Michele Criss, assistant director for Fraternity and Sorority Life at ’s Center for Student Involvement, was named a recipient of the by the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA).
This award recognizes emerging professionals in their first three years of fraternity and sorority advising who have made outstanding contributions and created impactful projects or initiatives. Criss will attend the 2024 AFA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the coming weeks to receive the award.
Criss said her mentors and friends in the field nominated her for the award. She believes she was selected for it because of the inaugural program she designed, the Human Dignity and Belonging Institute.
“It’s a program focused around risk management, harm reduction, and the fraternity and sorority community at ,” she said. “[It’s about] defining what true brotherhood and sisterhood look like.”
The program occurred in October and promoted the theme Flashes Take Care of Flashes to 168 student attendees. Criss said they had conversations regarding caring for each other as a brotherhood and sisterhood.
“It’s a unique program because not many institutions [have] health and wellbeing programs or initiatives already built into the fraternity and sorority experience from the campus side,” she said.
Katie Syvanych, associate director of the Center for Student Involvement, supervises Criss and said she deserves such a distinguished honor as the Gayle Webb New Professional Award.
“Michele is an incredibly deserving young professional who has quickly made her mark in her role,” Syvanych said. “Her drive to build up the Fraternity and Sorority Life community, infuse innovative new ideas into long-standing campus groups, and create impactful relationships with student leaders is truly inspiring. We are lucky to have her at .”
In her role, Criss advises the fraternity and sorority community’s governing councils, including the , , and the . She ensures that student organizations complete their programs, initiatives, and events. She also coaches chapter presidents by working one-on-one with organization leaders to address challenges, identify areas for growth, and celebrate successes.
Another aspect of her role focuses on growing the fraternity and sorority community, which includes addressing barriers to joining, such as financial concerns, academic challenges, or misconceptions about Fraternity and Sorority Life. Criss is responsible for planning and organizing large-scale events and programs throughout the year and fundraising with the Fraternity and Sorority Life’s philanthropic partner for a designated charitable organization.
Criss said that serving in her role is a full-circle moment for her. She graduated from with her bachelor’s degree in education in 2020. While at the university, she was active in the fraternity and sorority community as a member of .
After graduating with a master’s degree in educational leadership studies from Oklahoma State University and working with Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of Akron, she saw the assistant director for Fraternity and Sorority Life position opening at . At first, she was unsure about applying for the position.
“It was a lot of imposter syndrome, a lot of feeling like, ‘I don’t think I’m ready for this challenge because ’s community is so large,’” she said. “But then I convinced myself to apply, which was a perfect fit.”
Criss said that Syvanych and other Center for Student Involvement members were significant to her decision to end up where she is today. The relationships she has built and the community she serves drive her passion and dedication to her work.
“It’s the people that keep me here, and I’m so grateful,” she said. “That’s my favorite part of the job, just getting to work with really amazing people every day.”