Academic Encouragement and Help

Our chapter is outstanding scholastically. Scholastic emphasis has been a hallmark of  the Texas Beta chapter since it was founded. We know what we are here for.  We have had a number of 4.0 GPA graduates. There are several reasons for our success:

• Pledging capable, studious,  men who are serious about their education and career.
   

• Providing a library and computer lab  that is  convenient, well equipped, and quiet. (One third of our lodge is devoted to this.) Thanks to a large grant from brother Jerry Nelson, a 1947 alumnus of our chapter at UCLA, and others, we have networked computers,  printers, scanner, high speed Internet access. a Wi-Fi wireless interface, and a copy machine. (Shown with the undergraduates is Dr. Sam Spikes, M.D,, a chapter alumnus.)
   

• Emphasizing scholarship-by our Scholarship Committee, Pledge Educator, advisors, and alumni. We have pledge study halls, and alumni frequently inquire about the chapter's scholastic standing.
   

• Keeping in check non-academic demands. Our half-semester pledgeship interferes less with studies that that of most fraternities. We reserve adequate time for study when we decide what parties to have, whether to build a float, etc.
   

• Having brothers, advisors and other alumni who are willing to help.

Leadership Experience and Training

You can lean skills in Phi Psi outside of the classroom (in addition to vague "how to get along with people" skills). The officers of the chapter manage significant amount of  property, make and manage budgets, recruit personnel, train, use technology, schedule and oversee projects, participate in meetings, organize and make presentations, etc. Many alumni who have had long careers report that their undergraduate fraternity experiences were useful in those careers. Phi Psi is unique in being a fraternity that is controlled by its undergraduates, thus providing more experience.

You can get  Leadership training and meet brothers from across the county  at sessions that Phi Psi holds for chapter officers and others.  These are held at central locations, such as at our national headquarters, and the interaction with men from other chapters is valuable. Notable events are

• President's Leadership Academy (PLA) for chapter presidents and others.

• Fraternity Educator's Leadership Academy (FELA) for pledge trainers and other.

• Woodrow Wilson Leadership School (WWLS) for elected chapter delegates.

You can have helpful discussions with industry leaders and hear acclaimed, dynamic, speakers at the  American Leadership Academy. (www.americanla.org) Topics include Personal Development, Interpersonal Relations,  Team Dynamics, Planning Your Professional Future, Negotiation, Global Perspective, etc. Yes, these may seem like sessions that you ought to attend  but don't want to bother with, until you realize that they are held in the beautiful, fun, Cabo San Lucas area of Mexico. The social aspects of this trip are described and pictured elsewhere on this website.

Tutoring and Mentoring

Help and advice on studies is available from time to time from the chapter advisors and other alumni in addition to from other brothers. Chapter Advisor Brian Carr, a psychologist,  makes it a point to get well acquainted with the men of each new pledge class and stands ready to advise them on their college careers. Assistant Chapter Advisor David Jones, an engineer, on occasion has tutored a student in a difficult spot on a technical subject. Faculty Sponsor Jeremy Leggoe, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, is available for consultation.

     Other alumni offer you information, advice, and support in their fields of expertise. The photo shows such a situation, in which a young chapter member who was considering law school is meeting with Texas Beta Phi Psi's Dean Walter Huffman, J.D., head of the Texas Tech School of Law; David Jones; Federal District Judge Sam Cummings; and Lubbock real estate developer H. A. Sessons.

Advisors

     Jeremy Leggoe, Ph.D., is our Faculty Sponsor and Advisor. He is associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and is a native of Australia. (His current Research Projects are listed online.)
 

    David A. Jones (BA, BSEE, MBA), also a former member of this chapter, is Assistant Chapter Advisor for Recruitment. He is a retired Principal Systems Engineer at Raytheon Company where he designed night vision systems and other defense systems. He is an expert in the field of systems engineering requirements management. Previously he was a Lieutenant in the U. S. Army. He lives in the Dallas area.