One of the Homecoming traditions the University has upheld is rewarding two deserving students with the title of Leader of the Pack.
Mike Giancola, advisor for Leader of the Pack and Director of Center for Student Leadership Ethics and Public Service, has overseen the process since 2001. He said Leader of the Pack is the University’s equivalent to Homecoming King and Queen, but they choose them based on leadership, community service and scholarship.
“There are four main steps. The first is the application. You must be an undergraduate and must have been at the University for at least two semesters and have a 2.5 GPA, which counts for 20 percent. There are three essays, which collectively count for 30 percent and are reviewed by a panel of students and faculty.
“Then we have the semifinalists, six men and six women. In front of a different panel, they do a 10-minute presentation on how they have impacted leadership and scholarship at N.C. State, which makes up 30 percent. The student vote is worth 20 percent, which could put someone over the top,” Ginacola said.
The first Leader of the Pack scholarship was given in 1991, according to Technician archives.
And some aspects of the competition have not changed much in the past 19 years.
“Historically, we present the Leaders during halftime of the Homecoming game, and each winner receives a $1,000 scholarship, one funded by the Alumni Association and one by Student Government,” Giancola.
Though the Leaders of the Pack have been traditionally announced during halftime of the Homecoming game, in it’s third year the winners, along with the winners of the Caldwell Cup, were only given two minutes of recognition, according to an agenda from 1994.
But some parts of the competition vary each year and they receive other incentives and prizes.
“The bookstore is giving three book scholarships worth $250 to the finalists with the highest GPA, irrespective of who is the overall winner. But the number of cards varies from year to year. And this year, the Alumni Association is giving a class ring to the winners,” Giancola said.
The Leaders of the Pack used to have one trophy that was handed down, but it became tarnished with fingerprints, so all finalists receive a plaque and the winners get a personalized trophy with their names engraved on it.
The number of students who apply also fluctuates depending on when Homecoming is.
“Typically, it is a process of self-selection because they do not get nominated. Some years 20 to 30 men and 20 to 30 women apply, sometimes it’s as low as 15 to 20 men 15 to 20 women,” Giancola said. “The date of Homecoming has an effect. Some years it is the first week of October, so all four steps have to be done by the first two weeks of school, so some years there are fewer applicants.”
The number of students voting fluctuates, as some years the election piggybacks on other ballots.
“The vote depends on what is on the ballot. Last year the referendum was on the ballot with Leader of the Pack, so this year, there’s nothing else to draw attention,” Giancola said. “And if it’s really early in the year, we’ll pair it up with the Senate elections.”
Before Internet ballots came along, the voting system for Leader of the Pack, as well as Student Government elections, cost more money and there were only two voting polls. This required volunteers to man the polls and also a control mechanism to count the ballots.
In 1993, students swiped their all-campus cards at the Tunnel Inn or the Library to vote, but this system has fallen out of favor within the last ten years. Now students can vote at vote.ncsu.edu.
Aside from changing the aesthetics and process of Leader of the Pack, they have also have also given the selection process a facelift.
Giancola said when he first took on the advisor position for Leader of the Pack, patterns emerged among who was winning year to year, as people from certain groups would win over and over.
The grading system of the applications was modified to focus more on quality over quantity.
“Now we focus on what is the impact of their leadership and service,” Giancola said.
As the winners of Leader of the Pack are examples for the student body, the competition itself is also becoming an example other institutions seek to follow. Giancola said several schools are interested in using the University’s Homecoming as an example for the future, including another UNC system school.
“Many other schools have asked us about our program. They want to model their homecoming after ours. This year, UNC-Pembroke wanted to get away from Homecoming King and Queen being a popularity contest,” Giancola said.
Giancola said Traditional means of winning Homecoming Queen and King are a thing of the past
“This year, I told [the applicants] that they may have good looks and be popular, but that wouldn’t earn them points. We recognize that this is not just looks and popularity but substance,” Giancola.
Michael Anthony, alumnus and a 2001 Leader of the Pack finalist, said he applied for the scholarship because he wanted to represent the University.
“There are two reasons I applied for Leader of the Pack. One, It came with scholarship. Two, I also like homecoming. It was an opportunity for me to be a representative of N.C. State, and I really care about N.C. State,” Anthony said.
Anthony said he also harbored leadership skills, as he won an elected position that next year.
“I was elected 2002-2003 student body president, and I actually ran against [Jonathon Spencer], the Leader of the Pack that year,” Anthony said.
Anthony also said he was proud to be a finalist for Leader of the Pack because it is such a high achievement.
Giancola said he treats all of the finalists like they are winner and that if he could, he would give every one a scholarship.
