FARMHOUSE
QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK
(From recent Inside FH newsletters)
Conferences
- "I'm thinking about running for President, what is the FarmHouse Leadership Academy?"
- "In looking at the calendar, we'll have already started classes before the Leadership Academy begins. What should we do?"
- "I recall hearing that every chapter would be able to set up a display about their chapter at the 100th Anniversary. Could you provide some more details on how that will work?"
QUESTION OF THE WEEK? --- "I'm thinking about running for President, what is the FarmHouse Leadership Academy?"
RESPONSE --- The FarmHouse Leadership Academy is a 4-day program that occurs the first week of January in Kansas City, Mo. The Academy is a dynamic program that helps equip chapter presidents and recruiters with the tools, resources and support needed to excel during their terms of office. We often have separate tracks for chapter presidents, chapter recruitment coordinators, and chapter treasurers. Each chapter president, recruiter, and treasurer from each chapter is invited to participate in the program.
The Leadership Academy provides a unique opportunity for new chapter leaders to be able to learn, gain new insights and information and share ideas with other leaders from FarmHouse chapters throughout the United States and Canada. The presidents track features programs on leadership, strategic planning, risk management, chapter finances, recruitment, running
effective meetings, conflict resolution, working with associations and alumni, keys to successful chapters and much more.
Thanks to several generous grants from the Foundation and continued support from Associations and Foundation Councils and individual donors, the full cost of the conference is covered for participants. The only cost for participants is for any meals/snacks while traveling and lunch on Sunday. All hotel room costs, airfare/gas reimbursements, meals and program costs are covered through grants from the Foundation.
The 13 chapters within 8 hours distance of Kansas City (or 550 miles 1-way) will be expected to drive to the conference. For those driving, we'll reimburse gas and toll costs for one vehicle per chapter.
We ask new chapter presidents to contact our office as soon as elections take place to make arrangements for you and your new recruiter to attend. Contact us at 800-722-1905.
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QUESTION OF THE WEEK? --- "In looking at the calendar, we'll have already started classes before the Leadership Academy begins. What should we do?"
RESPONSE --- We face this challenge every few years with planning the dates for the FarmHouse Leadership Academy.
It's never been a problem in the past for the presidents and recruiters to be allowed excused absences from school work. Based on past experience and due to the nature of this impactful educational leadership opportunity, we've never ran across a professor or dean of students that didn't provide excused absences and a chance for students to make up any missed work.
As we've done in the past, we'll be more than happy to write a letter to any professors whose class these men will be missing. We'd also encourage anyone facing challenges with the start of the new school year to print off a copy of the schedule that's attached to provide to your
professors and any teaching assistants for courses or labs that you guys will have to miss on Thursday and Friday.
This is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that presidents and new recruiters can't afford to miss. You'll gain so many valuable ideas and so much knowledge about your positions. Just getting a chance to focus for 4 days on your role and sharing ideas with the other 28 new chapter/colony presidents/recruiters is so valuable - not to mention the many focused training programs and sessions to help prepare you for issues you may have to deal with. It'll be an experience you'll never forget
Please let us know at 800-722-1905 if you need us to place some calls or write any letters to professors if any of you are having difficulties with getting the time off to attend the Academy. - JG
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QUESTION OF THE WEEK? --- "I recall hearing that every chapter would be able to set up a display about their chapter at the 100th Anniversary. Could you provide some more details on how that will work?"
RESPONSE --- Trying to capture 100 Years of Success and Achievement in FarmHouse in one weekend will be a next-to-impossible task. We began the chronicle of 100 Years of FarmHouse in Fall 2001, with the start of a 10-part decade-by-decade history series in Pearls & Rubies. It was a broadbrush look at what was happening in FarmHouse each decade. What was impossible to capture was the history of each chapter.
What we hope to capture at the 100th Anniversary Celebration is the unique history that each chapter possesses - photos from the beginning days, the successes and accomplishments of the past and of the current chapter.
Each chapter will be given a 6-foot table to share the history of its chapter. You may choose to utilize your space by developing materials for your chapter's tabletop exhibit display or you may wish to forgo bringing an exhibit display and instead share your chapters' history in other ways on the 6-foot table that will be provided.
That probably leads to the question, what are some things we should include? Here are some ideas to get your chapter and association started:
1) Scrapbooks from the Early Days of your Chapter
2) Enlarged pictures from the Chartering (you might use matting to help with the display)
3) Pictures of older fun brotherhood photos
4) Historical look back at what life was like when chapter chartered - Year, Cost of Dues/House Bills, What was happening in that year (university/society), what was cost of tuition, # of members, enrollment, cost of going on date, etc.
5) Enlarged picture of current chapter house, maybe all past chapter houses and/or the original chapter house (with matting)
6) Enlarged pictures of alumni you want to recognize (maybe past Master Builder recipients, long-time advisors, key alums that have made a difference in the chapter/association/organization, well known alumni)
7) Current 11x14 Chapter Composites
8) A University Pennant, Sweatshirt, banner, flag to show your pride in your university.
9) A Bulletpoint Fact Sheet about Recent Chapter Accomplishments - # of members, GPA, leadership on campus, etc.
It might be a question worth posing to your chapter/alumni listserv - "We have an opportunity to put together a display about our chapter at the FarmHouse 100th Anniversary Celebration, how would you suggest we go about telling the story of our chapter?"
We'd suggest assembling an ad-hoc committee of the chapter and alumni from various eras to begin brainstorming about what your chapters' display will include.
Set up for displays in the Chapter History Display Room will begin Friday morning, April 15th. Displays will need to be set up by 4 pm on Friday, in time for alumni, undergraduates and guests to check them out during our reception in that room prior to the 100th Anniversary Banquet that evening. The displays will need to be set up through the Foundation's 100th Anniversary Thank You Alumni Gala Saturday night so that alumni can view them and reminisce. Chapters can take them down early Sunday morning.
This should be a great opportunity for your chapter to be able to share its history at our Centennial. Please give this the time and attention that will be needed to determine how you want to share your chapters' history during this momentous occasion.
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