Officer Academy 2023
Another impactful Officer Academy is in the books!
January 6–7, 2023, nearly 400 incoming collegiate chapter Executive Committee members took part in Officer Academy!
To make this cornerstone leadership opportunity accessible to every incoming Executive Committee member, the curriculum was delivered virtually in a hybrid model.
Leadership On-Demand
First, participants completed leadership lessons in an online, on-demand format. The curriculum featured core leadership principles that help these chapter leaders manage interpersonal and situational challenges and opportunities they’ll face in their new positions—and in any role leading or being on a team:
- Project management
- Delegation
- Leadership styles
- Managing emotion
- Navigating conflict
Officer Academy LIVE!
For the live portion of Officer Academy, participants were grouped by officer role and with similar chapters. In these groups, Sisters applied their new knowledge, collaborated to solve the scenarios, and truly connect with one another as Sisters. The live portion also included two panels featuring collegians and advisors.
Powered by donors to the AΣΤ Foundation
Officer Academy is only possible thanks to Sisters and friends who donate to the AΣΤ Foundation. Please make a gift of any amount to keep the Alpha Sigma Tau experience strong.
Officer Academy, one of Alpha Sigma Tau’s cornerstone educational events, is back January 6-7, 2023!
Incoming collegiate chapter Executive Committee officers: Invest in yourself and become the best leader you can be. Join us for Officer Academy 2023!
Throughout the Officer Academy experience, collegiate Executive Committee officers will participate in EQUIP: Officer Skills Training. Developed by RISE Partnerships, an industry-leading organization, this curriculum gives new collegiate chapter leaders the skills to manage the interpersonal and situational challenges and opportunities they will face in their new positions.
Officer Academy Overview
What’s the schedule for Officer Academy?
While there’s pre-work for attendees to complete beforehand, Officer Academy 2023 live programming will take place virtually January 6-7, 2023.
Friday, January 6, 2023
10-10:30 a.m. ET | Welcome and Introduction to Officer Academy | Large Group Webinar
10:30-11 a.m. ET | Meet and Greet Your Team | Position Cohorts
11-11:30 a.m. ET | BREAK
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET | What Would You Do? | Position Cohorts
12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m. ET | BREAK
1-1:45 p.m. ET | Student Leader Panel | Large Group Webinar
1:45-1:55 p.m. ET | BREAK
1:55-2:40 p.m. ET | Adjusting Your Plan | Position Cohorts
2:40-3:10 p.m. ET | BREAK
3:10-4 p.m. ET | Refining Your Plan | Chapter Cohorts
4-4:30 p.m. ET | Scenario Resolution and Homework for Day 2 | Large Group Webinar
Saturday, January 7, 2023
10-10:15 a.m. ET | Welcome to Day 2 | Large Group Webinar
10:15-11:30 a.m. ET | Work the Problem | Position Cohorts
11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET | BREAK
12-1 p.m. ET | Take What You Need… | Chapter Cohorts
1-1:30 p.m. ET | BREAK
1:30-2:15 p.m. ET | Advisor Panel | Large Group Webinar
2:15-2:25 p.m. ET | BREAK
2:25-3:10 p.m. ET | Sisterly Support | Position Cohorts
3:10-3:30 p.m. ET | My Next 30 Days | Large Group Webinar
3:30-4 p.m. ET | Closing | Large Group Webinar
What will I gain from taking part in Officer Academy?
Officer Academy 2023 is designed to equip all participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to be an effective leader. While we focus on your leadership role in Alpha Sigma Tau, the skills you learn and develop throughout the program translate to any role leading or being on a team.
This year’s curriculum has been updated and re-vamped to create an even more engaging learning experience. The program is organized into three sections covering a variety of topics including:
Personal leadership: Managing yourself and your leadership approach
- Leadership styles
- Personal wellness
- Identifying boundaries
- Project management
Interpersonal leadership: Managing others
- Engaging your members
- Delegating responsibility
- Managing emotions
- Navigating conflict
Situational leadership: Troubleshooting difficult situations
- Technical and adaptive leadership
- Critical thinking techniques
- Resettling and adjusting
- Resources and support
How does this program work?
Officer Academy is broken into two parts: pre-work through the Alpha Sigma Tau Learning Lounge and the live virtual sessions conducted via Zoom.
Pre-work
An Officer Academy 2023 course will be available in the Learning Lounge no later than December 5, 2022. All Officer Academy attendees must complete the pre-work prior to the Officer Academy Live Virtual Experience.
Officer Academy Live Virtual Experience
Participants will have the opportunity to identify and work through potential leadership challenges they may face during their term through a scenario-based learning experience. The experience will include both large and small group sessions.
Participants will also be expected to complete pre-and-post program surveys.
It’s important to note that Officer Academy curriculum is not designed as position-specific training. Position-specific training courses and resources are available as part of the New Officer Onboarding program.
Who can participate in Officer Academy?
All Executive Committee officers (Chapter President and Vice Presidents) are invited and strongly encouraged to participate in Officer Academy. Regardless of which position she holds in the chapter, each participant will leave Officer Academy with new skills, ideas, and resources related to leadership, accountability, delegation, and more.
How much does it cost?
Each collegiate chapter will be billed a one-time registration fee on Feburary 15, 2023, based on the number of officers from your chapter who successfully complete the program. Successful completion means registered participants complete the required pre-work course and participate in all live virtual sessions in their entirety.
