Report of the Director of Leadership Development

Executive Council Meeting Feb. 2, 2013

Presidents Leadership Academy The Presidents Leadership Academy will take place February 8-10. There are 97 registrants and 12 facilitators scheduled to come in for the event. At this time, Chad and Linda will be coordinating logistics for the program. I will be an observer and taking notes for the 2014 PLA. Woodrow Wilson Leadership School The 2013 Woodrow Wilson Leadership School will take place June 25-30 at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. One of the goals I have for the program is to increase the amount of educational programming which is offered. In order to do this, the program schedule has been revamped to include more programming time. Each day will now consist of one large group session, a series of breakouts, and at least one Alpha Group meeting. In an effort to bring in new ideas and presentations, a Call for Programs and Call for Facilitators has been distributed to targeted groups. These groups include graduate programs in Higher Education and colleges/universities near Indianapolis, the NorthAmerican Interfraternity Conference and the National Panhellenic Conference, as well as the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors. These groups are being used to help increase the reach of the applications so that we have a large pool from which to choose presentations. Breakout presentations will now fall into one of seven categories:

Fraternity Operations & Management: These presentations will have a focus on how to effectively and efficiently run your chapter. They can be specific to an officer or may speak generally about management skills. This category may not be as easily fundable from the Foundation as its content will most likely lean more towards the Fraternity. Service Learning: These presentations will focus on the importance of service learning and community service. As service is a founding principle of the Fraternity it is important to highlight what our members can learn about service and how to take this back to both their chapters and act on in their own lives. Academic & Career Success: These presentations will focus on providing skills to succeed in academics and provide tips for moving into the working world. Citizenship: These presentations will focus on the importance of being an active citizen. It is important to remember that are members are citizens of multiple communities and will benefit from learning about the different roles they may need to play throughout their lives.

Health & Wellness: These presentations will focus on how to maintain a balanced and healthy life. It is important for our members to realize that they are not just to focus on academics or extracurricular activities, but also need to take time for themselves. Life Skills: This is a very broad category, but therefore can encompass a wide variety of topics. Leadership: These presentations will focus on providing members with information regarding leadership development, leadership practices, and may include personal development aspects.

The strategy behind creating these categories is such that six of the seven are purely educational. I will work with presenters to craft wording that will hopefully allow for a maximum amount of presentations to be deemed educational, and therefore fundable through the Foundation. Alpha Group curriculum will be revised for this upcoming WWLS. At this time, the focus will be on values identification, clarification, and congruence. With the change in curriculum also comes a change in the way facilitation has been done in the past. Instead of purely undergraduate running the facilitation, a Call for Facilitators has been created. Anyone and everyone are encouraged to apply to be a facilitator (still including undergraduate members). It is the hope that by broadening the type of individual we use as a facilitator, the quality of discussion and education is elevated. Program proposals and facilitator applications are due on March 15, 2013 by 5PM EST. Please share the applications with those whom you think would be interested. If you have any recommendations for large group speakers, I gladly welcome the recommendations. While not all details have been solidified at this time, the tentative date for opening registration is March 18, 2013. Chapter/Colony Visits This semester I will begin to visit our colonies. I have contacted each of the presidents from the current colonies and requested a time be setup to meet with them. Since many of these individuals will be at PLA, I am meeting with them there to talk about potential dates and topics to be covered during their retreat. Priority at this time is with the Vanderbilt colony. Presently, I plan to work on a transition retreat with them so that they can set some new goals as they transition from a colony to a chapter. I will work with each of the other colonies to design a specific program that will meet their unique needs. Fraternally,

Nick Estrada Director of Leadership Development