When I think about my college
leadership experience I can easily raddle off a list of programs, positions and
seminars that I have attended to help define my leadership skills. This list,
no matter its length or intensity, will always have one experience that stands
out among the rest. That single leadership experience has made me the leader
that I proudly am today and I am grateful for the opportunity to have
participated in it. The name of the program was UIFI; Undergraduate
InterFraternal Institute. This program is ran by the North-American
Interfraterntiy Conference (NIC) and is held each summer in at Indian University.
It is an intensive, weeklong leadership seminar for emerging leaders in the
Greek Community. Let me define Greek before we go any further, I mean Greek as
in college social Fraternities and Sororities. I was proudly able to attend
this conference representing my National Organization as the delegate for my
chapter. I absolutely adored the experience. I feel that it is something that
any college leader in the Greek Life Community should look into. I left the experience
with knowledge, confidence, inspiration and the skills to lead my chapter in a
bright new direction.
Skills that are imparted by this experience:
Inspiration and Vision
I feel that being a leader can
sometimes be a position with a “title only” connotation. Some leaders go
through the motions in order to put titles on their resume or feel a sense of self-gratification.
This institute goes so much deeper thatn this surface level. UIFI encourages members
to TTP – Trust the Process and throughout the week the sessions get more personal
challenging. Conversations about values and congruency occur and one is forced
to think on a different level. I left
the institute with the overall theme of inspiration and vision to guide Greek
Life members into a new stage of leadership.
Current applications are now available
for this summers UIFI; Please encourage young, passionate and engaging Greek members
to attend this conference.
http://www.nicindy.org/programs/uifi/