We believe so strongly in the Officer Academy: EQUIP Officers Skills Training Program to prepare collegiate chapter Executive Committee officers that we will decrease the registration fee as the number of Executive Committee officers from your chapter who successfully complete the program increases.
Chapters will be assessed a registration fee as follows:
- 6 to 8 officers – FREE!
- 4 to 5 officers – $250 fee + plan for training officers not in attendance
- 1 to 3 officers – $400 + plan for training officers not in attendance
- 0 officers – $750 + plan for training officers not in attendance
In addition, chapters with five (5) or fewer Executive Committee officers completing the program must submit a written plan for how they will train and prepare the Executive Committee officers who did not participate.
What if I have an unavoidable conflict and cannot attend? Will my chapter be billed for my absence?
We understand there may be some unavoidable circumstances that will prevent Executive Committee officers from participating. We will provide an exemption toward the total count of your chapter’s participating officers for the following circumstances with appropriate documentation submitted via the Officer Academy Exemption Request Form in Officer Portal by Sunday, December 18:
- Official Panhellenic recruitment events – the chapter must submit the official Panhellenic-approved recruitment schedule detailing the dates and times of recruitment rounds. Only one officer must submit the exemption request on behalf of the chapter. (Note, this exemption does not include recruitment-related events scheduled by the chapter).
- Enrollment in credit-bearing academic courses with course expectations on Friday, January 6 – the officer must provide a copy of an official course schedule showing the class day and time that conflicts.
- Credit-bearing internship or study abroad – the officer must provide a copy of an official program letter with the dates of the program.
- Collegiate athletic event or competition – the officer must provide the event or competition schedule.
- Severe illness or hospitalization – the officer must provide a doctor’s note documenting the date treatment was sought or needed.*
- Family death or funeral – officer should contact Angie Bong at abong@alphasigmatau.org or 317-613-7229.*
Requests for exemption outside these circumstances will not be considered and chapters.
*Documentation is not required to be submitted by December 18.
How can I register?
Executive Committee Elect officers can register for Officer Academy via Officer Portal under “Submit a Form.” The form will be located under the “Forms that Can Be Completed at Anytime” section. All registrations must be submitted by December 18, 2022.
Note: Participants must be reported in an Officer Elect position in MCR, with the update reflected in Officer Portal, before registration will be available. So if your chapter elected new officers but hasn’t updated your officer listings yet, you’ll need to do that first.
What will I need to prepare?
Each participant will need to complete the following:
- Register individually via Officer Portal no later than December 18, 2022.
- Complete the Officer Academy pre-survey no later than January 3. The survey link will be included in the confirmation email you will receive after registering.
- Complete the assigned Officer Academy 2023 course in the Learning Lounge by 10 a.m. ET on January 6, 2023. The course will be available no later than December 5, 2022.
- Attend all sessions of the Officer Academy 2023 program.
In addition, it is strongly recommended that all participants have access to a laptop or desktop computer to optimize the participation experience. In addition, participants should have a device with a web camera and microphone and/or headphones to be able to participate fully.
Questions about Officer Academy 2023? Contact Angie Bong, Chief Operating Officer, at abong@alphasigmatau.org or 317-613-7229.
Officer Academy and EQUIP: Officer Skills Training were made possible by a generous grant from the Alpha Sigma Tau National Foundation. Invaluable leadership opportunities like this are only possible thanks to donors who support the Foundation. Thank you for empowering the next generation of women to excel in life. Click here if you would like to support leadership programs like Officer Academy.
Curriculum Overview
Setting Direction
Participants kicked off their Officer Academy experience by completing a dashboarding activity in which they evaluated and then depicted their chapter’s current state on a number of dimensions of chapter health, including sense of sisterhood, health and safety, operations, academic performance, affinity and pride, and member engagement, among others. Participants then crafted a vision for their desired chapter state and developed goals for how to get from the current state to the desired state.
Leading Your Team: Engaging Members
Participants learned about how to involve and motivate members in meaningful ways through examining the “Power of Law”—a realistic and achievable theory of getting members to give just 5% more. Participants “worked their roster” to identify members with untapped talents and gifts that need to be reengaged through relationship building and then role-played asking those members for help in ways that were specific and personal.
Leading Your Team: Aligning Members
Participants explored the three keys to accountability: setting expectations, communicating expectations, and reinforcing expectations. They examined their own chapter’s cultural norms and evaluated the degree of alignment with desired expectations or behaviors. Participants then brainstormed ways to reward and encourage the more desired behaviors, while reducing reinforcement of undesired behaviors. Participants also discussed member personalities that might prove challenging, and practice skills for caring conversations using a confrontation framework.
Planning and Execution
Participants were challenged on the assumption that “members just aren’t engaged” and asked to consider that engagement is directly correlated to the energy-level and desirability of the events and activities we do. Participants were tasked with thinking through what turns an event from an “energy-suck” to an “energy-boost” and learned specific skills for event prototyping, breaking down the work into manageable parts, building and assigning the task list, and planning the calendar. Put it all together, and you have a recipe for a well-thought-out, engaging, and well-organized event.
Alpha Sigma Tau Leadership: Tools and Resources
Participants received an overview of important Alpha Sigma Tau tools and resources available to help support their success during their officer term. The program reviewed what, where, and why of the Chapter Support Team, Basecamp, Officer Portal, MyChapterRoom (MCR), Billhighway, CrowdChange, Parson-Bishop Services, and the Brand Toolkit.