What is The Gathering Grant?

What stops great ideas from becoming reality? The money to make them happen. What would be possible if you had $5000 to get your idea off the ground? After attending, participants are allowed to submit and vote on the best proposal which is chosen to receive a $5000 grant as venture capital/start up funding. We are putting the funds behind the best new idea. Submissions are required to share and make their work publicly available for all to use and learn from. Successful proposals come from the emergent thinking of our time together at The Gathering event.

Teniell Trolian

Teniell is the Assistant Director for Greek Affairs in the Center for Student Involvement at Kent State University. Teniell earned a B.A. in Sociology from Ohio State University in 2001, and an M.A. in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University in 2005.

Project Title:
Increasing Fraternity/Sorority Professional Competence: Impacting the Fraternal Movement through Professional Learning and Development

As fraternity/sorority professionals, it is imperative that we develop competence as Educators, Values Aligners, Collaborators, Advisors, Administrators, Researchers, Innovators, and Leaders (Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors, 2007), and engage in career‐long learning and development in order to support a meaningful experience for students and advance the Fraternal Movement. According to Carpenter and Stimpson (2007), professional development is “the career‐long process of professional improvement” (p. 275), where one seeks out opportunities to learn about, engage in, and contribute to their chosen profession. The purpose of this project will be to support and facilitate the learning and development of professionals, in order to develop a body of knowledgeable, skilled, and prepared professionals who will play a significant role in the success of the Fraternal Movement.

The project will embrace six Guiding Principles where professionals will:

Be self‐directed in their own professional development and learning
Engage in intentionally‐designed professional development and learning experiences
Set 1‐year, 5‐year, 10‐year, and 25‐year goals for their professional development and learning
Contribute to the body of knowledge about fraternities/sororities and our profession through researching, presenting, and writing
Seek out appropriate mentors within the profession and identify opportunities where they can serve as mentors to others
Serve as volunteers and leaders within professional associations, on campuses, and in fraternal organizations

Through the development of an online system for professional development, learning, planning,
tracking, and reflection, professionals will engage in self‐directed and community‐supported
experiences that will facilitate their own development as professionals in fraternity/sorority advising.

How the Project Will Propel Change
The Fraternity/Sorority Professional Development project will change the development and learning
experiences of professionals in our field, in order to develop a body of knowledgeable, skilled, and
prepared professionals who will play a significant role in the success and future of the Fraternal
Movement. Additionally, professionals will contribute to the body of knowledge about
fraternities/sororities and our profession through researching, presenting, and writing/publishing in
their development experiences, thus broadening the body of literature and information about our work
and the Fraternal Movement.