National Panhellenic Conference Vision Statement

Adopted at the Biennial Session, 10/05.

The National Panhellenic Conference will be the premier advocacy and support organization for its members, member groups, college and alumnae panhellenics and a proponent of women’s fraternity membership.

National Panhellenic Conference Mission Statement

Adopted at the Biennial Session, 10/05.

The National Panhellenic Conference exists to promote the values of and to serve as an advocate for its member groups in collaboration with those members, campuses and communities.

National Panhellenic Conference, founded in 1902, is an umbrella organization for 26 inter/national women's fraternities and sororities. Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alumnae. Members are represented on over 620 college and university campuses in the United States and Canada and in over 4,600 alumnae associations, making up over 4 million sorority women in the world.

        Conference Office Contact Information:
        Mailing Address:
        8777 Purdue Road, Suite 117
        Indianapolis, IN 46268

        Phone: (317) 872-3185
        Facsimile: (317) 872-3192
        EmaiI: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

History

Early histories of women's fraternities contain accounts of "rushing and pledging agreements" or "compacts" among fraternities on various campuses, and also many stories of cooperation and mutual assistance. However, no actual Panhellenic organization existed and no uniform practices were observed. By 1902, it was obvious that some standards were needed, so Alpha Phi invited Pi Beta Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Chi Omega and Chi Omega to a conference in Chicago on May 24. Alpha Chi Omega and Chi Omega were unable to attend. The remaining seven groups met and the session resulted in the organization of the first interfraternity association and the first intergroup organization on college campuses. (National Interfraternity Conference for men's fraternities was organized in 1909 and is now called the North-American Interfraternity Conference).

This meeting, and the next few, resulted in several mutual agreements, especially regarding pledging. Up to this time, no guidelines had been set, and women could be pledged to groups before enrolling in college and, indeed, even belong to more than one group.

The fact that NPC is a "Conference" is significant to the NPC philosophy because the organization is a conference, not a congress. It enacts no legislation except for the conduct of its own meetings. Other than the basic Unanimous Agreements which all groups have voted to observe, NPC confines itself to recommendations and advice, and acts as a court of final appeal in any College Panhellenic difficulty. One of its greatest services is providing Area Advisors for College Panhellenics and Alumnae Panhellenics.