National Residence Hall Honorary
The National Residence Hall Honorary, or NRHH, is the premiere honorary dedicated to recognizing leaders in the residence halls and is as a branch of NACURH, Inc. NACURH, as an organization, believes that recognition is necessary in a strong Residence Hall community. The National Residence Hall Honorary was founded in 1964 to recognize student leaders at universities.
The honorary, although a national organization, has multiple levels of leadership. The most important level is established on university campuses through the creation of chapters. NRHH chapters recognize top leaders that reside on campus through induction into their respective institution's chapter. The NRHH chapter membership is restricted to the top 1% of students living in their residence halls.
History
In 1964, the National Association of College and University Residence Halls found itself with financial difficulties. Jim Tschechtelin, NACURH Chair, began investigating possibilities for potential revenue sources and grants. Grants were found, but there were two requirements: a central NACURH office had to be established, and the member schools needed more services rendered. Thus, April 25, 1964 at the University of Denver during the annual NACURH Conference the National Residence Hall Honorary was created as an answer to the second requirement.During the preliminary organization, the National Residence Hall Honorary focused on the incorporation of old into new. Campuses with existing honorary organizations were contacted and coordinated into the NRHH structure. The preservation of chapter identity was primary, as it was incorporated into the NRHH structure, and as each campus is aware of its own individual needs. The primary focus of each chapter became the recognition of the residence hall leaders on its campus. This helped sustain a consistent membership in on-campus organizations, as well as, on the regional and national levels within NACURH.
The years between 1977 and 1987 were years of growth for the NRHH. Pins and certificates were produced to recognize the members of the honorary, the tradition of regional and national receptions during conferences began and formal recruitment and affiliation packets were produced. Regional Recruiter positions on regional boards were also established. Many awards were created including Program, National Communications Coordinator, Advisor, Student, and Resident Assistant Of The Month Awards as well as the NRHH Outstanding Chapter of the Year.
Today, well over 200 chapters are affiliated with the honorary through the NACURH Information Center. Activities of the chapters vary from campus to campus. Some simply induct new members at an annual recognition banquet every year, thus, an honorary chapter. Others are extremely active on their campuses and in their communities, coordinating leadership retreats, conferences, socials, hall or campus wide programs, fund raisers, and a whole host of other events. Still others have found a middle ground which suits their campus. Membership selection is conducted by each individual chapter.
Leadership
At the close of the NACURH 2008 conference, NRHH became more connected with the NACURH corporate structure through the creation of the National Associate for NRHH position, which was added as a full member of the NACURH Executive Board, as well as the NACURH Board of Directors. This position serves as the CEO of the honorary and oversees all off the regional associate directors for NRHH who serve as executive officers of the honorary for their regional constituencies. Together, the National and Regional Associates for NRHH form the NRHH National Board, which serves as the international governing body of the honorary.The regional leadership is as follows as of the 2020 affiliation year:
| Name | Region | Position |
| Bre McGhee | Central Atlantic Affiliate | Associate Director for NRHH |
| Ryan Moore | Great Lakes Affiliate | Associate Director for NRHH |
| Jen Garcia | Intermountain Affiliate | Associate Director for NRHH |
| Meredith Finley | Midwest Affiliate | Associate Director for NRHH |
| Robert Moss | North East Affiliate | Associate Director for NRHH |
| Hannah Edwards | Pacific Affiliate | Associate Director for NRHH |
| Hannah Kriner | South Atlantic Affiliate | Associate Director for NRHH |
| Blake Steele | South West Affiliate | Associate Director for NRHH |
Membership Advantages
By affiliating with National Association of College and University Residence Halls and NRHH, member schools can participate in Of The Month award nominations. They can also purchase recognition pins, membership pins, induction certificates, and membership cords for graduating members through the NACURH Corporate Office Store, which only affiliated chapters that completed the affiliation process for that academic year can access. Affiliated schools can also access a variety of resources through the NCO including affiliation documents, program descriptions, and other materials that the NCO develops and provides to its members.In order to maintain affiliation status, institutions must pay a fee to NACURH every year. For the 2018-2019 year, the Full Affiliation price was $130.00. There is also a "Partial membership" option, for $80.00, though the difference between Full Affiliation and Partial membership is not declared on the NACURH website.
Some universities lapse in affiliation, either due to lack of payment, leadership issues with their RHA and/or NRHH, or coming to the decision that the resources of NACURH are not worth the cost. When a school lapses in affiliation, they lose voting rights in business and may not receive contact or resources from regional board members.