Sigma Chi Fraternity

Sigma Chi's Vision: "To become the preeminent collegiate leadership development organization — aligned, focused and living our core values"

By providing members with world class leadership programming, Sigma Chi develops young men into character-based leaders who are committed to the betterment of campus and community. 

All of Sigma Chi's leadership programs are overseen by the Leadership Training Board (LTB), a volunteer committee dedicated to the development and conducting of workshops, seminars, clinics and other programs that will improve the quality of leadership in the Fraternity's members.

Brothers who seek leadership development have many opportunities to do so with Sigma Chi and are encouraged to participate in the following programs.

Balfour Leadership Training Workshop

The Balfour Leadership Training Workshop (Balfour LTW), established in 1947, is a program designed to improve the quality of leadership in the Fraternity. Each August, leaders from Sigma Chi's undergraduate chapters spend four days on a college campus deeply immersed in presentations, discussions and problem-solving sessions that focus on chapter operations and other issues that affect a chapter's viability.

Horizons

Horizons is a challenging and proven leadership development program specifically created for Sigma Chi underclassmen who are eager and willing to improve themselves and their world. At Horizons, undergraduates experience a six-day immersion in whole-brain learning that engages both mind and body.

During the experience, participants explore the inner territories of leadership. Horizons participants learn how a person's leadership is directly linked to his values and character; how to incorporate high-minded values into a lifelong practice of leadership; and how to discover and utilize his talents to reach his full potential.

Mission 365

Mission 365 is Sigma Chi's innovative recruitment training program that intends to enhance the Fraternity membership's quality and quantity. Developed in 2001, Mission 365 was created to address the recruitment issues that existed in many of Sigma Chi's undergraduate chapters.

Chapters who participate in the Mission 365 program can expect to learn how to increase both the quality and quantity of their new members by employing a 365-day recruitment process based upon Sigma Chi values and ideals. The Mission 365 retreat is not a lecture; rather, it is an experiential learning process that actively engages chapter members in the retreat.

Mission 365 retreats are valuable for large chapters as well as small ones. A slightly adapted program focused on increasing member quality while holding membership numbers constant was successfully debuted in 2011.

CHOICES

CHOICES is an innovative alcohol abuse prevention program for college students that was written by Alan Marlatt and George Parks of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington and published by The Change Companies. The program is based upon 20 years of research funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and has been recognized as the most effective approach to alcohol abuse prevention for college students.

Following initial positive implementation of the CHOICES program by the Sigma Chi chapter at the University of Idaho, Sigma Chi International Headquarters teamed up with the program authors to tailor the program specifically for Sigma Chi members. Additionally, the Fraternity partnered with the Betty Ford Institute to provide alcohol and substance abuse training to each CHOICES facilitator. 

The program uses a harm-reduction approach to educate students about the risks associated with excessive alcohol use while engaging them in a self-reflective and group discussion process to evaluate ways that they can socialize while reducing their exposure to harm as a result of high-risk drinking. The program also challenges Sigma Chis to integrate the standards of the Fraternity into their personal decisions about alcohol use.

Journey

The Sigma Chi Fraternity exists in a society that is constantly in motion. In order that Sigma Chi's mission, vision and values remain relevant, it is critical for members to be prepared when facing changing climates. Sigma Chi is meeting this need through the implementation of the Journey chapter retreat program. 

Journey is a set of local chapter retreats that engages and supports undergraduate brothers in a wide range of areas. The first set of Journey retreats are focused on strategic planning, living our values, managing positive change in chapter culture and strengthening brotherhood. Future Journey retreats have the potential to focus on risk management, recruitment, substance use and abuse, and suicide. The Journey program aligns with Sigma Chi’s mission to prepare values-based leaders committed to the betterment of their character, campus and community. The retreats also embody Sigma Chi’s core values of friendship, justice and learning by weaving accountability and feedback across the curriculum.