Pursuit of Excellence Program Submissions

Although chapters have shifted to virtual operations for the remainder of the Spring 2020 term, it is still important for officers and committees to report on annual and ongoing operations. This ensures a historical record of chapter achievements, progress towards goals, and plans carried out by officers over the course of the year. The ability to build upon current successes requires an understanding of what steps were taken to get those results.

To that end, chapters are still expected to complete the Pursuit of Excellence Program (PEP) annual assessment. The PEP Self-Assessment booklet should be submitted to pep@sigmanu.org by April 30th. Within that report, chapters should note any impact the coronavirus pandemic had on chapter operations and/or planned activities and events. That impact will be noted and considered in the evaluation process. 

Completing the PEP Self-Assessment Virtually

Sigma Nu Chapters would typically gather in mid-April for an in-person session to review annual operations, successes, and shortcomings. Chapter members would have an opportunity to hear an annual report from officers on what was achieved, how results were measured, and what policies, programs, and procedures led to those results.

With all chapters operating virtually for the remainder of the spring term, it will be necessary for officers to work with their committees to digitally develop and share their reports with the chapter.

- The Lt. Commander should assign each officer and committee to their relevant area(s) of operations in PEP – see page 9 of the Self-Assessment Guide for typical assignments.
- Officers should arrange a virtual meeting with their committee to review the evaluation guidelines, discussion questions for their assigned area, and suggested documentation to include with the chapter’s submission.

• Note that the discussion questions from the Self-Assessment Guide match the questions to answer in the Chapter Self-Assessment Booklet.
• Officers should download and edit a copy of the Chapter Self-Assessment Booklet.

- Download and re-open before editing; working directly from the weblink without downloading may prevent you from saving your work.

• Committee members should assist in compiling suggested documentation (e.g. calendars, action plans, policy documents, contact listings, member attendance/participation records, etc.) and filling out the questions in their assigned area.

- Each officer/committee should share their completed portion of the self-assessment booklet with the Lt. Commander and pass along any supporting materials to be included with their portion of the submission.
- The Lt. Commander should compile all officer/committee reports into a single Chapter Self-Assessment Booklet.

• Tip: share this final draft with the Executive Committee (or PEP Committee if the chapter has one) and Alumni Advisory Board Chairman or Chapter Advisor for a final review. Having chapter leadership do a final review will help ensure a comprehensive submission (e.g. accounting for contradictions between sections, identifying missing or lacking responses, basic proofing).

- The Lt. Commander should make the final submission to pep@sigmanu.org by April 30th, following the instructions in the self-assessment booklet for submitting the booklet and supporting documents (especially important for large numbers and sizes of files).

Tips for a Comprehensive Submission

- The typical timeline for putting together the chapter’s submission is mid-April.

• Officers and committees should be documenting their operations year-round and keeping records of participation, events, and activities.
• The April assessment period is a time for reflecting on the past year, compiling an annual report for the benefit of the chapter and future officers, and measuring progress against the goals the chapter set at the start of the academic year.

- Chapters should consider the past 365 days in their responses to all questions – not just September 1st through mid-April.

• This is always the case and an important reminder for any chapters who conduct activities during the summer or attend campus on the trimester or quarter system.
• Reporting on candidates recruited or initiated in May-August, LEAD sessions conducted, dollars donated, hours served, and other late spring and summer activities should account for the past 365 days from when the chapter is working on their assessment.
• Remember that PEP considers academic data for the prior calendar year (Spring and Fall 2019 grades for this year’s submission) as no campuses traditionally calculate spring grades prior to the April 30th submission deadline.

- Most campuses sent students home for Spring Break and then transitioned to online classes in early March. At the same time, in-person events and gatherings of more than 10 people have been canceled or postponed since mid-March.

• This likely impacted your chapter’s plans for service/philanthropy events, LEAD sessions, recruitment activities, and more.
• Be sure to explain any postponed or canceled events impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
• What did the chapter has planned for March & April that you were unable to hold in-person?
• Was anything conducted virtually (and how might its scale have been impacted by not being in-person)?
• For annual events that had to be canceled outright for 2020, what was the result of the 2019 event?
• The Fraternity will take all the above into account when reviewing chapter submissions.
• In order to do so, the chapter must explain what operations were impacted, what was originally scheduled, and what comparison activity (where applicable) was conducted in 2019 and should be counted as part of the 2020 review process.

Fraternity Review Process for 2020 Submissions

- Fraternity staff will conduct PEP submission reviews in May, as normal.

• Chapter awards will also be announced over the summer, as normal.
• Ratings & feedback reports issued to chapters in early August, as normal.

- Within a week of making their submission, chapters should expect to receive an email confirmation indicating receipt of the submission booklet and the number of additional supporting documents received. If the chapter has not received a confirmation email within one week of their submission, please contact pep@sigmanu.org to confirm receipt or request instructions for resubmission.
- Most annual chapter awards are determined based on PEP submission data. This includes Community Service and Philanthropy Contribution, Excellence in LEAD, Scholarship (based on campus academic reports), and PEP Excellence awards.

• Individual merit award information and nomination material is available at www.sigmanu.org/awards and www.sigmanu.org/alumniawards
• LEAD Awards for Innovation, Committee, Chairman, Facilitator, and Chapter of the Year still require completion of the LEAD Awards packet.

- If your chapter needs more time to complete its submission – beyond April 30 and due to constraints related to gathering officers to work together virtually on the self-assessment – email pep@sigmanu.org by April 30th with an anticipated submission date.

• Late submissions are not penalized in terms of the review criteria; however, chapters that submit much past the April 30 deadline may not be eligible for annual chapter awards as those selections are made largely based on PEP data and the deadline for selections is in May.

Contact us at pep@sigmanu.org if you have additional questions or need help with this year’s submission.