Accreditation Program

The Chi Phi Fraternity is the model of all value-based organizations that have come after us. We expect our Chapters to be accountable to our founding principles and demonstrate mission and action congruence in all that they do. Many Greek systems, colleges and universities, as well as, international/national Greek organizations have instituted accreditation processes over the past several years to assist their Chapters in living up to their founding principles and affirm their relevance to their respective communities. This incentive-based accreditation program effectively reinforces mission and action congruence and also achieves the following objectives; provide the ability to benchmark the Fraternity’s overall performance and forecast trends, streamline our resources in assessing our Chapters/colonies, and provide our groups with objective, documentable standards for achievement and recognition.

Designed specifically with the Fraternity’s primary strategic plan objectives in mind, the program examines our Chapters’ operations in ten areas using the Chi Phi Standards of Chapter Excellence as its foundation. Over the past two years the Grand Council’s Accreditation Committee has met in person and via teleconference, conferred with professionals in other organizations, as well as, officials at Emory, Bucknell and Lehigh Universities and piloted an accreditation program in survey form with a sample of 43 of our active Chapters and colonies. In addition, this program was based on previous groundwork established by former staff, alumni and undergraduate volunteers in effort to create a developmental resource to aid our active Chapters, colonies and alumni organizations.

The categories included are:
• Continuity – Recruitment and Retention
• Proactive Risk Management
• Asset Stewardship – Financial and Property Management
• Academic Health
• Total Membership Development
• Heritage and Traditions
• Chapter/Colony Operations
• Organizational Networking and Community Engagement
• Leadership Advancement
• Alumni Relations

Our value as a national Fraternity can only be achieved and preserved by the principles upheld by our individual Chapters and Brothers. To maintain distinction, Chi Phi has long sought to develop a reliable, objective and fair method of holding ourselves accountable to the Standards of Excellence befitting the prestige of our Order. We believe this program is that mechanism.

The Chi Phi Chapter Accreditation Program is a developmental assessment and awards program that acknowledges those Chapters/Colonies that meet and exceed our standards. In this program, Chapter Alphas will be responsible for the submission of a semi-annual self assessment via an on-line application process, which will include relevant supporting documentation. It is also expected that each Chapter and Colony will establish their own standing accreditation committee to support the process.

Recognizing the value of achievement and the need for institutional adoption throughout all levels of the Fraternity, included in the program are proposed incentives for those Chapters that achieve accreditation for two consecutive semesters, as well as, incentives for Chapters that achieve two consecutive semester of a higher standard or “Accreditation with Distinction.” To give the program significance, there are increasingly effective selections of developmental mandates for Chapters that fail to achieve accredited status for two or more consecutive semesters. Those developmental mandates will begin after two consecutive semester of failing to achieve accredited status and progressively increase with each additional semester spent below expectations.