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Excellent remarks about some of the challenges facing expansion and maintaining momentum. I suggest that there are three essential ingredients to success for new groups: 1) the right men - there is no replacing a lack of vision, leadership and horsepower, 2) alumni involvement - and by this I mean the right alumni (sadly, I estimate that the number of chapters that have truly qualified mentors could be counted on our hands) and, 3) annual goal setting and strategic planning.
In regards to #3, the Fraternity has made some progress of late with the "Cornerstones" program, new consultant reports and reformated awards. Note that it is based on the "continous improvement" paradigm. Now, chapter operations, consultant evaluations and MHQ awards are all aligned - and chapters have a format to use for strategizing and setting goals. I wish more chapters would take the time to really do a comprehensive annual strategic planning retreat - and that's where alumni mentors can make a real difference.
In terms of expasion locations, my thoughts are mixed. First, I'm not convinced that we need to necessarily have a perpetual presence at a campus once we expand. For example, let's say we find a smaller "non-name-brand" campus with a bunch of Eagle Scouts and great local alumni (a la Whitewater). Normally, we might not look at those places because our long-term prospects aren't traditionally good, but if we can get a good 5-10 run out of it - meaning we initiate top quality men and create loyal alumni, why not? The bigger challenge, I believe, is making the decisions on when to close a chapter.
Second, I think it is largely a falacy to think that if we don't expand to campus "X" we can take those resources and improve campus "Y". I'm aware of many "re-development" attempts at good campus, where trying to polish the terd is like throwing good money at bad. So, sometimes if we do expand to a "second tier" campus, that still might be a better investment than trying to bail out a place like (fill in the blank, you know what I'm thinking).
Third, I believe that it's time to really reconsider our process and goals vis a vis expansion. Has anyone noticed that Kappa Sigma has created something like 40 colonies in the past 2 years? How about Sig Ep's rise from middle-tier to #1 in the past 10 years? In terms of growth, when you really look at it, we've been stagnant for 15+ years. I'm worried that Pike has the same 'ole expansion process and recruiting tactics. Now, they are time tested and they have proven their value - but let's not also let the "we've always done it that way" take us to the bottom. We should throw it all up in the air, evaluate it, and let the junk fall to the floor. (Again, alumni are a huge part of this - and we simply ain't got enough good ones involved.) Also, have we ever evaluated just what percentage of our expenses goes toward growth? How much wood are we putting on this most important fire?!
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