Finding A Faculty Advisor
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Any member of your campus’ faculty or staff is eligible to be the faculty advisor for your chapter. Although, it may feel more comfortable to have a member of Phi Kappa Tau in that role, you should keep in mind that membership in the fraternity is not a prerequisite for the position. In fact, the individual’s interest and ability to fulfill the role should be more motivation than their affiliation. Many chapters have female faculty advisors who have been very invaluable to the chapter’s success. Additionally, if you recruit a member of your campus’ faculty or staff who is not already a member of a national men’s social fraternity to the position of faculty advisor, the chapter may elect to initiate him into the chapter’s Graduate Council Phi Kappa Tau.

In identifying potential advisors the chapter should begin by generating a list of faculty and staff whom members of the chapter already know. These individuals would be a good place to start because there is already the foundation for a relationship to be built, assuming that the individual member has left that faculty or staff person with a good impression of Phi Kappa Tau.

Once the chapter identifies members of the faculty and staff it would like to approach it would be a good idea to build a relationship with these individuals. Even though only one of the men or women you identify will ultimately fill the position, it is still important to build a strong relationship with as many university professionals possible. This can be accomplished by inviting them to chapter dinners individually, inviting them to lunch with chapter officers, or by hosting a faculty/staff appreciation reception.

When the chapter has identified decided on which faculty or staff member is would like to invite to serve as the chapter’s faculty advisor it is up to the chapter president to set up a meeting with that individual to formally invite him or her to do so. The president should be prepared to review, in very specific terms, the expectations and role of a faculty advisor.

If you are successful in recruiting a faculty or staff member, the chapter should host a welcome reception in their honor. This will cement the strong beginning to a healthy and productive chapter-advisor relationship.

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