“RISE” to the Occasion: Pre-Convention Advisor Academy By Ashley Hoogstraten, Beta Pi
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S U M M E R 2016
onvention got off to an early start on Wednesday, June 22, where Chapter Advisory Board members attending Advisor Academy were introduced to a new competency model. Developed in collaboration with R.I.S.E. Partnerships and supported by a grant from the Alpha Sigma Tau National Foundation, the competency model focuses on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for advisors to be successful with their chapters. Nearly 50 Chapter Advisory Board members from across the country attended. Advisors heard from R.I.S.E. CEO Dan Wrona during an interactive and informative program that shared and discussed findings of pre-event surveys and focus groups designed to better understand advisor needs. Armed with those findings, Dan invited, and sometimes challenged, the group’s perceptions about how effective competency models can benefit chapter success. After providing an overview of the competency model development process and initial findings, Dan engaged the group in a lengthy dialogue exploring and discussing the role of an advisor, and asked participants to reflect on how the position as outlined in the competency model aligned with advisors’ existing understanding of their responsibilities. He then asked advisors to identify how their work supported the mission,
vision, values, strategic plan, and operational performance of Alpha Sigma Tau. Next, Dan guided participants through more than 100 competencies in 24 categories, including areas like accountability, facilitation, and policies. Each advisor self-assessed for where he or she excels and where there is room for development. The large group honed in on some commonly identified areas of growth, and then broke into smaller groups to brainstorm ideas for improvement and new resources that could be provided to enhance advisors’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes in that given area. For example, one of the common growth areas identified was recognizing and addressing common patterns of group dynamics in a chapter. Advisors said they observe group-think and cliques as a common challenge, and discussed possible solutions, such as chapter teamwork models that separate cliques and foster inclusion. Dan concluded the day with an observation that he has not seen another organization with such structure and support for their Chapter Advisory Board members, let alone an entire program like Advisor Academy dedicated to the group. Afterward, attendees had a “sweet time” at local favorite, the Candy Apple Café. The group had a light dinner and enjoyed a candy-making demonstration.