Written by Keith Stubblebine
During the weekend of June 7-9, 2024, Iota-Phi Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha at High Point University celebrated its 70th Anniversary. On the serene High Point University campus, an innovative spirit is engrained in every aspect of the student experience.
Boasting their own spirit aligned with the greater university’s, the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter holds a robust history of developing leaders & innovators both inside of our fraternity & externally in countless industries. From an Order of Merit recipient, a former Grand High Alpha, former General Fraternity Staff members, two Emmy Award winners, & so much more, the stature of brothers attending the Gala was impressive. Perhaps even more remarkably, the brotherhood has succeeded in cultivating a genuine community & bond that has persisted throughout generations that stands strong today.
The host of the celebration was three-time Emmy Award Winning Journalist, Brother Daniel Miller. Miller anchors FOX59 Morning News in Indianapolis, Indiana. Miller commenced the evening by expressing his gratitude for the community in the room & the bond shared by all that had impacted his life greatly.
Lambda Chi Alpha’s Expansion Manager Keith Stubblebine announced that Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity & High Point University had entered into an agreement for undergraduate operations to return to HPU during the Fall 2025-Spring 2026 academic year. Brother Stubblebine explained that the same bond that is present amongst the brothers in the room is exactly the type of community that collegiate men need today; genuine care, connectivity; and feeling like they belong.
Former High Pi & Order of Merit recipient, Gary Cooper, delivered the keynote address speaking to his life story & Lambda Chi Alpha’s critical role in it. Brother Cooper served as High Pi of Iota-Phi Zeta from 1978-1995 & was a recipient of the Order of Merit in 1990. Brother Cooper spoke to the meaning of fraternity to him. In Lambda Chi he found hope, he traveled to new places & met people he otherwise would never have, and he found his heart for servant leadership. In Lambda Chi Alpha he found a community not replicated anywhere else. Brother Cooper noted that none of the brothers could possibly imagine the impact that they have had on his life. In the conversations that followed, it is clear that the brothers from High Point would share to Brother Cooper that he couldn’t possibly imagine his impact on their lives’.
At the event, Iota-Phi Zeta announced that it would be establishing a new award, the Lifetime Achievement Award. The inaugural recipient was announced to be former Grand High Alpha, Dr. Murphy Osborne. After Dr. Osborne’s acceptance, Brother Miller announced that the Iota-Phi Zeta alumni association would be renaming the award the “Dr. Murphy Osborne Lifetime Achievement Award” in recognition of Dr. Osborne’s service & leadership in the fraternity & monumental stature within the Zeta.
Iota-Phi Zeta’s Alumni Association President Jonathan Bandy closed the banquet by speaking to the critical role that the chapter can play in the lives of young men today & bolstered the message of Brother Cooper from earlier in the evening. Brother Bandy reinforced that it is vital that the bond shared in the room continues to remain strong, and that the Zeta continues to prepare to inspire & equip the future undergraduate members.
As Dr. Osborne, said at the 1986 General Assembly in which he presided over as Grand High Alpha, “Then I realized, the strength is not in me or any one of us, the strength is in the bond.” If the 70th Celebration of Iota-Phi Zeta is a testament to anything, it is that Dr. Osborne’s words nearly 40 years ago still ring true today. This bond is a testament to the strength of the Zeta & of the value that the alumni will contribute to the lives of future undergraduate members.
If you have questions about Lambda Chi Alpha’s return to High Point University or want to get involved, please reach out to Lambda Chi Alpha Expansion Manager, Keith Stubblebine via email at kstubblebine@lambdachi.org.
