National Residence Hall Honorary

The University of St. Thomas NRHH Albertus Magnus Chapter is an RHA affiliated organization which recognizes the top 1 percent of student leaders on campus. They are responsible for the Of-The-Month and the Eagle awards.

Visit the NRHH national homepage and submit OTM's.

2009-2010 NRHH Executive Board

President: Bridget Kapler

Vice-President: Dustin Dodge

Publicity/OTM Chair: Matthew Galazen

Programming and Inductions Chair: Tara O'Conner

NRHH History and Background

National Residence Hall Honorary is the chapter division of the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH); It is designated to give national, regional, and local recognition to students who make outstanding contributions to residence hall life. Members are selected for their on-campus student leadership and in acknowldgement of their outstanding contributions of energy and personal time to make the residence halls a "home away from home." NACURH firmly believes in the value of student involvement and input in residence hall life.

NRHH was established in 1964 to honor these students.  Only 1% of the on-campus population may be represented per academic year; therefore, here at the University of St. Thomas we can only have 26 members at any given time.  Today, over 160 chapters are affiliated with the National Residence Hall Honorary society.  Our goal on the University of St. Thomas campus is to recognize students, faculty, and staff of the University of St. Thomas for their work to better on-campus life.

Nomination and Selection Process

Since NRHH represents only the top 1% of on-campus leaders, the University of St. Thomas only has 26 active members per school year.  As seniors graduate, new members can be inducted, keeping the active member total at 26.  In order to be nominated for NRHH, the student must live on-campus, have a GPA of 2.75 or higher, and make significant contributions to the residence halls and on-campus environment. 

Current NRHH members make nominations in early spring of each year of their peers, looking for fellow students who go above and beyond with their on-campus involvement.  After a student has been nominated, the student must obtain two letters of recommendation and submit an application, which states their leadership positions, clubs and organizations, and on-campus living experiences.  In mid-spring, the NRHH Inductions Committee meets to decide the new members for the upcoming school year.  The Inductions Committee is made up of the current President, the following year’s President, the Inductions Chair, two or three current and returning NRHH members, and the faculty advisor.  The selection process is usually difficult as the University of St. Thomas has so many great leaders, but by measuring each individual’s contributions and assessing their individual and organization/club-level contributions, the Inductions Committee seeks to determine the best of the best of the St. Thomas on-campus student leaders.

Annual EAGLE Award Ceremony

Every year we host the EAGLE awards ceremony to recognize and say “thank you” to all who have worked so hard to make the University of St. Thomas residence halls a community and a great place to live.  EAGLE is an acronym for Experience A Greater Living Environment.  In addition to this marvelous event; the resident advisors (RAs), apartment coordinators (ACs), operations managers (OMs), Residence Halls Association (RHA), hall directors, hall chaplains, and individual hall councils plan over 200 programs during the past year.  This ceremony is our chance, as a university, to recognize those who dedicate so much to advancing the social and educational environment of the university.

During the EAGLE awards ceremony, the new members are inducted in and the EAGLE awards are handed out to the best of each category for the year.  The categories are:

·     Learning: The programs in this category emphasize the educational nature of our institution. Students should learn through the programming that is planned, be it by learning life skills, about other cultures, about themselves and others, spirituality and religious beliefs, and academic or career-orientated education.

·     Service: These programs focus on serving others. The programs can be a one-time service project, or incorporate a series of service opportunities.

·     Social: These programs work to bring the community together through socialization. Programs can be planned or spontaneous, be on the weekend or during the week, but also show the ability of the programmer to meet the specific needs of the community. 

·     Passive: Every community member is very aware of the physical and emotional aspects of the community around them. This category of programming demonstrates the ability of the programmer to effectively communicate to, and meet the needs of the community through programs that are passive in nature. Such programs will include, but are not limited to: bulletin boards, community newsletters, and individual outreach.

·     Spiritual: These programs focus on spirituality.  They may be sponsored by a hall chaplain or any Campus Living Organization.  

·     Active Eagle: An involved and enthusiastic resident who has demonstrated fantastic leadership abilities in the residence halls.

·     Eagle’s Nest: A house that has achieved a true sense of community throughout the year.

·     Unsung Resident: A student who works “behind the scenes” and dedicates their time and effort toward making the hall a better place to live.

·     Outstanding House President: An enthusiastic, responsible and creative leader on House Council.

·     Outstanding Residence Life Student Employee: Someone who takes pride in being a night access attendant, desk worker, Residence Life office worker, or custodial worker and displays a congenial, tactful, and professional attitude which contributes to a safe and secure environment.

·     Outstanding Building Service Worker: A building service worker who is dedicated, has pride in their environment, and has a good working relationship with staff and students.

·     Soaring Eagle: A Campus Living staff member (AD/HD, OM, RA, Hall Chaplain, etc.) who has contributed both time and energy above and beyond the call of duty in the residence halls.

·     Staff Campus Resource: A staff person who has been actively involved with the residence halls and serves as a positive resource for both students and staff.

·     Outstanding Residence Life Student Publication: The publication award is designed to recognize students who have continually produced newsletters, fliers, or informational publications throughout the year.