Sigma Nu's LEAD Program. . . Developing Ethical Leaders for Society

The LEAD Program continues to be recognized as the premier ethical leadership development program in the Greek Community. LEAD, an acronym for Leadership, Ethics, Achievement and Development, is a four-phase program addressing the nature of leadership and ethics in today's world. The LEAD Program also contains sessions

focusing on the health and well-being of college students, including educational efforts aimed at preventing the misuse and abuse of alcoholic beverages.

To assist undergraduates in developing their leadership skills the LEAD Program begins with education on basic leadership styles, organizational strategic planning, consensus goal setting, conflict resolution and decision-making. Each phase of the program includes numerous workshops and sessions dedicated to helping the undergraduates develop these skills. Character development and ethical behavior are emphasized in interactive seminar discussion groups centered on our "Creed" and the mission of our Fraternity. Workshops and exercises dealing with effective communication, goal setting, and the ethics of financial responsibility are also incorporated. In addition to addressing the prevention of the misuse and abuse of alcohol, LEAD focuses on other health and well-being programs including sexual abuse prevention, sexually transmitted disease prevention, fire safety and chapter house maintenance, and spiritual and physical wellness.

The LEAD Program is designed to promote academic success, enhance leadership skills, encourage character development, and advocate a healthy lifestyle. Here is an excerpt from a new book entitled, THE ADMINISTRATION OF FRATERNAL SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS ON AMERICAN CAMPUSES: A Pattern for the New Millennium.

"The LEAD Program of Sigma Nu is unique in its explicit intent to prepare all members, regardless of positional status, for leadership. The curriculum is partially a character development model. . . In addition, the LEAD model includes the 'Social Change Model' that espouses a perspective that is inclusive of all. The message is that brothers all are capable of leadership and that the origin of leadership is conviction and the willingness to act on those things that are most important to them. The idea of conviction as a stimulus to leadership is derived from the courage exhibited by Sigma Nu's founder, James Frank Hopkins, when he opposed hazing at the Virginia Military Institute in the post-Civil War years (1868/69)."

This past academic year, the Fraternity held 18 regional LEAD Institutes educating over 510 undergraduate leaders. The LEAD Institute's interactive curriculum gives participants the information and skills needed to effectively implement the LEAD Program in their chapters. Participants learn the basics of effective facilitation and receive hands-on experience in facilitating experiential learning activities and exercises. Participants are provided with a positive learning environment where they can grow and improve as facilitators and fully understand the LEAD Program

and what it can do for them as well as their chapters. The Fraternity plans to expand the number of LEAD Institutes to 21 this year and 24 next year based upon funding. To learn more about the LEAD Program visit this site.

Today over 8,000 of our undergraduate brothers are experiencing one of the best leadership development programs available, thanks to the support of the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation. The LEAD Program is just one example of the many ways Sigma Nu continues to improve the quality of the fraternity experience in order to prepare our members for life after graduation.