Longo wins national award

It would be an understatement to say that May 2020 graduate Nate Longo left an impact on his fraternity and the Purdue community.

He leaves Purdue as one of the most decorated Greek undergraduates in its history. On July 16, his list of many honors grew by one – an Award of Distinction from the North American Interfraternity Conference. NIC represents more than 60,000 students nationwide. Longo was one of nine honorees in 2020.

The national NIC is the group that honored the Omega chapter in 2019 as one of its five Award of Distinction winners.

Longo’s list of recognition from his Pi Kappa Phi days is impressive. It includes:

• 2020 Thomas Robinson Greek Man of the Year at Purdue

• 2019 Phillip Summers Student of the Year for the national fraternity

• 2019 Steven Beering Fraternity President of the Year at Purdue

During his time with the chapter, Pi Kappa Phi was named the top fraternity at Purdue in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

“He is certainly on my ‘Mount Rushmore’ of students that I have worked with throughout my career,” Brandon Cutler, Purdue associate dean of students, wrote in his nomination letter. “In fact, he may be the best IFC officer I have ever worked with. I am most impressed with his ethical/moral compass and his ability to lead by example.”

Mark Timmes, Pi Kappa Phi CEO, worked with Longo during his 2018-19 term on the Council of Archons, a group of 12 student members that advises staff and the governing National Council.

“He has been an outspoken proponent of change within his chapter and the Purdue community and has done so with dignity and respect of advisors and his fellow members, while delicately balancing long-standing tradition with today’s pressing issues and needs,” Timmes wrote in his nomination letter.

Chapter advisor Pat Kuhnle echoed what others wrote.

“I have found very, very few students who have the energy, the commitment, the fortitude, the leadership and compassion as Nathan Longo,” Kuhnle wrote. “He has served our chapter and the Greek community well as presidents of both organizations. He essentially had to be talked into being IFC president, not because he had doubts, but rather because he goes full-bore into everything he does, which is no better exemplified than by his 4.0 cumulative GPA in engineering.”

During Longo’s Purdue career in addition to being chapter secretary, archon (president) and IFC president, he participated in the Purdue University Dance Marathon, Old Masters and Mortar Board.

“This recognition came at a great surprise to me,” Longo said after leaning of the recognition. “Having already been recognized at the campus and fraternity levels, I was humbled to know that my hard work was recognized amongst the entire nationwide fraternity community.”

Longo, a native of a Columbus, Ohio suburb, graduated in May 2020 with a BS in electrical engineering. He works as an operations engineer for ExxonMobil in Houston, Texas.

What he was looking for as an undergraduate was a chance – a chance to have an impact.

“My fraternity and college experience has given so much to me, and I felt it was my duty and privilege as a brother of Pi Kappa Phi to give back to those communities,” he said. “The goal was always to make and impact and leave the organizations better than I found them, and hopefully I was able to help continue the path of success that was given to me for many brothers and Greek members to come.”

Longo became the second chapter member in the last 12 years to be named Purdue Greek Man of the Year, the national Pi Kappa Phi Student of the Year and an NIC Award of Distinction honoree.

Steve Holtsclaw won each of them in 2007-08.