Passion & Purpose
BROTHERS LIVING THE GREAT JOY
Ryan Schiltz Iowa State ’21 and Evan Horak Iowa State ’20 met their freshman year at Iowa State University. They were very different. Ryan grew up in a Chicago suburb and wasn’t interested in fraternities. Evan, from a tiny town in Iowa, embraced Greek life right away, joining Phi Kappa Psi.
Their friendship grew. When Ryan joined Iowa Beta as a sophomore, the two became brothers. They ended up having a great deal in common. Both were engineering majors; committed to scholarship; taking on leadership roles in the chapter.
They shared something even more meaningful: a newfound commitment to their Catholic faith. And more so, a desire to live out the Phi Psi Creed in the context of their faith and invite their chapter brothers to do likewise.
Brother Schiltz co-founded “Greek Ambassadors,” an effort to invite more fraternity and sorority community members campus-wide into relationship with Christ. The organization took off, with dozens of members coming to events. “I truly believe that more people are starting to walk with Christ through this formation and fellowship,” Ryan says. “I am so blessed that God called me into a leadership position to connect Greek life and the church.”
He and Brother Horak also began a Bible study group for their own Iowa Beta Chapter members. “Leading some of my closest friends to my newfound love of Christ was intimidating,” Evan remembers. “Even when people declined our invitation, it was often followed by a genuine and positive conversation. Guys talked about struggling to fit Christianity in with the busy cycle of classes, socializing, and job hunting. I learned how to engage in deep discussions with others, and how to keep a group directed. Most importantly, I came to love my Fraternity brothers on a far deeper level — as brothers in Christ.”
The brothers’ outstanding commitment to the Creed — academic excellence, leadership, and living out the Phi Psi motto of The Great Joy of Serving Others — earned each multiple national scholarships from the Phi Psi Foundation.
Ryan received the Outstanding Solon E. Summerfield Award. Evan merited the Ruddick C. Lawrence Award. And both brothers earned the Watkins Christian Scholar Award.
The awards underscore for both brothers how much alumni care about their successors’ fraternal journey.
Evan says, “I’m very, very grateful. It has taken a tremendous load off my shoulders, and allowed me to give more time to leading the chapter and focusing on my academics. Phi Psi has given me an amazing college experience in every aspect. Academically, guys helped push and motivate me. Leadership-wise, there were great opportunities. And I wouldn’t have gotten to have an incredible friend group, including Ryan.”
“It’s an honor and blessing to have received those awards,” echoes Ryan. “It shows that the alumni and Foundation are committed to supporting my character and endeavors. I’m working my way through college with all responsibility for the cost. These scholarships have given me the opportunity to spend more time with the chapter, shaping and doing group formation with the younger brothers, and importantly allowed me time to focus on my classwork.”
Both brothers acknowledge additional advantages of life as Phi Psis.
“Joining helped me really come out of my shell,” Ryan notes. “The chapter culture is amazing. The chance to live in the fraternity house was more than I expected — so many different personalities who are all your friends and brothers. Our chapter has 130 guys, and everybody knows everybody else. It’s a special place.”
Evan agrees. “There is great unity in our brotherhood amidst a great diversity of brothers. It’s almost unbelievable how close everyone is to one another. There is great commitment to living out our motto, The Great Joy of Serving Others. Serving as an executive team member during my sophomore and junior year built my character and taught me what it means to successfully lead others — being in the service of others and being there for them in their need. That’s been extremely impactful. I will carry forward the lessons I learned for a lifetime.”
Both brothers graduated in May of 2024, and each has been accepted into a two-year missionary program with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. Charged with “making disciples for Christ” on their assigned campus, each will raise their own living expenses/salary while working with a team to draw more college students into a relationship with Jesus and the Church.
Brother Schiltz offers insight into his motivation for pursuing this path. “College students are searching for identity, purpose, and meaning in their lives, but so many of them often are looking in the wrong avenues — to partying and relationships. Fulfilling their purpose, finding that meaning, can be found in reorienting their lives to place that identity in Christ.”
Brothers Horak and Schiltz graduated with degrees in mechanical engineering. Ryan looks forward to a career in the field of health care. Evan is eager to put his skills to work in the engineering sales industry.
FIVE-YEAR AVERAGE OF $401,000 IN CHAPTER-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS ADMINISTERED/MANAGED ANNUALLY BY THE FOUNDATION
Alumni gifts directly fund not only the robust field of National and District Awards, they also make possible the Foundation’s administration of many more chapter-based scholarships. Few men’s fraternities exceed the scope of scholarship management our brotherhood is able to offer to every chapter.
