Troy University’s Kappa Beta Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity was recently awarded the fraternity’s prestigious True Merit Award for the 19th consecutive year.
The Kappa Beta Chapter joined 46 other chapters nationally to receive the 2026 True Merit Award.
The award was first established in 1969 as the Chapter Efficiency Award, becoming the Fraternity’s first official award. In 1975, the name of the award changed to the Chapter Excellence Award and finally in 1979, the name changed to the True Merit Award. It is awarded to chapters that achieve a level of operation that is worthy of recognition.
Kappa Beta’s excellence was recognized across every major area of chapter operations, earning the campus awards for Fundraising and Service, the Dr. Don Gibson Award for Scholastic Improvement, and the prestigious Dean’s Cup, recognizing the chapter’s overall achievement throughout the year.
ATO national Chief Executive Officer Wynn Smiley said the award exemplifies the foundation on which the chapter is built.
“This award reflects years of consistency, culture and commitment built by the chapter as a whole,” he said. “It is a testament to what your chapter has become and the standard it now holds for chapters nationwide.”
Among the nation’s largest fraternal philanthropic activities is ATO’s Walk Hard campaign, which began at TROY and raised a record $200,000 in 2026, has now topped $1 million raised for Jeep Sullivans Wounded Warriors Outdoor Adventures, based in Bonifay, FL. since the annual fundraising trek began. Kappa Beta’s Walk Hard is now a model for other chapters around the country.
“Winning True Merit for Kappa Beta is the standard,” said Jaden Scrushy, Chapter President. “If you ask anybody in the chapter what True Merit means, it’s the standard that we hold and has been the standard for the last 19 years. We intend for it to continue to be the standard moving on.”
Steven Lillich, Chapter Secretary, said striving to perform at the highest level has become a part of the chapter’s culture.
“We just celebrated the 20th anniversary of our chapter last year, and this is our 19th True Merit in a row,” Lillich said. “Whenever you see the culture that we have here at Kappa Beta, I think it is reflective of the True Merit Award. It is just evident that our chapter takes pride in being a True Merit chapter.”
In addition to the True Merit Award, the chapter was also recognized as National Runner-Up for the Impact Award for money raised for philanthropy, the Chapter Builder Award for excelling in recruitment, and the Total Membership Award for having the largest total membership at TROY.
