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• The Program for Self-Development (PSD)
• Emmons Alpha Management Retreat (AMR)
• Alumni Board Management Retreat (ABMR)
• Education, Responsibility, Action (ERA)
  • Brotherhood Workshop (BW)

The Program for Self-Development (PSD)

Helps participants learn 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.

Click here for PSD FAQ.

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 conjunction 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.  Additionally, the program helps these groups create a unifying vision and enables multi-level ownership of objectives and long-range plans.

Education, Responsibility, Action (ERA)

"It is an honor and a privilege to be a Chi Psi." - Daniel. B. Ahlberg, MD, N '67, Former #7

The ERA program was developed and delivered through the generosity of the Ahlberg family, and was built upon the story of Cal Hackstaff, ΨΔ '06. Cal found Gordie Bailey in the Psi Delta Lodge library the morning that he died. This program was built upon that tragic experience and teaches our undergraduates how to take care of each other.

The ERA program leverages a discussion of Chi Psi values, the way those translate (or fail to translate) into action in the Alpha, and the behavior of bystanders who see dangerous behavior, yet fail to stop it.

This program is facilitated by an alumnus and takes around two hours to complete. This important program is undergoing revision in the 2019-2020 academic year and will be formally replaced by the Brotherhood Workshop in Fall 2020 (see below).

Brotherhood Workshop (BW)

This program formally replaced the ERA program for all Alphas in the fall of 2020. This new approach to Chi Psi risk management discusses how the ideas of Leadership and Personal Responsibility translate into a crucial component of preserving and protecting the Bonds of Chi Psi - that component being Intervention.

The BW dives into the nuances of intervention in risky behaviors of college life and gives undergraduates strategies to tackle situations that can range from uncomfortable to life-threatening. The program takes a conversational approach to often heavy topics and encourages undergraduates to be their Brother's keeper.

This program is facilitated by an alumnus facilitator and an undergraduate facilitator. It must occur in a space with AV capabilities as it incorporates PowerPoint into the programming. It can be completed virtually or in-person, and there is a video version available on Chi Psi Academy.

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