Give the Gift of Scholarship Today
READYING BROTHERS
FOR A PURPOSEFUL LIFE
DONATE TO THE PHI KAPPA PSI FOUNDATION
Your investment in Phi Psi today allows the Foundation to fund worthy initiatives, including scholarships and programs to enhance membership recruitment, chapter operations, and most importantly, personal growth and development.
You can ensure the future for Phi Psi and our undergraduate brothers is bright.
Additional Ways to Make an Impact
There are several ways that individuals, corporations and foundations can provide financial support to benefit the Phi Kappa Psi Foundation. Gifts may be designated to help specific areas such as leadership programs or chapter scholarships or may be contributed without restrictions to assist where the need is greatest.
Each year, alumni and friends provide the Foundation with much needed financial assistance through outright gifts of cash, securities, or other properties, which offer immediate benefits to thousands of undergraduates and alumni; and deferred gifts, which allow for the arranging of a gift now that has a future benefit for the Foundation. All gifts, in all forms, are important as they validate and support all aspects of the Foundation’s work.
Your tax benefits depend on what you give and when you give it. The Foundation team can assist you and your financial advisors with the details of reporting a gift to help support Phi Psi. Or if you’re still in the planning stages, ask us for help in how your donation can be more tax-efficient. We appreciate your support, so we’ll do all we can for you in return! For more information, contact the Foundation to discuss the full range of giving options and strategies.
The easiest and quickest way to support the Foundation is with a cash gift by check or credit card. Cash gifts given annually are vital to the Foundation’s operations and programs. We can also set up a recurring gift to charge your credit card a specific amount on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.
Cash gifts are easy to make and carry tax benefits, but gifts of stock or other securities may be a more appropriate gift vehicle for your situation. Securities and property may be given directly to the Phi Psi Foundation as annual gifts, or they may be used to establish certain types of planned gifts.
Stocks & Securities
A gift of stock is valued for tax purposes on the date of transfer. The fair market value of gifts of long-term, capital gain securities or real estate are deductible based upon a donor’s adjusted gross income. Giving securities that have increased in value is a great way to both benefit the Foundation and bypass the capital gains tax due on a sale.
By far the best way to transfer securities is to do so through our online donation tool. Simply answer a few questions, print your forms, and follow the instructions to send them to your brokerage — this platform will automatically pull all of Phi Psi’s stock transfer information. It will also immediately alert us to your gift, so that we can properly thank you for your generosity.
If you would prefer to complete the transfer offline, simply contact the Foundation’s investment manager at the information below. Please also call the Foundation once you have completed the transfer. This helps ensure you receive proper recognition for your contribution and assures that the gift was credited to the proper fund.
Firm: Buckingham Strategic Wealth
Advisor: Tim Jost (tjost@bamadvisor.com | 314.783.2918)
If you do not have stocks in a broker account, you may have paper stock certificates printed in the Foundation’s legal name and delivered to the Foundation’s offices. Have the certificates issued to the “Endowment Fund of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity” and delivered to 5395 Emerson Way, Indianapolis, Indiana 46226.
A final option is to deliver to the Foundation paper stock certificates issued in your name. For security reasons, do not endorse the backs of the certificates. Instead, include a transmittal letter specifying your name and address and indicating how many shares you are contributing. Then, in a separate envelope, send the Foundation a stock power executed in blank with the signature guaranteed. Your bank or attorney should be able provide you with stock power forms and guarantee your signature. You must also include a cover letter confirming your gift.
Many companies offer employees a matching gift benefit that doubles the gift to the Foundation. Matching gifts make a critical contribution to the Annual Fund. When making your gift to the Foundation, check to see if your employer has a corporate matching gift program.
A gift to the Foundation by will or trust is a creative way to help in the long term, while still retaining full control of your assets during your lifetime. Each bequest to the Foundation serves as a legacy to future generations, and helps secure the future of the organization.
We have partnered with FreeWill to help you create your legal will online at no cost, and establish your legacy gift for free. Get started here.
Have you already created a gift in your will or trust to Phi Kappa Psi? Fill out this form to let us know!
Planned giving is a very special tool of philanthropy. It’s reserved for those individuals and families with both a clear vision and a sense of deep conviction – for both the near and long-term. Whatever form your planned gift takes, keep in mind that it is a wonderful way to support the Phi Psi Foundation.
If you are drawn to things that endure, how would you feel if your name, or the name of a loved one, someday became associated with the good works of the Foundation. A named scholarship, fellowship or a room at Laurel Hall is a lasting gift to the Foundation that permanently associates the name of the donor – or that of a family member, friend or chapter brother – with Phi Kappa Psi.