J. Patrick Biddix, Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Endowed Professor of Higher Education, will receive the 2023 Interfraternal Partner Award from the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), October 19-21 in Dallas. The award recognizes an individual who played an important role in the conference’s advancement over the past two years.
J. Patrick Biddix
Biddix’s recognition comes from his most recent research focused on measuring belonging and well-being among college sorority members. According to NPC, his work has had a direct impact on NPC and its member organizations as they work to improve the sorority experience for today’s students.
“Dr. Biddix has been a true partner to NPC during the past several years,” said NPC Chief Executive Officer Dani Weatherford “His insights, based on academically-sound research with collegiate sorority women, have given us the ability to see the impact the sorority experience is making on current collegiate women and compare the findings to larger subsets of students.”
In September 2022, Biddix was named the first-ever Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Endowed Professor in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (CEHHS). He serves as a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS). Among his scholarly achievements, he has written or edited 10 books in the past 8 years, two of which are standard texts in the field of student affairs. He is considered the national expert on fraternities and sororities and currently is engaged in a multi-institution, interdisciplinary project to address mental health issues, alcohol misuse, and hazing. He has worked on several state-sponsored grants to study Tennessee Promise and currently works with the Division of Student Success and the Office of Diversity and Engagement at UT on numerous impactful projects related to student success.
Through its eight departments and 12 centers, the UT Knoxville College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences enhances the quality of life for all through research, outreach, and practice. Find out more at cehhs.utk.edu