We are pleased to announce that Matt Rodrigue ('04) has been awarded the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Grand Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.

 

The Distinguished Alumnus Award was established in 1978 to recognize dedicated service to the mission of Sigma Phi Epsilon for its alumni:  supporting undergraduates.  Since 1978, 461 brothers have received this award, including four brothers from Maine Alpha (Richard Crommet '55, Ben Haskell '66, Matt Dube '07).  The Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes over a decade of impactful service to SigEp at the local, regional, and/or national level.  Matt checks every box that this award attempts to recognize.

 

As an undergraduate, Matt was both the President of Maine Alpha, but also the Student Body President.  He became someone that the University administration began to rely upon.  Eventually, he would become a part of the Board of Visitors for the University of Maine.  As an undergraduate, he served as one of three Student Directors on the National Board of Directors for SigEp and also was named the National Engineer of the Year, an accomplishment still recognized in Barrows Hall on the University of Maine campus today.  He ran cross country his Freshman year and found quickly he was not a fan of the culture.  He discovered SigEp in its recolonizing days and found the culture he desired.  He gave up one love of his life and exchanged it for one that would become something special.

 

Matt was at the center of ensuring that our values would be propagated to future generations.  Along with other of his classmates, he was a senior when the membership review that marks time in our chapter's history would become inevitable.  He was a guiding light for younger guys in that pivotal moment, making sure that the sophomore and freshman classes at that time would be ready for what was to come.  He recognized problems and was willing to speak truth to them.  Our current Chapter Counselor was one of those freshmen, a testament to the long-lasting impact of Matt's commitment.  His public display of the essentialness of values seeded the future success of Maine Alpha.

 

As an alumnus, Matt has impacted SigEp at all levels.

 

Locally, Matt has been responsible for the guiding of our investment fund.  When Matt first started volunteering with the AVC, we were finishing off the process of paying the mortgage on our current facility.  15 years later, we have over half a million dollars saved away for a large renovation project for our house.  Along the way, Matt has led the way in endowing two critical scholarships for our chapter:  the Andrew David Gerke Memorial Scholarship and the Shawn T. McKenna Memorial Fund.  Matt is currently our VP of Fundraising, shepherding the process for our capital campaign to achieve a long-lasting goal of a chapter facility befitting the excellence of our chapter.  Matt also invests time in the mentorship of alumni, particularly in and around finance and property management.

 

At the regional level, Matt has been someone who has been a speaker at Carlson Leadership Academy and also someone who has frequently hosted RDs as they travel around the Northeast region.

 

At the national level, Matt is currently part of the Investment Committee.  He also has come full circle in a critical piece of his own SigEp journey:  back in 2003, he was a Tragos Quest to Greece Scholar.  This year, he will be mentoring a team of undergraduate brothers as they embark on their own Quest to Greece here in 2024.

 

Matt was honored at a Zoom celebration on April 21, which included attendees from the Grand Chapter, including former Board of Directors members, District Governors, Quest to Greece Mentors, Vice President of Student Affairs Robert Dana from the University of Maine, alumni from the mid-1980s to the present, and the undergraduate chapter.  We were able to collectively reminisce on the journey that has been our experiences together.

 

As we say in our officer installation ceremony, "Well done thy good and faithful servant.  Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things."  We look forward to two future recognitions for Matt:  the Exemplary Service Award and the Order of the Golden Heart.  Matt is well on his way to both.