Purpose
AdvanceU is a virtual based classroom with educational programs specifically designed to enhance the alignment of the fraternity/sorority experience with the changing dynamics of higher education. AdvanceU programs provide AFA members the opportunity to engage on a wide range of topics with content experts who develop curriculum with a specific set of learning outcomes geared at achieving higher levels of professional competence in our members.
Thanks to the generous support of Zeta Tau Alpha through an endowment with the AFA Foundation, AdvanceU is free to all members of the association. This virtual classroom experience provides members with supplemental reading materials, a learning guide for each seminar, and the opportunity to engage with seminar participants following the program.
The goal of AdvanceU is to provide seminars that range from new skill development to application of new concepts. Participants are exposed to new best practices in higher education and then encouraged to apply those new concepts to our work with fraternities and sororities. Every AdvanceU session provides members the opportunity to continually develop as a professional, is grounded in the Core Competencies for Excellence in the Profession, and continues to advance you.
Call for Programs
We’re looking to give AFA members the opportunity to engage on a wide range of topics with content experts who will develop curriculum with a specific set of learning outcomes geared at achieving higher levels of professional competence in our members. If you are interested in presenting, please contact Shelby Flores, director of professional development.
Upcoming Programs
There are no upcoming AdvanceU programs.
Continuing Education (CE) Credits are Available
Certified Student Affairs Educators are asked to complete the program evaluation for each AdvanceU program for which they would like to receive credit. Participants will be provided with a certificate for their participation in each AdvanceU which can be used to submit their CE credits online.
Questions can be directed to Director of Professional Development Shelby Flores at shelby@afa1976.org.
Past Programs
Current AFA members can find the programs listed below in the ‘AFA Learning’ section of AFA’s online portal, FSCentral, at no additional cost.
Video: How to Access AFA Learning
Code-Switching: Reshaping Authenticity [May 2024]
Chris Molina, Professional Speaker, Author, Filmmaker, Marine Corps Veteran at ForCollegeForLife
Restorative Strategies for Community Building and Responses to Harm [April 2024]
Léna Crain, Ph.D., Dean of Students at Baldwin Wallace University
Creating a Culture of Caring: Practical Approaches to Support Student Wellbeing and Mental Health
Amy Gatto, Senior Manager, Higher Ed & Evaluation, Active Minds
Assessment, Data, and More: Setting Up Your Assessment Plan and Using Data to Your Advantage
Amber Garrison Duncan, Ph.D., Strategy Director for Student Success at Community Colleges, Lumina Foundation Nicole N. Long, Ph.D., Executive Director Planning and Strategy at University of Delaware
Supervision: Navigating the Minefield of Competing Needs
Jessica Gendron Williams, President & CEO at The Center for Leadership Excellence
Drink Like a Man: Masculinity and High-Risk Alcohol Consumption Among College Men
Scott Radimer, Ph.D., Director, Assessment & Planning, Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Services at the University of Houston
DEI and U
Dr. Zachary Shirley, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader
Building a Culture of Assessment Supporting the Fraternity and Sorority Experience
Dr. Brian Joyce, Director, Office of Greek Life at Dartmouth College; Michael Goodman, Assistant Director for Programming & Advising, Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life at University of Maryland; & Dr. Emily Perlow, Assistant Dean of Students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Maximizing The Relationship: Strategies for Virtual Advising
Kate Butler, Associate Director, Sorority & Fraternity Life, The Ohio State University Michelle Marchand, Senior Director of Chapter Development, Delta Upsilon Fraternity
Managing Crisis, Facing Uncertainty, and Driving Change
Dr. Jennifer Keup, Executive Director, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition
Competency Design – Using Logic and Patterns to Develop Others
Erin Fischer, The Leadership & Training Studio, and Dan Wrona, RISE Partnerships
Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates
Collen Falkenstern, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Using Social Network Analysis to Document Organizational Engagement
Dr. Rachel A. Smith, Assistant Professor School of Education, Iowa State University; Dr. Michael G. Brown, Assistant Professor School of Education, Iowa State University
Navigating Complexity and Difference: Developing a Cultural Paradigm Shift Frameworks
Robert N. Page Jr., The Legacy Group
Member Retention: Methods and Results (No April Fool’s. We’re Losing a lot of People!)
Anne Emmerth, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity ; Erin McHale, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity; Ry Beck, Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity; Rachel Westra, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity; Chris Smith, Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity
Creating Inclusionary Practices and Partnerships to Support Students with Disabilities in FSL
Jarod Holt, Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life, University of South Carolina, and Karen Pettus, Director of Student Disability Resource Center, University of South Carolina
How to Partner with Risk Management for the Best Advantage
Dr. Christine Eick, Education Manager for the University Risk Management & Insurance Association, and Craig McAllister, University of Miami
You’re kidding, right? We can get sued for that?: A Primer on Criminal & Civil Liability
David Westol, J.D., Principal & Owner, Limberlost Consulting, Inc.
I Don’t Fit in this Field…Literally
Tina VanSteenbergen, Professional Speaker, and Meghan Bullard, University of Iowa
SARS-COV-2: Unpredicted Partners in the Pandemic Response
Kim Monteaux De Freitas, Ed.D., Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life, The Ohio State University Teri Cugliari, Associate Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life for Sorority and Fraternity Housing, The Ohio State University
Introduction to Restorative Justice for Fraternity and Sorority Settings
Léna Crain, Ph.D., Dean of Students, Baldwin-Wallace University
Affirming Identity, Advancing Belonging, and Amplifying Voice in Sororities and Fraternities
Dr. Pietro A. Sasso, Stephen F. Austin State University; Dr. Brittany Devies, Florida State University; Dr. Dan Bureau, Louisiana State University; Dr. Meghan Grace, Plaid, LLC; Dr. Kim Bullington, Old Dominion University; Victor Javier Rodriguez, Government of the District of Columbia
