KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – Imagine you are returning from lunch, walking back to the hotel to start the second half of your day at the 2018 Webb Academy. You begin to settle in, preparing your notes, relaxing, refueled and regeared to dive back into the curriculum with your facilitators. From behind the heavy double doors at the back of the room, in walks National President Jonathan Proehl, UW – River Falls and Chief Executive Officer Steve Latour. They enter the room determined and confident. At this moment, you realize why you ran for Chapter President, why you are attending Webb Academy, and how crucial being Chapter President is to your chapter.

This life of a Chapter President is filled with to-do lists of tasks, responsibilities, and ever-present worries which can be daunting at times. Unfortunately, there is no magic game plan, perfect recipe, or a prescriptive model or set of steps for a Chapter President to be successful during his term.

However, Webb Academy offers a time for men in officer roles to gather together to become more effective leaders, develop personal and chapter goals, and to design a framework for chapter success. This three-day action-packed leadership-development program provides intense training for the officers to be adequately prepared and effectively equipped to take on their respective roles as leaders.

Specifically, Webb Academy offers a time for Chapter Presidents to have real, honest, and raw conversations with one another regarding realistically where they are as Chapter Presidents, and as chapters. No topic, fear, or struggle was off-limits. They posed one another with striking questions such as “What would your campus be without your chapter? Would it be better, or worse?

As the chief elected officer of the chapter, Chapter President wears a lot of hats and bears much responsibility. Everything they do is a direct reflection of their chapter and the organization. This stress can take a toll on the men we choose to lead our chapters. Therefore, it is imperative that at Webb Academy, these men delved into emotional resilience, what it means to be vulnerable as a president, what barriers are inhibiting forward progress, and the importance of acutely assessing their selves as men, and their chapter.

Ben Hopper, the Lead Facilitator for the President’s Track, said to the men, “You need to think to yourselves, ‘Webb Academy may be long hours, and I have a million more things on my mind or that I’d rather be doing… but I took an oath to be a noble and courageous gentleman, and I want to lead, and ultimately leave the chapter better.'”

All attendees were able to sit down with each other, including men such as National President, Jonathan Proehl, to share trials, tribulations, and triumphs of their chapters. They listened and learned from their friends, mentors, and fellow brothers.

AJ Robbel, Chapter President of the Associate Chapter at Iowa State had this to say about his experience at Webb Academy:

“I didn’t really know what to expect coming into it, I kind of just thought it would be a nice networking tool to meet other presidents and other guys in the officer roles. But throughout the different courses of seminars, speakers, and small and large group activities, I think I have taken it to a more personal level and everything is something I can bring back to my chapter.”

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ABOUT SIGMA TAU GAMMA FRATERNITY

Founded in Warrensburg, Missouri at the University of Central Missouri. On June 28, 2020, the fraternity will commemorate its 100th Anniversary. Today, there are more than 2,500 undergraduate members on 82 college/university campuses in 31 states. There are over 61,000 living alumni. The Fraternity is headquartered 60 miles east of downtown Kansas City in Warrensburg, Missouri. Additional information about the fraternity is available at https://sigtau.org/