2025 – 2026 William H. Rouse Award Winners Recognized

The William H. Rouse Award was created in 1997 to recognize an outstanding Chapter president who has made an impact in his Chapter and on his campus. This award is named after Rev. Founder William H. Rouse, the first Chapter president of the Fraternity.

In order to be nominated for this award, the Brother must be a former resident (undergraduate) Chapter president and be nominated by an advisor or Graduate Brother. All of the nominees are well deserving of this recognition. The nominees are:

Dean Lichtenfield, Phi Lambda (Penn. State University)

Elishai Shapiro, Alpha Phi (Purdue University)

Adam Lorris, Phi Gamma Chi (The College of New Jersey)

Drew Lantier, Phi Nu Chi (West Chester University)

Shaun Hirsh, Lambda Chi Phi (Drexel University)

This year, the Fraternity is happy to present two Rouse Award recipients.

Dean Lichtenfeld, Phi Lambda 2026

The first receipient is Dean Lichtenfeld (Phi Lambda, 2026). Dean was elected president of the Phi Lambda Chapter in fall 2024 after serving as Chapter treasurer the previous year. His platform centered on accountability, membership engagement, and building a stronger, more sustainable Chapter culture. Working closely with his executive board, Dean raised expectations across the Chapter, improved event attendance and quality, strengthened recruitment and member involvement, and revitalized Phi Lambda’s commitment to THON, ultimately doubling the Chapter’s fundraising during his term. He also strengthened the Chapter’s relationship with Penn State through proactive communication and a greater emphasis on risk management, accountability, and University and Fraternity standards. Another major priority was improving officer transitions between outgoing and incoming boards, addressing a recurring challenge and better preparing future officers to lead. Those efforts culminated in Phi Lambda receiving the 2025 Stanley G. Bedford Award for Most Effective Executive Leadership, an achievement Dean credits to the commitment of his entire executive board.

Upon being notified of the award, Dean was extremely grateful. “I think one of the hardest responsibilities I will ever have in my life was being [Chapter] president. While it was extremely rewarding and I learned a ton from it, it really helped me grow as an individual. When my term ended, I didn’t really feel a sense of like ‘woohoo, my term ended’. I never looked for recognition from it, but to be recognized for this award really means the world to me.”

Dean graduated from Penn. State a year early and has entered the workforce at Wiz, a subsidiary of Google Cloud, as a Deal Desk Analyst. However, Dean thinks back to his time in State College. “I’m sorry to my Phi Lambda Brothers for leaving a year early. It still kills me every day, and I can’t wait to come back and visit to see how things are. Continue to grow our Chapter. I’m immensely proud of where we’ve gotten so far, and I can’t wait to see where we continue to go.”

Drew Lantier, Phi Nu Chi 2027

The second recipient this year is Drew Lantier (Phi Nu Chi, 2027). Drew was elected as Chapter president in December 2024 and is currently the IFC – Vice President of Operations and the Chapter’s Alumni Relations Chair. Drew inherited a good foundation from the previous president and executive board and strove to improve the Chapter in multiple aspects. He had the Chapter focused on improving recruitment retention and acceptances, resulting in the Chapter tripling their semester acceptance average and holding their retention to 98%. Brothers were involved in the Interfraternity Council and the Chapter, which resulted in better relations with the other fraternities and University. However, Drew’s true character showed after the unexpected death of a fellow student. This individual was a member of another fraternity on campus and was a close friend of Drew’s. He rallied the Chapter to help support the GoFundMe created by the other fraternity and attend any events related to it. Drew continues to support the Chapter through his work as Alumni Relations and hopes to continue to serve post-graduation.

When asked why he ran, Drew said, “Even though I had joined the previous semester, I said screw it, I’m motivated and ran for the position. Everything fell into place and I grew a lot in the position. I learned a lot from the previous president on the day-to-day responsibilities and I wasn’t scared of the position.”

When notified about the award, he said, “It is really nice to be told that I did a great job. By being recognized on this National level, it means a lot to me. This award though belongs to everyone in the Chapter who helped me out.”

As a rising senior, he has strived to continue to be involved in the Chapter and greater West Chester community. Drew said, “there have been other officers who fall off the face of the earth post term. If you’re going to be a part of something, it is a waste of your time and energy if you’re not going to do anything with it.”

Both Dean and Drew, when asked about advice to future Chapter presidents, said that perseverance is key and the relationships with other Brothers pay dividends. Celebrating the small positive changes and holding your fellow Brothers accountable is important, but at the end of the day, it is your responsibility to make the Chapter better than where it was before.

The Fraternity is thankful for Dean and Drew’s leadership and for their continued service to the Fraternity. Congratulations again to both of them!