Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity

EDGE is a high-energy overnight program that offers SigEp’s newest members the type of outside-the-classroom education that is hard to find at most colleges and universities.  As students are adjusting to college, SigEp provides them a curriculum that stresses how to overcome obstacles and create healthy habits for a lifetime of achievement.  EDGE participants can expect to return home with a foundation for a successful life in college and beyond.

College men today face many challenges: the pressure to fit in or to be different, the pressure to drink alcohol or use drugs, and the pressure of balancing a social life with the rigors of a tough academic schedule.  Throughout this overnight program, undergraduates participate in teambuilding activities, small group discussions, large group presentations and a variety of activities to build self-awareness and reflect on personal goals.

New members also learn critical leadership skills for the Fraternity and their everyday lives.  The program includes a look at our Ritual, our values and a discussion about why they matter.

The Carlson Leadership Academy (CLA) provides interactive officer training to over 2,600 undergraduates and volunteers annually.  Many undergraduates run for executive board positions because they have great goals and visions for their chapter.  Attending a CLA ensures an officer will have the skills to manage a committee and follow through on those goals.  The program also helps executive boards work together to ensure they all have goals consistent with a unified vision for the chapter.

The Academies are held in February, soon after most officer elections, and chapters are encouraged to bring all new officers, rising chapter leaders and engaged volunteers.

CLA provides education for each specific officer position, as well as strategic planning and goal setting, and chapter leadership.  The program emphasizes the use of each officer’s individual strengths to build a complete team. Participants spend time on chapter analysis, large and small group sessions and informal interactions with other chapters. Participants will enhance their skill sets and leadership abilities to help them as chapter officers, in other leadership roles, in group projects and eventually in the work force for the rest of their lives.

The Frank J. Ruck Leadership Institute is an intense five-day event for SigEp’s top rising leaders.  The Fraternity’s best and brightest gather in Va. over the summer for a program focused on personal leadership skills and the Balanced Man Ideal.  Prominent SigEp alumni serve as mentors and guide Ruck scholars through competitive challenges and lessons in leadership.

Participants are stretched both mentally and physically, and pushed to explore their potential.  The result is that Ruck scholars learn about their leadership styles, and how to apply them to different situations.  The program’s mission is, “Teaching the few to impact the many,” and Ruck scholars all return to their campus ready to utilize their new skills to impact their campus and community.

Ruck scholars are selected for their leadership experience on campus and in the community, as well as a commitment to Sound Mind and Sound Body.  Ruck scholars must be strong students and physically active.

The Ruck Leadership Institute was conceived in 1988, with a curriculum based on the world-renowned book, The Leadership Challenge, co-authored by Brother Barry Posner, California- Santa Barbara ’70.

The Tragos Quest to Greece is a powerful overseas experience that is unmatched in the fraternity world. Participants are stretched mentally and physically during a 10-day journey through Greece in mid-June. Each scholar prepares for the trip with multiple books, and various classic writings and plays. Once there, they get to see the very mountains and seas that serve as settings for these stories.

This year's Tragos Quest to Greece will be June 13-23, 2013.

The undergraduates are joined by alumni mentors and a professor who help lead scholastic discussions. In addition to the readings, other topics of discussion focus on personal experiences relating to SigEp’s core values. With a diverse pool of backgrounds, the group’s members challenge each other to think about their world differently.

Inspired by the ancient Greek ideals of Sound Mind and Sound Body, the Tragos Quest to Greece provides an opportunity for undergraduates, mentors and professors to experience Greek culture and contemplate the origins of Sigma Phi Epsilon.  The idea that a balanced man requires a sound mind and sound body goes back to the time of Aristotle 2,600 years ago.

Life After College, SigEp’s newest leadership event, is focused on preparing upperclassman to be successful personally and professionally as they transition from college to the ‘real world’. Today’s college students face an especially competitive job market and high expectations from employers who are looking for the perfect fit for their companies. Life After College is designed to equip SigEp upperclassmen with the guidance, tools and techniques they will need to stand out among job applicants and keep up with the life skills they will need when they are on their own.

At this one-day event, participants learn:

• How to find a career they are passionate about
• Best practices for resume writing
• How to be successful in the job search process
• Proper business etiquette
• Strategies for how to best manage their finances after college
• And much more!

Throughout the day, participants can network and ask questions of the successful alumni, local business leaders, and human resource professionals who are facilitating these sessions. Besides just preparing the participants professionally for life after college, facilitators also spent time empowering the participants to think about and plan how they will maintain a sound mind and sound body after college and live a life guided by the principles of virtue, diligence, and brotherly love.

SigEp’s Grand Chapter Conclave is the largest gathering of fraternity brothers in the world.  Over 1,400 brothers and guests descend on one resort for five action-packed days every other summer.  Nobody forgets their first Conclave, and there’s a reason brothers keep coming back for more.

Imagine spending a long weekend at a beautiful resort— and every inch of it is filled with SigEps.  From the golf course and the pool to the restaurants and bars, SigEps take over the town during this unforgettable event.  Conclave provides a great opportunity to catch up with old friends, and make plenty of new ones from across the country.

One highlight of the week includes the Balanced Man Celebration, which offers exciting speakers and videos, and the presentation of Buchanan Cups to SigEp’s best chapters.

The Alumni Awards Dinner features the presentation of SigEp’s two highest individual honors: the Order of the Golden Heart and the SigEp Citation.  SigEp confers the Order of the Golden Heart medallion upon men who have dedicated a lifetime of service to the Fraternity.  Each of these brothers is called to the stage to share a memory or some words of wisdom, often before the shock of hearing their name called has worn off.  SigEp presents the Citation to brothers who have reached the pinnacle of their career field.  These brothers are announced in advance and invited to speak about their experiences.  Past recipients have excelled in varied occupations from astronauts and educators to Hollywood movie stars and professional athletes.

Conclave is also the time for the undergraduate delegation to vote on new bylaws that govern the Fraternity.  Historic decisions like the removal of race restrictions have been proposed and passed by undergraduates on the Conclave floor.  The delegation also elects the men who will lead the Fraternity in the two-year span between Conclaves.