New Article on Sorority Leadership Development

I recently have published a new article with one of my former students (Brian Pearlman, UN Charlotte) as well as my faculty colleague (Dr. Hollie Smith, Stephen F. Austin) and one of my doctoral students (Morgan Pulliam, Stephen F. Austin). We initially presented the findings at the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) in fall 2023 and then the study has been published in the Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship (JCAPS) by the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA). The study was titled “Not Slated: Barriers and Unclear Leadership Development Pathways in Panhellenic Sorority Members” and focused on the leadership experiences of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sorority women and the nuanced ways in which they negotiated the slating process which often can position members out of leadership opportunities if they are not selected for an executive board position earlier in their membership.

It was discovered that not all members had equal access to leadership development opportunities due to institutionalized constraints and unclear pathways. Members sought non-traditional leadership development methods without the backdrop of their own member experiences. Recommendations for practice are presented to incorporate the results of this research into the practice for student engagement professionals, to enhance programming and the student leader experience.

The article is available from JCAPS as open access.