FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Alpha chapter of Pi Beta Phi fraternity for women at the University of Arkansas recently received the fraternity’s highest and most prestigious honor, the Balfour Cup, for the second year in a row.

“This is an exciting and a remarkable achievement for Pi Beta Phi,” said Parice S. Bowser, director of Greek Life. “UA fraternities and sororities play a significant role on our campus and within the northwest Arkansas community. This achievement demonstrates another example of our Greek community taking relevance to the next level in the areas of academic achievement, cultural endeavors, service and sister/brotherhood.”

The Balfour Cup was introduced in 1921 by the fraternity’s national organization and is based on an evaluation of the chapter’s organizational knowledge, good citizenship, intellectual development and leadership development. This includes the chapter’s financial management, community service and philanthropic activities, scholarship, risk management and campus leadership. Of Pi Beta Phi’s 130 international chapters, the Arkansas Alpha Chapter was one of the nine chapters ranked as Chapters of Excellence, a pool of chapters from which the Balfour Cup recipient is selected.

“Our chapter is so honored to have won our organization’s top award for the second year in a row,” said Hillary Swanton, Pi Beta Phi chapter president. “We are so lucky to be a part of our national organization and the Greek community at the University of Arkansas.  It is great for our members to be rewarded for the enthusiasm, time and heart they put into our chapter, and we are anxious to start another semester of fun and hard work. We are so thankful for the support of the Greek community and the university, and we are looking forward to a wonderful fall.”

In addition to the Balfour Cup, the chapter also received two other international awards. They won the Excellence in Community Service and Philanthropy Activities and the Panhellenic Award for Large Chapters. The Arkansas Alpha Chapter was chartered at the University of Arkansas in 1909.

Pi Beta Phi fraternity for women was founded at Monmouth College in Illinois in 1867. Pi Beta Phi has 130 active chapters and more than 350 alumnae groups in the United States and Canada. The fraternity’s partnership with First Book, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to giving children from low-income homes the opportunity to read and own books, solidifies Pi Beta Phi’s commitment to literacy. The fraternity promotes friendship, develops women of intellect and integrity, cultivates leadership potential and enriches the lives of members and their communities.