Cross & Crescent

In 1909, the same year as Lambda Chi Alpha’s founding, 26 fraternities met to discuss issues of fraternal organizations, and a year later they created a formal organization.

In 1931, the organization changed its name from Interfraternity Conference to the National Interfraternity Conference, and in 1999, changed the name again to North-American Interfraternity Conference to include Canada.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the NIC now has 69 member organizations with approximately 5,500 chapters and 350,000 undergraduates located on more than 800 campuses.

Named as the new executive vice president of the NIC, Pete Smithhisler (Western Illinois 1988) says, “The NIC’s purpose is to engage our members. We are strongly encouraging our fraternities to tackle head on the major issues impacting membership, such as alcohol use, hazing, safety of members, new member education, values education, things of that nature.”

Williamson’s Legacy

Smithhisler was named the fourth executive vice president of the NIC, effective August 1, 2007. He replaces Jon Williamson (Maryland-College Park 1965), who retired after serving the NIC for the past eight years.

Williamson also has served Lambda Chi Alpha in numerous roles, including 30 years of volunteering with the Cross & Crescent magazine as the sports editor and researcher.

Smithhisler says of the departing Williamson, “It’s amazing to inherit an organization so rooted in its values. Having had the chance to work with him over the years was a real privilege.”

He continues, “I truly love and respect Jon for all the skills and talents that he brought here. He truly left a remarkable legacy for all fraternities for his eight years here. His vision for what fraternities can and should be is really rooted in his own belief in the good of people.”

Smithhisler’s Vision

Looking to the future, Smithhisler says the NIC plans to maintain the integrity and legacy of the organization established under Williamson.

He also says they plan to “amp up public relations and bring renewed energy and new spirit to advancing the cause of fraternities within the public sector, primarily targeting the college-bound high school senior.”

To continue to be effective, Smithhisler says the NIC focus on three primary functions: advocacy, collaboration, and education.

Smithhisler began his professional career working on college campuses as a Greek adviser. He worked at Western Illinois University, University of North Dakota, and Colorado State University. He then joined the NIC as director of leadership education, and has had four different jobs there over the past 10 years.

His work has included helping launch the NIC’s first large-scale public relations plan and outreach to college-bound high school seniors, developing IFCs within the campus community, assisting with the launch of NIC’s standards, and taking on the launch of fraternity/sorority coalition assessment project.

His success with these projects made him the ideal candidate to replace Williamson.

“Pete is a good person who is dedicated to the greater good,” says Williamson. “He is a tireless worker who used to joke about beginning the second shift, meaning we would work until midnight to finish the product.

“He is an outstanding facilitator and really in his element working with undergraduates, both men and women,” continues Williamson. “Pete is a member of the real world and knows what is happening on the college campus today.”

Advocate for All

Smithhisler has great pride in being a member of Lambda Chi Alpha and having the Fraternity represented at the NIC, but he says his job is to wear the badge of all 69 member fraternities.

“The real need is to support and be an advocate for every fraternity, so although it’s pretty special to have worked with a brother, it was pretty special to be able to effect change for every fraternity, not just Lambda Chi,” he says.