EVANSTON, ILL. – Alpha Phi International Fraternity introduced its Leadership Initiative program to collegiate members during fall 2006. The innovative program, funded by the Alpha Phi Foundation, is designed to cultivate collegians to become leaders within their chapters and their communities. It is a unique values-based leadership institute for women based on women’s developmental and leadership theories and is comprised of three main components: a Chapter-based Initiative (CBI), Alumnae Connection, and an Emerging Leaders Institute (ELI).

“The goal of the Leadership Initiative is to provide each participant with a sense of accountability, responsibility and commitment to both her community and to Alpha Phi,” said Andrea Law, the Fraternity’s education and leadership program coordinator. Throughout the program, collegians are challenged to identify and relate their personal values with those defined by the Fraternity: character development, leadership, loyalty, scholarship, sisterhood and service.

Chapter-based Initiative and Alumnae Connection

Collegians participate in four sessions during the academic year which include group discussion, reflective writing, active listening, problem-solving, case study review and relationship building activities. Each session focuses on one to two of the Fraternity’s six values, reinforces the importance of communication and helps participants review their thinking process with open discussions and group work.

More than 150 Alpha Phi alumnae volunteers throughout North America and Canada facilitate the sessions and demonstrate the lifetime commitments and contributions to her sorority. Volunteer facilitator positions provide alumnae with an opportunity to reconnect with Alpha Phi by volunteering their time and efforts while engaging collegiate members in character development and sisterhood activities with each session.

Tammy Heft, a James Madison University (Theta Iota chapter) alumna, volunteered as a CBI facilitator at the Fraternity’s Eta Omicron collegiate chapter at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “I appreciated the opportunity to become involved once again with Alpha Phi … and I have truly enjoyed the chance to get reconnected with the chapter,” said Heft.

“You really don’t realize [how strong our sisterhood is] until you talk about it,” said Eta Omicron chapter’s Vice President of Program Development Colleen Whalen about the sisterhood and intellectual development sessions Heft facilitated.

For University of Nebraska – Kearney (Delta Xi chapter) alumna Tracy Lungrin, “This was just what I needed now that I no longer work on a college campus – and it’s a perfect volunteer opportunity for someone who travels as much as I do and can’t be a steady adviser.”

Jane Arkes, a University of Missouri – Columbia (Omicron) alumna and a 2006-08 Alpha Phi International Executive Board member, is also a volunteer CBI facilitator for the Fraternity’s University of Oregon (Tau chapter). Arkes said her experience “has given me the opportunity to reflect on our Alpha Phi values and to have a much better perspective of collegians’ feelings about [those] values.”

Emerging Leaders Institute

Alpha Phi’s first ELI, scheduled for June 20-24, 2007, provides a creative, safe and challenging yet fun environment for 50 selected collegiate participants to explore and strengthen their personal values and become effective values-based leaders. During the four-day leadership experience, participants will engage in small and large group discussions, trust-building exercises and daily reflection journaling in an effort to help break down communication barriers and help each other develop into leaders within their chapters and communities.

Participants will also learn how to apply the values of Alpha Phi to lead with authenticity, integrity, and confidence. With leadership skills training, members become effective students, leaders and citizens within their communities, and learn to frame leadership as an inherently relational process of working together to accomplish a goal or to promote change.

“With this Institute, we are trying to help Alpha Phi’s young chapter and campus leaders learn how to build a stronger community of support for themselves and work together to create a network of contacts committed to a common goal,” said the Fraternity’s Director of Training, Development and Communications Denise Reens. “We want our emerging leaders to strengthen their communication skills so they may create healthy relationships with others for a more values-grounded academic and post-academic life experience.”

Alpha Phi International Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University in 1872 as one of the first Greek societies for women. Alpha Phi is dedicated to promoting sisterhood, cultivating leadership, encouraging intellectual curiosity and advocating service. The organization is comprised of more than 140 collegiate chapters and more than 140 alumnae chapters throughout the United States and Canada. The Alpha Phi Foundation is the Fraternity’s philanthropic and educational partner. Through contributions from chapters, individual members and friends, the Foundation supports women’s cardiac health and other charitable and educational projects. Together, Alpha Phi International Fraternity and Foundation develop character for a lifetime.

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