Essential Competencies for Effective Chapter Advising

Building Success, Step-by-Step Advisor Training, is an online series offering 11 courses that cover essential competencies for effective chapter advising. Participating will equip you with the knowledge and strategies to effectively mentor student leaders and foster inclusive, high-impact campus engagement. Through a variety of modules participants gain practical tools to support thriving, resilient chapters.

Each course includes a video recorded by Dave Kelly, “America’s Student Leadership Trainer,” and a leading expert in student organization advising. Alpha Lambda Delta has partnered with Dave in the development of this series.

Successfully complete 8 out of 11 self-paced courses and receive a Building Success Certificate of Completion. Average individual course length is approximately 45 minutes. When you complete a minimum of 8 courses and are ready to receive your Certificate of Completion, email eileen@nationalald.org. Please indicate your name as you’d like it on the certificate and your institution. A certificate will be emailed to you within a week of receiving your notice of completion.

Featured Speaker:

As a professional speaker, trainer, motivator, and team builder Dave Kelly teaches students, professionals, and all audiences how to develop their leadership skills, run their organizations more effectively, and become serving leaders. An expert on leadership, organizational success, and community service, he has spoken and trained more than 700 times for college and university campuses, including 250+ virtual programs, and for over 100 higher education and youth conferences and events across the United States. He brings humor, energy, and fun to all of his presentations.

Dave is an associate member of the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA) and has twice been named as the APCA Campus Speaker of the Year, 2019 and 2022. He is the founder and national coordinator of APCA’s community service initiative APCA Serves!  Additionally, he is an associate member of and keynote speaker for the American Student Government Association (ASGA) and an Associate of the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities (COCA). He was named as the COCA Lecturer of the Year for 2023.

Dave Kelly was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta in 1980 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Courses:

History and Pillars of ALD

Alpha Lambda Delta (ALD) was founded in 1924 by Maria Leonard, the Dean of Women at the University of Illinois, to recognize academic excellence among first-year students. It has enjoyed a rich history for more than 100 years, with over 400 chapters recognized and over 1.3 million lifetime members. Over the past several years we have developed pillars as a way to focus chapter activity and provide opportunities for engagement beyond academics. The Five Pillars of Alpha Lambda Delta—Academics, Scholarships, Service, Career Development, and Belonging—form the foundation of the honor society. Chapters are encouraged, but not required, to incorporate these pillars into their programming, from study support and scholarship awareness to service projects and career readiness initiatives. By embracing these pillars, ALD fosters a sense of community and long-term success for its members.

Your Role as Advisor

Advisors play a crucial role in maintaining the continuity of an Alpha Lambda Delta chapter by providing stability and guidance as student leaders come and go. They serve in various capacities, from ensuring compliance with policies and fostering leadership development to supporting academic success and encouraging student engagement. By actively listening, allowing students to learn from mistakes, and building connections with other advisors, they create an environment where student members can thrive.

Promoting ALD to Campus and Students

Promoting ALD is a year-round endeavor. It’s not just for those who are invited and eligible. It’s equally important to promote ALD to prospective invitees to motivate them to strive for excellence in their first year and so that they recognize the name when they are invited. Proactive public relations efforts, such as hosting study sessions, academic workshops, and campus-wide events, help build awareness and credibility for the honor society.

Understanding Today’s Student

College students today represent a diverse population with varying backgrounds, experiences, and needs, making it essential for advisors to genuinely understand and connect with them as individuals rather than treating them as a homogeneous group. Technology plays a pivotal role in modern students' lives, creating both opportunities and challenges for engagement. Successful advisors recognize that students view college as a dual pathway for career preparation and personal growth, and can leverage chapter activities to develop transferable skills that employers value, such as leadership, communication, and professionalism.

Helping Students Run Effective Meetings

Effective chapter meetings require thoughtful preparation, including well-structured agendas, clearly defined roles for the chairperson, and intentional efforts to encourage member participation beyond just officer involvement. The chairperson, typically the Chapter President, holds responsibility for running meetings fairly, following the agenda, facilitating discussion, and ensuring all voices are heard without dominating the conversation. Chapter advisors should encourage officers to create welcoming meeting environments where members feel valued and included through strategies like assigning greeting roles, inviting non-officers to lead meeting elements, and implementing basic parliamentary procedures such as hand-raising to maintain order while still keeping meetings engaging enough that members genuinely want to attend.

Event and Program Planning

Effective event planning in student organizations requires a dedicated chairperson who takes ownership without micromanaging. Encouraging creativity with themes while properly delegating responsibilities helps manage stress and provides leadership opportunities for multiple members. Following institutional policies is essential for events, which ultimately create memorable experiences and help students develop important leadership skills.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging

While Alpha Lambda Delta eligibility is for students with a 3.50 GPA in their first year, creating a diverse, equitable, inclusive environment where members feel they belong requires intentional effort. Chapters should broaden their definition of diversity beyond race and ethnicity, provide equitable opportunities for all members to thrive in leadership roles, and actively create a welcoming culture through personal recruitment and orientation to available opportunities. This course will emphasize the importance of making every eligible student feel wanted and that they belong in Alpha Lambda Delta.

Keeping Members Engaged

To keep members engaged, chapters should offer a diverse range of activities and opportunities, implementing a strategic approach that includes giving members responsibilities, using a point-based tracking system with rewards, pairing new members with role models, and fostering a sense of community. By focusing on these engagement strategies, chapters can create an energetic and involved membership that goes beyond simply adding an achievement to a resume.

Facilitating Conflict Resolution

Conflict is an inevitable challenge in student organizations, arising from diverse backgrounds, communication breakdowns, and personal stressors, which requires careful, impartial navigation by advisors. Advisors should approach conflict resolution by remaining unemotional, asking probing questions, allowing students to develop their own solutions, and maintaining consistency with past precedents while focusing on creating teachable moments. The key to managing conflict is effective communication, equipping student leaders with strategies like addressing issues directly, praising publicly, criticizing privately, and separating individuals from their positions.

Leadership Transitions

Leadership transition is a critical process for student organizations that begins at the start of the year with careful documentation and strategic planning. A successful transition involves creating a comprehensive archive of materials, conducting a detailed leadership retreat that includes role reviews, goal setting, team building, and passing on institutional knowledge from outgoing to incoming leaders. By being intentional about this process, chapters can ensure continuity, build strong team dynamics, and create a sustainable legacy of success.

Best Practices - Award Winning Advisors

Hear from award-winning advisors as they share insight into effective chapter advising.