Brent Marsh (left), adviser to the Tassels Chapter of Mortar Board honorary at the University of Mississippi, and Aabha Mantri, the chapter's 2024-25 president, accept the Ruth Weimer Mount Chapter Excellence Award at the Mortar Board National Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Submitted photo
Campus organization receives Gold Torch Award, Ruth Weiner Mount Chapter Excellence Award
Staff Report
For the third year in a row, the University of Mississippi chapter of Mortar Board national college senior honor society received numerous honors during the national organization’s annual awards ceremony.
The university’s Tassels Chapter received the prestigious Ruth Weimer Mount Chapter Excellence Award, the highest honor given to chapters. This award recognizes “excellence in chapter operations, advising, visibility, communications, and participation,” the organization’s website says.
The chapter also received the Project Excellence Award, Outstanding Achievement Award and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Award. And for the third straight year, the chapter received the Gold Torch Award, which honors chapters “that are active on their campus in ways that improve the quality of student life.”
“Our students’ outstanding scholarship, leadership and service led to this recognition,” said Brent Marsh, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, dean of students, and chapter adviser.
“Being recognized at the national level with seven awards is a tremendous honor,” said Parker Brown, of Vicksburg, 2023–24 chapter president.
“This past year, the Tassels Chapter continually broke records in engagement and applications and significantly increased its overall presence at the university,” said Brown, a 2024 graduate in public policy leadership and a first-year Ole Miss law student. “As the university continually evolves, so too does the Tassels Chapter, and I cannot wait to see the great strides made in the future.”
Marsh, Brown, and Aabha Mantri, chapter president for 2024–25, presented a conference session that highlighted key leadership and operational strategies that have guided the chapter’s evolution.
“I had a great time presenting with Dr. Marsh and Parker,” said Mantri, a senior international studies major from Meridian. “I am truly fortunate to be able to work alongside such talented and driven individuals, and I’m looking forward to leading the chapter this upcoming school year.”
Marsh said he was appreciative for the opportunity to present with Brown and Mantri.
“It was very special to co-present a session with Aabha and Parker at the Mortar Board national conference,” Marsh said. “They each made important contributions to the presentation as we shared stories and strategies for becoming an award-winning chapter.”
