proficiency Award

• Champion Chapter, recognizing chapters with the largest fraternity membership on their campus

• Academic Excellence Award-Spring

This marks Rho-Nu’s second Founders’ Award of Chapter Excellence in three years, after previously earning FACE recognition in 2024. The “Most Improved Chapter” and “Most Improved Chapter Ritual Proficiency” awards further recognize Rho-Nu’s progress. During the 2025-26 academic year, the chapter collectively completed more than 5,000 hours of community service and raised more than $43,000 for charitable causes across East Texas.

“We wanted to set a new standard,” said Funez, who was also named the university’s 2026 Greek Member of the Year. “These awards recognize our progress and are the culmination of diligence, tenacity and a consistent application of Kappa Sigma’s core principles.”

The Rho-Nu Chapter of Kappa Sigma at UT Tyler develops principled student leaders through fellowship, scholarship, service and campus involvement. Its 41 active members support charitable organizations throughout East Texas, while maintaining the highest fraternity grade-point average at the university. To learn more, visit uttyler.edu.

Founded at the University of Virginia in 1869, Kappa Sigma is the largest college social fraternity in the world, with more than 275,000 living members, including more than 17,000 undergraduate members and nearly 300 chapters and colonies throughout the United States and Canada. Kappa Sigma is guided by its four pillars: Fellowship, Leadership, Scholarship and Service. Through the fraternity’s service and philanthropic initiative, “A Greater Cause,” members contribute volunteer hours and raise funds for charitable organizations in their local communities.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.