News

Published: April 27, 2020

Gamma Rho Alumnus Named FSU Advisor of the Year

Steve Mudder (Gamma Rho/Florida State 1995) was named IFC Chapter of Advisor of the Year at Florida State! FSU's Chapter Advisor of the Year Award recognizes individuals in their community who work hard to contribute to the success of their chapters, year after year. They are essential to the success and progress of their chapter, freely giving their time to support the success of the members. Steve recently joined the Board of Directors for The Foundation Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity, once again demonstrating the Helping Hand and Theta Chi for Life.

To best articulate everything Brother Mudder has done for Gamma Rho, we felt it best to simply reprint his nomination letter prepared by Gamma Rho Secretary Thomas Daly (2021):

To Whom This May Concern,

For as long as we could remember, there was a large disconnect between the alumni and collegiate brothers of the Gamma Rho Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity at Florida State. With the lack of proper guidance, our brotherhood was heading down the wrong path and was only a few semesters away from possibly not being at Florida State anymore. We were in large financial debt and following processes that were not up to date with the current rules of Greek life. That all changed when Steve Mudder increased his role in the chapter and became our Chapter Adviser in the Spring of 2019. It was a true connection between the ideals that our alumni wanted us to achieve and his understanding of the social aspect of our current brotherhood, and the need to evolve as a member of the Greek life community. 

His involvement sparked out of his passion for Theta Chi and how he wants to see every brother and the chapter prosper. He inspires us with his own success story, having gone from Florida State to Harvard Law School and then embarking on an incredible career in law and business. Our chapter adviser does not live in Tallahassee full-time, but that has never been an issue with Steve. His legal and business career usually takes him to Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America. Sometimes we do not know how he gets his actual job done, because he is available to us 24/7 and he always makes his presence felt. He is always one phone call, one text message, or one email away to lend advice for the chapter, helping us navigate difficult situations, or just general career and life advice.

One of Steve’s many, but potentially largest contributions, has been his involvement in our housing situation. If it were not for him, we would still be in Heritage Grove and would not have progressed internally and socially as much as we have. He spearheaded the move from Heritage Grove to College Avenue and did not stop there. He has taken on the role as Vice President of Housing Operations for the Alumni Corporation and communicates with every brother in the house about paying rent, utilities, and general upkeep. He also meets with all tenants multiple times a year to make sure a certain standard is upheld and that tenants are following local and national rules. Over the summer you’ll find Steve working 10+ hours a day fixing and improving portions of our house, all out of goodwill and passion for the chapter. Many of the improvements he will fund himself and gives plenty of time to pay him back. The house has become the heart and soul of our chapter and that would have never happened without Steve’s involvement.

Our financial situation going into last year was pitiful. Our chapter was in massive debt to the International Headquarters, local housing corporation, OmegaFi, and National Fraternity Supplies. Over the past year, we have settled our debt with two of these entities and are paying down the other two according to a payment plan. Steve was on the phone with the Chapter Treasurer multiple times a week ensuring that the budget was perfect, and we were meeting all required payments. He offered advice that enabled us to pull ourselves out of a deep financial hole we could not have done ourselves. Additionally, we achieved the highest collection rate in years due to the controls and incentives he helped put in place. I truly believe if he had not helped us with our financial situation we would not be here, because our International Headquarters would have placed us on a financial probation.

Risk management is a key aspect of current Greek life and is typically very difficult for college students to wrap their heads around. Steve has been very instrumental in our risk management practices. Risk management is always at the forefront of our conversations, whether it’s a social event or the pledge process. He is intensely focused in moving our chapter forward in the “New Normal” instituted by President Thrasher’s administration and ensuring that we leave behind the practices of the past, especially anything remotely related to hazing. His number one priority is the health and safety of our members and potential new members, as well as anyone who walks throughout the gates of our chapter house. He constantly works with us to create an action plan to keep events safe and compliant with laws and rules and meets with the Executive Board after the events to identify areas of improvement. Steve is very understanding of how we think and want things to work out. He always tries to meet in the middle, but occasionally must put his foot down. It is not always what we want to hear, but if it’s coming from him, we have no doubt that it is always for the good of the chapter. Risk management was just a word thrown around before Steve’s involvement, but now it is incorporated into everything that we do. 

Lastly, his involvement with chapter members begins early and never ends. He is a resource from when you first get your bid until the day you walk across the graduation stage, and even more so in helping us in post-graduate life. He meets with the potential new member class every semester and outlines what it means to be “a Theta Chi for Life.” He is constantly urging us to take leadership positions both in the Fraternity and on campus. He gets every new member excited about the rest of their lives to be a part of Theta Chi Fraternity and how they are joining something larger than a college social group. He lays out the expectations for our brothers and how they are a representation not only of themselves but our chapter as well. He carries this commitment to every member and especially the Executive Board. He meets with our Executive Board frequently about the outlook of the chapter, potential challenges, and the importance of culture change that will improve our brotherhood. He uses his position as a member of the Florida State Foundation Board of Trustees and as a member of the College of Business Board of Governors to invite brothers to incredible Florida State events and help us network with members of Florida State’s administration, faculty and staff. He enjoys mentoring the brothers and connecting us with alumni for professional advice and opportunities. He is always present and gets to know all brothers, which leads to guys respecting and listening to him. He truly assists every single member of the Executive Board, which allows each chapter leader to do his job to his utmost ability.

Without a doubt, Steve’s involvement in the chapter completely changed the outlook of Theta Chi. Without his guidance, we would not be writing this letter today. We believe that Steve Mudder is the most qualified individual for the Chapter Advisor of the Year Award. Our chapter struggles to recognize him enough because what he has done is immeasurable. We cannot stress enough that he single handily saved our chapter and gave us the necessary guidance in a time that we had none and, in a time, when massive change was necessary. We cannot thank him enough.

Thank you for your consideration,

The brothers of Gamma Rho Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity

Congratulations Brother Mudder! Thanks for all you do for our Fraternity!

Founded in 1856, Theta Chi Fraternity is a men’s collegiate fraternity with more than 191,000 initiated members and has established 241 chapters. Leadership development, personal development, and service to alma mater are fundamental to Theta Chi Fraternity’s mission.