Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity_®

The National Agricultural Fraternity_®

February 2006

Dear Noble Ruler:

Summer is quickly approaching, with it the time to evaluate this year's performance. Alpha Gamma Rho will once again present awards and scholarships to Chapters and individuals that excel in various areas of Chapter and Colony management at this year’s National Convention in Breckenridge. Cologado, August 13-16, 2006. The Awards Packet and Scholarship Application (attached to this letter and found at the AGR website, www.agrs.org) explains all awards being sponsored by the National Fraternity and Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho. It is crucial for your Chapter to fill out as much of the Awards Packet as possible to be in the best position to compete for the Sleeter Bull Most Improved Chapter and Maynard Coe Efficiency Awards. Even if your chapter does not meet all the criteria, limited information is better than none at all.

Individual Award and Scholarship applications are due April 30, 2006. This is one month later than in year’s past and offers an extended opportunity to get the applications filled out and sent in the Home Office. Any and all undergraduates are encouraged to apply for the annual individual awards and scholarships. Noble Rulers, please photocopy and distribute the applications that are attached to this letter and also found at the AGR website, www.agrs.org. There are four AGR Excellence Awards and two Undergraduate Achievement Awards that are worth $1000 each. The Ag Economics/Ag Business Scholarship, the Lindley Finch Memorial Scholarship, the Horticulture Scholarship, and the Dairy Scholarship are worth $500 each and the Runnion Scholarship (for agrimarketing, advertising, public relations, or journalism) is worth $250. All can be applied for using the same application.

Annual Chapter Award applications are also due April 30, 2006, and is also one month later than in year’s past and offers an extended opportunity to get the applications filled out and sent in to the Home Office. These awards are given in the areas of Recruitment, Membership Development, Management, Alumni Relations, Web Site, Scholarship, Annual History, and Activities. The Chapter Activities Award is based on the activities report, and a supporting letter of recommendation. History Awards are based on submission of thorough annual history reports. All other awards are judged by committees using information gathered from the Awards packets as well as other sources, such as Noble Ruler Report, Chapter Standards Manual, university sources and through chapter visits. If you feel your chapter deserves special recognition in a particular area, you may nominate your chapter by sending in a "letter of application" addressing the points outlined under each award described in the Awards Packet. The "letter of application" should not exceed one typed page, and should explain why you feel your Chapter should be considered.

The Alumni Corporation Awards will be presented to the Alumni Corporations displaying a high degree of involvement, communication, guidance to their chapters, financial stability, and successful management of chapter property. Alumni Presidents may nominate their corporations by sending a letter of application addressing the above criteria by April 30, 2006.

Biennial Chapter Awards will also be presented at the National Convention. The Sleeter Bull Most Improved Chapter Award will be presented to the chapter(s) exhibiting the greatest improvement in the past two years. The Maynard Coe Chapter Efficiency Award, the highest award a chapter can receive, will also be presented, and is based on the same criteria as the Sleeter Bull Award. You may nominate your chapter in the same manner as for Annual Awards.

Housemother and Adviser Award applications are also due April 30, 2006. To nominate your adviser or housemom, send a letter addressing the points outlined in nomination forms found in the attached Awards Packet.

Annual Reports are due on March 31. Please notice that this date has not changed and these reports are extremely essential for the Home Office to evaluate Chapters for the Sleeter Bull and Maynard Coe Awards as well as the annual Chapter Stats. These are the Noble Ruler's Report, Chapter Activities Report, Summer Address List, and the 2006-07 Budget. All can be found at the AGR website www.agrs.org.

Finally, a link to the 2006 Chapter Progress Report can be found on our website, and should be completed and returned to the Home Office by March 31. This information is also used the calculation of the Bull and Coe Awards. It will be necessary for several of your VNR's to help you complete sections pertaining to their offices. Also, after you have completed the workbook, review it with your Chapter Adviser(s) and have him write his comments on the back page. A copy of the back page has been sent to all advisers, so that they may prepare their comments.

Go to the Homepage of the AGR website and look for the link and all the information on Awards, Scholarships and Reports is available by a few single clicks of the mouse.

Questions? Call us at the Home Office (816) 891-9200, or E-mail us.

Fraternally,