President's Cup

Greek Chapter President's Cup Winners will be determined by the programming descriptions and photos submitted by the group via the application, as well as GPA data and community service hours. Greek chapters will also submit a list of campus leaders via an excel file.

Community Service

• Recorded via GivePulse - Reports will be pulled by the Leadership & Volunteerism Office. This category will be judged based on the average number of community service hours per member, as well as the degree of impact.

Programming Initiatives  & Categories

• Descriptions and photos submitted via the online application.
• Personal Development: A student’s process of gaining awareness and understanding of who they are as individuals. Personal Development includes understanding who they are in terms of values, beliefs, and purpose as well as their social group identities. Demonstrating empathy and compassion, especially for those with very different backgrounds and experiences, is critical in all relationships. By exploring their sense of purpose, abilities, privileges, and intersecting identities, students can learn to develop self-efficacy and agency to positively change their own lives and impact their communities. Programming initiatives address the following outcomes:
  • Articulate their identities.
  • Demonstrate empathy and compassion in relationships.
  • Describe how they can contribute to making positive change.
  • Demonstrate the competencies needed for their professional development.
• Well-Being: A student’s holistic understanding of wellness; including the emotional, mental, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of wellness. Well-Being is conscious, self-directed and evolving, positive, affirming, and inclusive. Students will be able to foster their own well-being as well as communities of well-being. Programming initiatives that address the following outcomes:
  • Define personal well-being.
  • Identify resources to support their well-being.
  • Integrate wellness strategies into daily life.
  • Foster communities of well-being.
    
• Community Impact: A student’s awareness of issues impacting communities and the world as well as their capacity and desire to take action to make positive, sustainable change. Both components are critical to collaboratively solving our world’s most pressing problems. Programming initiatives that address the following outcomes:
  • The impact of their actions on others.
  • Identify issues facing communities.
  • Collaborate effectively with others.
  • Advocate for positive change in their communities.

Grade Point Average

• Reports will be pulled by Fraternity and Sorority Programs and Services and Residence Hall administrators to provide the group's average GPA. 

Campus Leader List 

• Chapters will upload an Excel spreadsheet as follows:
  • Column 1: The campus organization/group name
  • Column 2: The office held; and
  • Column 3: The student name

Timeframe

• Greek Chapters: January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026

The Residential Communities President's Cup recognizes residential communities that create meaningful experiences through student leadership, community development, and positive impact. Eligible applications are submitted by a current student leader representing the residential community. 

Evaluation Areas

• Belonging: Recognizes efforts to create a welcoming and connected residential community where students feel included, valued, and proud to belong. This may include relationship-building, community traditions, opportunities for resident involvement, and efforts to remove barriers to participation.
• Care & Wellness: Recognizes efforts to support residents' well-being and create an environment where community members care for and support one another. This may include wellness initiatives, connections to campus resources, peer support, and responses to identified resident needs.
• Learning & Development: Recognizes opportunities that help residents grow as students, leaders, community members, and individuals. Learning may occur through educational programming, leadership experiences, community responsibilities, service, mentoring, problem-solving, and opportunities to develop new skills.
• Community Pride and Positive Impact: Recognizes efforts that strengthen community identity and positively contribute to the larger OU community. This may include shared traditions, resident-led initiatives, service, partnerships, school spirit, and improvements to the residential environment.
• Student Leadership & Community Improvement: Recognizes how student leaders and residents respond to challenges, identify opportunities for improvement, and work together to strengthen their community. Applicants will reflect on a specific challenge or concern, how residents contributed to the response, what changes were made, and what the community learned.
• Applications also address evidence of impact. 
• Up to five optional supporting items may be submitted, including materials beyond photographs. 

Timeframe

• Residential Communities: August 1, 2026 - January 31, 2027

The President's Oustanding Student Organization Awards recognize both overall organizational excellence and oustanding programming, as well as exceptional student organization advising.

