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EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
2021 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS RECAP
SAE’s Educational Programs continue to grow and adapt to the needs of our members and chapters/colonies. Realizing that every chapter and colony have their own unique local, state, and campus guidelines to follow in response to COVID-19, the Educational Programs Department developed the most flexible and accessible programming to date. The two most recent programs include the 2021 Virtual Executives Academy and the 2021 Phoenix Member Education Manual.
2021 VIRTUAL EXECUTIVES ACADEMY
On January 9th and 10th, Sigma Alpha Epsilon hosted the first-ever Virtual Executives Academy. Executives Academy provides Eminent Archons, Eminent Deputy Archons, Eminent Treasurers, Recruitment Chairmen, Health and Safety Chairmen, Member Educators, and Advisors with the tools necessary for success in leading their chapters. Thanks to the SAE Foundation, this event was offered at no cost to our attendees. As our third virtual Educational Programs event within the past year, the Virtual Executives Academy was our largest and most successful event to date. Though we couldn’t meet in person, the Executives Academy connected over 230 brothers from across the Realm as they tackled the important issues of their roles as officers. Programming at the event spanned over two days and included a wide array of topics such as Executive Presence, Action Planning, Officer Nuts & Bolts, Health & Safety Training, Coaching, Officer Need-to-Knows, Leaving Your Legacy, and Networking.
On Saturday, January 9th, the event began with undergraduates and alumni logging on to a single Zoom meeting. Hannah Cotton, SAE’s Manager of Education, kicked off the event with an overview of the schedule and what to expect for the weekend. Other speakers included our Eminent Supreme Warden, Mike Rogers, Eminent Supreme Herald, Mark McDonough, Senior Director of Member Education and Development, Spencer Long, and National Ambassador, Ashwin Sinha.
Unlike in-person Executives Academies, members were able to join the event from all four time zones. Whether chapters are meeting in person or online, participants attended the event from their campuses or the comfort of their homes. The advantage of offering the event online is that it allowed some officers to attend for the first time. While traveling expenses and scheduling may hinder chapters from sending more than one or two officers to in-person events, the virtual setting made the event more inclusive and affordable for all executive officers.
The event was an invigorating and reassuring reminder that, even during a pandemic, SAEs continue to thrive and Rise Above. The conversations, connections, and ideas offered by our undergraduate brothers were nicely complemented by the guidance and wisdom of our Supreme Council, staff, facilitators, and advisors. While many organizations are struggling to operate and grow during COVID-19, the participants of the Executives Academy showed that SAEs are leaders and innovators amongst the challenges of the pandemic.
2021 PHOENIX MEMBER EDUCATION MANUAL
In addition to our events, we wanted to make sure our member education provided members with opportunities to stay engaged with each other and the Fraternity in-person or online. The Phoenix Member Education Program rolled out in 2020, and the 2021 edition provides members with even more opportunities to actively engage with their brothers in over 30 available Brother-to-Brother Lessons. Each chapter/colony is able to pick and choose their educational programming based on the needs of their members. We realize every chapter/colony varies from campus to campus, so the newest edition of The Phoenix Member Education Manual empowers chapters/colonies to customize their lesson selection.
The newest iteration of the manual also introduces 6 categories of lessons derived from Fraternity goals set forth by the Supreme Council. The 6 lesson categories are:
Ritual & The Fraternity Scholarship & Academics Leadership & Campus Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Health & Safety Service & Community
With these 6 categories, all members have the opportunity to discuss and experience what it means to be an SAE and a True Gentleman. Like the last manual, the lessons in the 2021 manual allow chapters/colonies to implement the lessons virtually or in person.
2020 ACCOLADE WINNERS
As part of The Phoenix Member Education Program, members are able to earn Accolades (digital badges awarded for attending Brother-to-Brother Lessons and meeting the 7 Expectations of Membership). Once an accolade is awarded, the member receiving that accolade is entered into a drawing to win a number of SAE prizes. Congratulations to our Fall 2020 Accolades Raffle winners:
