Educational Programs - Chi Psi Fraternity

The Program for Excellence:
Educational Programs

Rowe Program for Leadership Development (PLD/PRD)

The Program for Self-Development (PSD)

provides each participant an opportunity to look inward and understand the importance of:

Personal Development – Understanding his own personality and how to use this understanding to reach his full potential.
Goal-Setting – Establishing short-term and long-term goals.
Mutual Assistance – Being more self-disciplined in relying on his own ability as well as on the strengths of others.

While identifying their primary motivational strengths and learning styles, participants learn the importance and use of peer-group feedback. Participants also learn the consequences of inappropriate goal setting and ways to recover from those effects. Since the program relies on both individual and group participation, it allows the participants to achieve a better understanding of one another.

This weekend program is usually conducted off campus, away from the normal routine of the pledges and Brothers. An alumnus PSD Facilitator provides assistance to the group and helps individuals acquire a greater degree of self-knowledge. Many former participants now use the principles of the PSD to plan both their professional and personal lives.

Who should participate?

The PSD should be an annual event for your Alpha. The Program is most effective for a pledge class or a newly initiated class of Brothers. By holding a PSD every year, every Brother will have the opportunity to participate. Restarting the program at your Alpha can be very difficult, so don't miss a year (even with a small participant class). Pledge classes need to be at least six weeks into their pledging period so that they already know each other fairly well.

How many Brothers should attend?

Nine to Fifteen (9-15) Brothers should attend. While it is possible to stretch this, it makes for a more challenging weekend. The CO will help you find additional facilitators if you have more than 15 participants.

When should you schedule a PSD?

You should have a facilitator committed to your PSD at least 2 MONTHS before your program. Check the Alpha's calendar for open weekends and send them to the CO's Director of Education. He will help you select a facilitator, paying close attention to the potential to establish a long-running relationship between him and your Alpha. Once you have found a facilitator who fits well with your Alpha, do all you can to get him to commit to return every year for the PSD. This streamlines scheduling forms a strong bond between your Alpha and an alumnus. Convention is a great time to begin the scheduling process, as many of the Fraternity's best facilitators attend Convention regularly.

Where should the PSD be held?

The PSD should take place away from the Lodge within an hour's driving distance. The location must be confirmed no less than 1 MONTH before the program. A participant's home or vacation house often makes the best location by involve parents in your Fraternity experience and minimizing cost. A local alumnus may be willing to offer space in his home for the weekend. Parks, campgrounds, or retreat locations work well but require additional planning and cost. An Alpha's Lodge or housing block is not an acceptable location for a PSD.

What you need to take on your PSD?

Food, sleeping bags, etc., will be determined by the retreat location. Discuss this with your facilitator. Regardless of location, plan to bring soft drinks, chips, cups, etc. Bring trash bags and papertowels, and budget time to clean the PSD location before you leave.

The PSD is an alcohol-free retreat.

What should you expect from your facilitator?

Your facilitator will may enjoy meeting some alumni and school administrators while visiting your campus. Offer him a tour of the Lodge, campus, and surrounding area. Provide a bed or acceptable sleeping arrangements, clean towel, and other items that will make him feel welcome and at home. You may ask your facilitator to write a few notes to alumni about his experience there. If so, have stationery and addressed envelopes ready. The PSD facilitator can help you improve your Alpha if you let him.

Alpha Management Retreat (AMR)

In 1982, Chi Psi Fraternity launched its Alpha Management Retreat (AMR) program, designed to train present and future officers in effective strategic planning techniques. An important supplement to the college curriculum, the AMR was developed as a response to the need for an organized national strategic planning program for undergraduate Chi Psi leaders. In the short term, it has helped several Alphas reach new heights of excellence.

The AMR, conducted over a weekend and led by a trained alumnus volunteer, is a working forum in which a representative group of Alpha leaders discuss and design short-term and long-range goals for their Alphas. Management and leadership information provided by the facilitator is used to forge a new identity for many Alphas and refine the image of others. Undergraduate Chi Psis not only learn vital leadership concepts but how to use them to improve Alpha operations.

The Alpha Management Retreat concept will continue to be important to Chi Psi, and the Trust looks forward to sponsoring these vigorous, exciting sessions for every Alpha. By encouraging and providing guidance for each Alpha to become more successful, the AMR guarantees a positive and satisfying experience for each Chi Psi undergraduate who attends.

The Alpha is responsible for procuring a quiet, isolated setting for the weekend. The Chi Psi Educational Trust, with the cooperation of Chi Psi alumni, bears the major portion of financial obligation for running the Alpha Management Retreat. For 25 years, this has been one of the most successful programs for Chi Psi.

Alpha Board Management Retreat (ABMR)

In 2006-07, Chi Psi created a complementary management retreat for alumni boards. The ABMR is usually held in conjuction with an undergraduate AMR. Both programs have separate facilitators who schedule joint sessions that facilitate mutual goal-setting and achievement. The ABMR has proven effective in increasing communication between the Alpha's undergraduate and alumni leaders. Additioanlly, the program helps these groups create a unifying vision and emables multi-level ownership of objectives and long-range plans.

For more information on these programs, please contact the Central Office.

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