Implementation of strategic plans in campus Greek Life has led to quadrupled community service hours and money spent on philanthropies, said Kay Bales, vice president for student affairs.
On Oct. 20, Bales and President Paul W. Ferguson taught just over 200 Greek Life members how to set goals with strategic planning. The session, arranged by Sigma Nu, gave insight on how to develop and implement those goals.
Bales said Greek Life has experienced rapid change and development over the past eight years due to their clear goals.
Since 2007, Greek Life on campus has showed a significant increase in attendance and ethics, she said. Greek Life participation has doubled to 14.7 percent of the student body.
Community service hours have increased from 7,148 to 31,815. The dollar amount chapters spent on their philanthropies also increased from $41,902 to $171,123. Bales said these increases were all due to implementing strategic plans within the chapters at Ball State.
Ferguson's strategic plan—the Centennial Commitment—gives the university a more effective way of both creating as well as carrying out goals for an organization, he said.
“We are not preaching at you; that’s the last thing we want to do," Ferguson said. "We are here simply because we believe in what you do."
He's had experience in forming a strategic plan, and he said the idea can be hard to grasp, but it's well worth the hard work.
Making goals can help Greek Life leaders across campus improve their chapter in the long run, said Jacy Pohl, a junior nursing major and Sigma Kappa member.
“Greek life has many leaders all over campus, not just involved in their organizations, but other organizations throughout campus," Pohl said. "They can take these ideas and bring them back to all these organizations and really make an impact on campus and implement the mission statement and everything that Ball State stands for."
Bales said Sigma Phi Epsilon, about to close after being reviewed and stripped of all but 15 members, built itself back up by using a strategic plan. The chapter is now a well-known and respected part of the campus’ Greek life, she said.
Stone Robbins, a junior history major and Lambda Chi Alpha member, said strategic planning gives an effective way to carry out goals the chapter has.
"It gives you a clear-cut path to not only share where you as an individual want to take your chapter, but where the next few generations of members of your chapter want to go as well,” Robbins said. “Its kind of a recipe for success, you can take it outside into a career, into a business. Just about anything you want to succeed at, you need to have a plan for where you want to go."
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