Alpha Gamma Rho - Educational Foundation

Page 3 The Campaign for Alpha Gamma Rho E ven though Bill Boehm, Alpha Psi '68 was set on Ag business before considering a Fraternity, he underestimated the impact AGR would have on his adult life. "To this day, many of my closest adult friends and networks include brothers of Alpha Gamma Rho." Bill met his future brothers when Alpha Psi Chapter was still a colony at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Not only were they the only agricultural Fraternity on campus at the time, but Bill could also see that the guys were great leaders and better men. He spent much of his campus activities with the Fraternity and FFA, and he was honored to be part of Alpha Psi's first initiated class when it became a chapter in 1968. AGR's leadership opportunities benefited Bill at a young age, and the diverse membership helped him understand motivations and behaviors different from his own. "I was always a very serious student, while other guys weren't nearly as serious but enjoyable to be around," Bill said. "I realized that you didn't have to be as intense as I was to have a successful life." Our brotherhood is a lifetime commitment, and there was never a doubt that Bill would stay involved beyond college. He advised Delta Chapter while in graduate school at Purdue, and as an assistant professor at Virginia Tech, he helped establish Beta Eta Chapter. Bill later joined AGR Foundation, serving alongside his close friend and a former Executive Director, Phil Josephson, Alpha Psi '68 (whom Bill had the honor of initiating when he was Noble Ruler). "I think to some extent, Phil encouraged and challenged me to stay involved—which of course, I did," Bill noted. Bill served several terms as a regional vice president and is serving on the AGR Foundation Board. He has chaired many national committees over the years, including the finance and investment committees in current roles. Bill also held a six-year term on the National Board in the late 1990s and served as Fraternity Grand President from 2000 to 2002 before joining the Foundation Board. Why Support the Foundation? "It's the primary way to support both your local chapter activities as well as national AGR initiatives," Bill explained. "We have a very sophisticated approach to managing the money: we have well over 100 funds that are directly linked back to local chapters." In other words, when an alumnus donates to a chapter-specific fund, AGR ensures the dollars support that chapter. The Foundation's original purpose was to help chapters manage these funds while providing quality resources and legal advice. Only in recent years have major national initiatives been a highlight in addition to that goal. Why Local Chapter Excellence Matters Scrutiny of the Greek system is at an all-time high, which puts enormous pressure on the behavior of our chapters nationwide. Bill believes the Local Chapter Excellence initiative will help them rise to the challenge, and he proudly lends his support to the capital campaign. "Even with regional vice presidents, our national staff is a small group of people—and with 70 chapters, you just can't be there day and night," Bill said. The campaign will provide consistent programming to help college-age members make decisions that reflect positively on themselves and the national Fraternity. "More than anything that AGR has done in my lifetime, Local Chapter Excellence will help build leadership talent for our members." "We've never invested the kind of money into local chapters that our donors are now generating, and it will make a difference as we train our members, advisors, and housemothers in ethical leadership." As the initiative begins, Bill urges brothers to take their oath seriously and reflect on their initiation service often. "Think about what the words mean and how they should influence our behavior throughout life. That's the reason for having a Fraternity in the first place. I remind myself of that oath on a very regular basis." Alpha Gamma Rho has been a focal point in the lives of Bill and his family, and he gladly devotes much of his spare time to the brotherhood. "I would hope that's the kind of seed that gets planted in every young man who takes the oath of membership." Bill lives in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, and can be reached at boehmfoodag@gmail.com. An Unprecedented Step Forward Why Bill Boehm Believes in AGR and Local Chapter Excellence Bill Boehm, Alpha Psi '68 and his wife, Deb, at the 2022 AGR Convention.

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