Responding to the Call to Serve Bill Stoffer (Albion) hadn't planning on joining a fraternity when he went to college in the early '70s, but he had so many friends in the Sigma Nu house that it finally made sense for him to investigate what the organization was all about. He pledged in the fall of 1971 and says, "I've been a proud member ever since." Sigma Nu was a good match with the way Stoffer was brought up, he says. The Fraternity represented every great value he treasured: love, honor, truth, being true to self and an honest citizen and giving back to the community. Living the values of Sigma Nu appealed to him and really changed his life. "It became like family to me," he says, especially after his parents passed away when he was in

William Stoffer (Albion) hosted Mrs. Bush for the Stoffer Lecture Series in August, 2005

his 20s. "There isn't a single brother I couldn't call today and say 'I need your help' and they would drop everything. I don't know of many other relationships with that type of bond," he says.

Stoffer didn't stray much from Albion after graduation. He left for a year of graduate school and promptly returned. He always stayed involved with the chapter. With his great love for the Sigma Nu and his residence only a block from campus, Stoffer was a natural fit to be the chapter advisor. He's served in that role since the mid '80s, only recently stepping down as chair of the alumni board. Three years ago Stoffer was brought on to the board of trustees for the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation and is currently President-elect of the board.

The Foundation became aware of Stoffer's interest in philanthropy as a result of a challenge grant he issued to Albion's alumni. (Stoffer currently serves as Vice Chairman for Institutional Advancement on the Board of Trustees of Albion College.) In an effort to increase alumni giving to the institution, Stoffer issued a challenge: if they could increase alumni giving to 50% he would give one million dollars to chair a lecture series at Albion. At the time, only about 30% of alumni were donating to the college.

It was a three-year challenge, issued in 1999, and that year they hit 40%. In 2000, it was 44%; in 2001, it was 48%; and by 2002, they had reached the goal of 50%. Stoffer followed through and fulfilled the $1 million gift and then issued yet another challenge. If they could get the percentage even higher, he'd give another $500,000 to the lecture series, and they did!

In 2002, the first year of the William K. Stoffer Lecture Series, the speaker was James Earl Jones. The entire campus and community were invited to attend, including disadvantaged kids from the local schools. The children got to meet and ask questions of Jones in an intimate setting prior to the lecture. In the years that followed, the Lecture Series has hosted "Coach K" Mike Krzyzewski, Men's Basketball coach from Duke University (2003); ABC News Anchor Sam Donaldson (2004); and most recently, Former First Lady, Barbara Bush (2005).

His interest in funding a lecture series was the result of Stoffer's own memories as a student at Albion. He remembers speakers that came to campus during the '70s and recalls the value of that opportunity and the many ways they enriched his collegiate experience. Today's Lecture Series is held as part of the Convocation at the beginning of the school year. This year 6,000 people were in attendance to hear Mrs. Bush speak about the importance of volunteering, giving back to the community and education.

Stoffer enjoys his unique opportunity to meet the speaker, have a meal together, observe his or her interaction with the students and make the introduction at the Convocation. In addition to those benefits, his challenge grant has sparked new life in alumni giving at Albion. They've maintained a three-year average of 50% giving which has bumped the College's ranking in giving to 15th in the nation last year and #1 in the state of Michigan.

Another significant outcome of Stoffer's challenge grant is an established habit of alumni giving. Today, he says, more alumni think about giving on a regular basis. The goal gave them some ownership in being part of the success of a program. The Lecture Series and challenge grant instigated a first gift for many alumni-including some of Stoffer's fraternity brothers who called to say they sent $10 just to see him have to write that big check. But no longer is the attitude so prevalent that "someone else" is giving.

"People don't often think about operations and the daily expenses of running an organization," says Stoffer. "At Albion, contributions subsidize student enrollment costs. If people don't give, the costs go up for the students. The same goes for Sigma Nu," he says. "Those funds are necessary to support the annual operating budget."

Stoffer has also been involved in challenge grants for Sigma Nu. Most recently, he offered a grant for the Six Degrees of Sigma Nu campaign, an online effort to update contact information for lost brothers and collect e-mail addresses for future communications. Stoffer agreed to give one dollar for every new contact up to $5,000. The campaign secured new contact information on over 7,000 brothers.

A committed philanthropist, Stoffer views his contributions as a privilege to serve. "I am honored to do what I can to help. That's part of being a member. When you are called upon to help, you respond to the call," he says.

It doesn't hurt either that he believes so deeply in the cause. "I don't know of another fraternity making such efforts to prepare its members for the world after college," he says. "A liberal arts education teaches you how to learn. A technical education teaches you skills to perform a job. But an organization that teaches about goals, leadership, community involvement, love, truth, honor and truly prepares young people for the real world-that's priceless." And that's what Sigma Nu is all about.