Greek Alumni

Welcome back to the Capstone.  The year 2007 was a tremendous one for our university.  We saw exciting additions to our campus and welcomed the largest, best and brightest class of freshmen in the history of The University of Alabama.

Last year was also one of tremendous growth and accomplishment for our Greek community.  Fall 2007 saw the largest new member classes our fraternities and sororities have ever seen, including the largest sorority recruitment in the United States.  The size of our Greek community has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, and this growth shows no sign of slowing.

The University of Alabama is committed to the success and well being of our Greek community.  We realize that our success as a university is dependent upon positive undergraduate learning experiences transforming into positive relationships with our alumni.  To this end, we have committed a vast amount of resources to our Greek community in recent years.  To date, we have made over $22 million in loans available to fraternities and sororities for house construction and renovation projects.  We have more than doubled the size of the Greek Affairs staff.  We are developing partnerships with a variety of constituents to ensure the long term health and sustainability of our Greek community.  Our goal is simple – to build the biggest and best Greek community in the United States.

We are proud of our Greek community, and hope you will join us in our commitment to see the community grow and flourish for years to come.

Greek Points of Pride

  • Greek community at Alabama now one of the largest in the nation with nearly 5000 students in 56 organizations
  • 2007 brought largest new member class in history of university, with over 1100 women joining sororities and nearly 800 men joining fraternities
  • The all sorority GPA has been above the all women’s GPA for the last 80 years 
  • The all fraternity average has been above the all men’s average for five of the last six semesters
  • Over $22 million in fraternity and sorority construction and house renovation projects since 2006.
  • Fraternity and sorority members continue to hold leadership positions in student government, campus honorary societies, and other campus organizations
  • Last year, five Greek organizations at UA won their top national awards
  • The university has doubled the size of the Greek Affairs staff, including a Director, Assistant Director and two graduate assistants
  • University created IFC Advisory Board, a group of IFC alumni that work closely with the university in directing the future of IFC fraternities on campus

Greek Leadership Fund

In addition to serving as a social outlet for students at Alabama, the Greek experience at UA is designed to complement learning that takes place inside the classroom with real, practical experiences that will educate students in a variety of areas.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving – Students will be challenged to work through complex organizational problems, working with constituents to develop strategies for change and improvement.

Communication – Students will be challenged to develop the strong written and verbal communication skills needed to succeed in a workplace environment that is increasingly dependent on communication.

Ethical Reasoning and Values Alignment – Students will be challenged to display ethical behavior and sound decision making and to align their actions with their personal values and the values of their fraternal organizations.

Intercultural Competence – Students will be challenged to work in  diverse teams and to understand the complexities of interacting and living in an increasingly multicultural workforce.

Civic Engagement – Students will be challenged to engage with the community at large through service and leadership.

One of the primary goals of the Office of Greek Affairs is to promote these learning outcomes, as well as leadership and personal development among students in fraternities and sororities.  This is accomplished in a number of ways – through our daily interactions with students, through our advising of organizations and governing councils, and through programs designed to promote these ideals.  A sampling of these programs include:

Greek Leadership Summit – Held in January each year, GLS is specifically designed for new chapter presidents, council officers and other key Greek leaders and focuses on leadership development, goal setting and developing a shared vision within the Greek community at Alabama.

New Member Institute – Held in September, NMI is a program designed for Greek new members and focuses on the development of community, teamwork and fraternal values in a fun, interactive environment.

New Member Convocation – Held in September, NMC is a one day program for fraternity and sorority new members/neophytes designed to introduce new members to the Greek community in a positive way.  The program will emphasize interaction between new members from different organizations and councils, the importance of values and standards in the Greek community, and small group conversations about Greek unity, diversity, hazing, and community standards.

Chapter Officer Leadership Academy – Held in February, COLA is an intense, one day training seminar for chapter officers.  Covering functional areas from chapter finances, house management, public relations, recruitment and new member education, COLA offers leaders at the chapter level the opportunity to learn established best practices and develop their leadership skills.

Greek Emerging Leader Seminar – Held over the course of the Spring semester, ELS is an ongoing leadership development opportunity for fraternity and sorority freshmen and sophomores that have been identified in their chapters as future leaders.  The students in ELS meet on a weekly basis and engage in a number of in depth programs regarding accountability, ethical decision making and values-centered leadership.

Professional Development Series – Held over the course of the Fall semester, PDS gives graduating seniors the opportunity to learn pertinent skills related to job searching, interviewing, leadership in the workplace and pairs students with alumni mentors to aid them in their transition from college to the working world.

These programs come at a tremendous cost, and your support of the Greek Leadership Fund will help make these and other programs available to a wider area of Greek undergraduates.  Your tax deductable gift will be used to cover expenses associated with these programs, including speakers fees, transportation, lodging and program development.  To contribute to the Greek Leadership Fund, please click here.