Eastern’s chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary has been an active force of student leadership from the time of its conception on November 22nd, 1974. The young NRHH Chapter became active on the National scene that very same year, holding the National NRHH files on Eastern’s campus. Shortly after during 1981 and 1982, Eastern Illinois University hosted the NRHH National Office on campus and forever changed the history of NRHH as Eastern Illinois University is home to the creators of the Diamond Emblem known throughout the country to represent NRHH. Then students, Mark Hudson and Valerie Averill designed the blue diamond, which is now nationally recognized as NRHH’s logo.
Eastern’s National Residence Hall Honorary has a long history of service and recognition in the Department of Housing and Dining. The NRHH constitution puts forth that the main purposes of the organization is to honor individuals living in University Housing who have had outstanding contributions to the residential program, promote activities that encourage leadership qualities, coordination of the Richard G. Enochs Scholarship Fund, and administer the University Housing recycling program.
In 1995, Eastern Illinois University’s NRHH Chapter was named Chapter of the Year by the Great Lakes Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls, Eastern’s regional student leadership organization. The Chapter then pressed forward receiving Chapter of the Year by the National Associations of College and University Residence Halls, the highest honor an NRHH Chapter may receive.
In 2006, the organization official became known as the Louis V. Hencken Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary. The organizations namesake, President of Eastern Illinois University, Louis V. Hencken was an active student leader during his student years at Eastern Illinois University, completing both his undergraduate and graduate degree at Eastern before eventually becoming the Director of Housing and Dining, Vice President for Student Affairs, and the President of the institution.
Eastern’s NRHH actively supports and upholds their four pillars, leadership, recognition, scholarship, and service each and every year. The chapter works closely with Eastern’s Residence Hall Association to provide numerous leadership development options for upcoming student leaders each semester through retreats and conferences.
The organization actively recognizes outstanding leadership through annual scholarships and coordinating the Of the Month program, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the campus community.
The Louis V. Hencken Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary is a true leader within the pillar of scholarship, holding a grade point average above the national requirement. Eastern’s chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary truly takes scholarship to personal levels, with a grade point average requirement of 2.65, members of NRHH focus dedicated time outside of their campus involvement to their personal success as a student’s leading outside of the classroom, as well as in.
With service being an extremely important part of NRHH’s mission on campus, the Louis V. Hencken Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary. The Chapter coordinates a campus-wide recycling initiative that has grown to helping the campus community recycle over 1,000 bags of aluminum cans and plastic bottles annually. The chapter also coordinates the campus’ annual Breast Cancer Awareness Week, aiming to bring the struggles of those facing cancer to life, as well as raise money for the Mill’s Breast Cancer Research Foundation. As of 2010, the Louis V. Hencken Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary as raised over $17,000 for breast cancer research donated to the Mill’s Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