• Organization Awards 
  • Registered Student Organization of the Year-$2,000: Recognizes an RSO that demonstrates exceptional overall organizational excellence and makes a meaningful contribution to the student experience at OU. This award considers how an organization fulfills its mission, engages members, develops student leaders, creates a sense of belonging, and positively impacts the university community. Applicants should highlight their collective accomplishments throughout the year rather than focusing on one successful program.
  • New Student Organization of the Year-$1,000: Recognizes an RSO established or first registered at OU within the previous year that has demonstrated exceptional development, student engagement, and potential for continued success. This award celebrates organizations that have established a clear purpose, built an engaged membership, developed student leadership, and made meaningful contributions to campus life early in their existence.
  • Departmental Student Organization of the Year-$1,000:  Recognizes a Departmental Student Organization (DSO) that demonstrates exceptional student leadership, engagement, development, and contributions to its academic community and the broader OU experience. This award celebrates organizations that complement students' academic experiences, encourage personal and professional growth, foster community, and create meaningful opportunities for involvement.
  • Graduate/Professional Student Organization of the Year-$1,000:  Recognizes an organization that has made an exceptional contribution to the experience, development, connection, or success of OU graduate and/or professional students. This award celebrates organizations that foster community, support academic and professional development, provide meaningful engagement opportunities, and positively contribute to the graduate or professional student experience.           

• Programming Awards-$1,000 each 
  • Outstanding Educational Program 
  • Outstanding Innovation in Programming 
  • Collaborative Program of the Year 
  • Community Impact Award 
  • Outstanding Programming in Personal Development 
  • Outstanding Programming in Well-Being
• Individual Recognition: Student Organization Advisor of the Year-student-nominated, non-monetary
• Organizations may apply for multiple awards using one application, with separate responses for each category. 
• Applicants may submit up to five optional supporting items for each category of the application. 

Timeframe

• Student Organizations: January 1-December 31, 2026

Greek Chapters, Residence Halls, & Student Organizations will track and gather information on the Award Criteria for the year leading up to the annual awarding of the President's Cup. 

Submit an Application for the Greek Chapter President's Cup 

Submit an Application for the Residential Communities President's Cup 

Submit an Application for the President's Outstanding Student Organization Awards

Q: What counts as volunteer hours?

A: OU values and encourages others to give back to the community. Acts of service done freely outside of academic requirements or work count as volunteer hours. Eligible service and more guidelines on what is and is not counted as service can be found by reviewing the university's service hour guidelines. 

Q: What if I am part of a service organization? (The Big Event, Food Pantry, etc.)

A: Direct volunteer work completed through an organization, including service projects and community outreach, may qualify. However, activities primarily supporting the organization's operations, such as meetings, recruitment, marketing, and administrative responsibilities, do not count.

Students may receive separate service-hour allocations for certain campus leadership roles, but those leadership allocations do not count toward President's Cup awards.

Q: Do camps/mission trips count?

A: Yes, qualifying volunteer work completed through service trips, mission trips, or unpaid summer camps may count. Only time spent actively providing eligible service should be recorded. Travel, meals, sleeping, and other downtime do not qualify.

Q: Do philanthropy activities count as service?

A: Donating money or goods, purchasing fundraiser merchandise, or simply attending a philanthropy event does not count as service.

However, time spent volunteering to plan or support a charitable event may qualify when it meets OU's service guidelines. Examples include staffing a charity event, organizing donated supplies, or performing other essential volunteer responsibilities.

Q: Do required service hours count?

A: Service completed to fulfill a student organization's membership requirement may count when the activity otherwise meets OU's service guidelines.

However, service completed to satisfy a university conduct sanction, court order, or other disciplinary requirement does not count toward President's Cup or other awards, even if it qualifies for service-hour recording.

Service required for academic coursework generally does not qualify, although additional eligible service completed beyond course requirements may count.

Q: How do I record my service hours?

A: All community service hours must be submitted through GivePulse for approval and verification. Submissions should include a detailed description of the service performed and accurate contact information for the service-site contact.

For additional guidance, visit OU's Service Hour Guidelines or contact Leadership & Volunteerism at leadandvolunteer@ou.edu.