About the Academy
The Academy is designed to give new chapter officers a strong foundation so they can dynamically and courageously lead their chapters. Brothers participating learn the basic elements of chapter operations as well as higher level leadership development skills, providing them with the knowledge needed for effective chapter management.
The 2026 Academy will be held January 2-4, 2026 in St. Louis, Missouri at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton.
Registration
We strongly encourage Chapter Presidents, Recruitment Chairmen and Built to Lead Chairmen to attend Academy. However, we also provide educational tracks for Treasurers, Recording Secretaries, Corresponding Secretaries, Historians, Purple Legionnaires, Section Leaders and other graduate advisors.
The registration deadline is Friday, December 5 (to guarantee hotel accommodation).
Register Now!
Undergraduates
Every chapter is billed for THREE undergraduate delegates ($550 each for a total of $1,650) to attend the Academy. Additional delegates are encouraged to attend and will be invoiced ($550 each) to the chapter after the event.
Registration Includes:
- All conference materials.
- All meals beginning with Friday’s Opening Dinner and ending with Saturday’s Pig Dinner.
- Shared hotel accommodations (up to four undergrads from the same chapter per double-bedded room) for Friday, January 2, and Saturday, January 3. (Brothers will be required to provide a credit card to the hotel for incidental charges.)
- IHQ makes all hotel room reservations based on registration.
- If you need a room for Thursday, January 1, let us know (your chapter will be billed for extra nights: ~$128/night).
- Undergrads may request additional room(s) so a maximum of two brothers share a room. These are available on a limited (first-come, first-serve) basis. Let us know if you would like to request additional room(s), and your chapter will be billed for the added cost.
Graduates
Purple Legionnaires and Section Leaders are provided complimentary registration, and other graduate advisors/volunteers will be charged a $550 registration fee.
Registration Includes:
- All conference materials.
- All meals beginning with Friday’s Opening Dinner and ending with Saturday’s Pig Dinner.
- Shared hotel accommodations (up to two graduates per double-bedded room) for Friday, January 2, and Saturday, January 3. (Brothers will be required to provide a credit card to the hotel for incidental charges.)
- IHQ makes all hotel room reservations based on registration.
- If you need a room for Thursday, January 1, let us know.
- Grads may request a single room at their own expense (~$64/night – payable to the Union Station Hotel at checkout). (You may make this request when you register.)
Pig Dinner Only
This registration is for local brothers only attending the Pig Dinner on Saturday, January 3. The cost of registration is $115/person.
Please register at the link below:
Schedule & Sessions
Tentative Schedule (all times in CT)
Friday, January 2, 2026
- 12:00 – 6:00 pm: Event Registration; Roster Updates
- 1:30 – 2:00 pm: Mini Sessions
- 1:30 – 3:30 pm: Chapter Support Coaching for Built to Lead, Growth & Scholarship
- 2:00 – 4:00 pm: New Purple Legionnaire/Advisor Training
- 2:15 – 3:15 pm: Pursuing Excellence: Menu Experiences
- 3:30 – 5:00 pm: Built to Lead Planning Sessions
- 5:15 – 6:30 pm: Vendor Gathering
- 6:30 – 8:00 pm: Opening Dinner
- 8:00 – 10:30 pm: William R. Miller Model Initiation; Provisional Chapter Education
Saturday, January 3, 2026
- 6:45 – 7:30 am: Fun Run
- 7:30 – 8:30 am: Breakfast
- 7:30 am – 6:30 pm: Event Registration
- 8:30 – 9:45 am: Opening Session: Motivating the Middle
- 10:00 am – 12:30 pm: Educational Tracks for Undergraduates & Graduate Volunteers
- 12:30 – 2:00 pm: Foundation Luncheon
- 2:00 – 5:45 pm: Educational Tracks continue; Breakout Sessions
- 6:30 – 8:30 pm: Pig Dinner
- 8:30 – 11:30 pm: Game Night & T-Shirt Exchange
Sunday, January 4, 2026
- All Day: Departures
- 8:30 am – 12:00 pm: Board of Conduct Meetings (chapters will be notified)
Friday Pursuing Excellence Sessions
The Pursuing Excellence Sessions highlight Built to Lead’s Menu Experiences, mini conference sessions supporting chapter operations and individualized coaching. These sessions begin at 1:30 pm CT.
If your chapter would like to participate in an individualized coaching session, the President must indicate so on the registration form.
Saturday Breakout Sessions
The Breakout Sessions, focusing on Leading Brothers, are available to undergraduates registered for the Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Historian or Built to Lead Chairman tracks.
When brothers register, you must select your top two choices (from the options listed below), and you will be notified of your assigned session before the Academy.
Breakout Session Options:
Building the Next Courageous Leaders
One of the responsibilities of Phi Gam membership is to “Replace Yourself.” We often talk about this in the context of recruitment – being responsible for recruiting men into the Fraternity each year. However, this also extends to how you share your talents and encourage other brothers to lead in the chapter as you have led. This session will help you see how you play a role as a mentor in your chapter and provide tangible steps to replace yourself as a leader.
The Five Practices of Leadership
Building courageous leaders starts with understanding how you lead and how your actions impact those around you. In this session, brothers will complete the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) self-assessment to understand how they use the five practices of exemplary leadership as described by Kouzes and Posner. Then you will work together to see how these five practices of leadership can help chapters tackle everyday challenges of participation and involvement.
P.L.A.T.E. Up Strong Committees
Committees are an important part of chapter operations as they help engage members, develop leadership skills and share the workload of important projects. However, running committees well is HARD! This workshop will help brothers understand how to P.L.A.T.E. up the best committees for their chapter.
As brothers, we see each other in our best moments and in times when we feel low. It can be difficult to know what to say or do when we know a brother needs help. This session will help chapter leaders identify signs they should talk to a brother about his wellbeing, how to encourage him to use support resources and when to know to ask for additional help.
Conflict is a common part of life and a frequent topic for leaders to address. Conflict is also something many of us struggle to navigate. This session will help you identify your conflict resolution style, ways to apply different conflict resolution styles and strategies as a chapter leader. The program also includes a Behind Happy Faces lesson brothers can use in their chapters.
Travel
Attendees are responsible for their own travel to/from the Academy and for all parking fees if driving (see below).
- Arrive: Friday, January 2, 2026 (sessions begin at 1:30 pm CT)
- Depart: Anytime on Sunday, January 4, 2026
St. Louis Union Station Hotel:
- Address: 1820 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri, 63103
- Phone: 314-621-5262
Driving Directions & Parking Fees
Visit the hotel’s Maps & Directions page for detailed driving directions.
The Fraternity has negotiated hotel parking rates of $20/day for self-parking or $25/day for valet. The parking fees are your responsibility.
Brothers flying to the Academy should arrive in St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), approximately 15 miles from the Union Station Hotel.
From STL Airport to the Hotel:
- Metrolink: A light rail train system connects both terminals of the airport to the downtown area. From the airport, take the Red Line to the Union Station Metrolink Station. Upon arrival, proceed to 18th Street and right onto Market Street to get to the hotel entrance. Reference these directions.
- The total travel time is 27-30 minutes, and trains depart approximately every 20 minutes. Fare from the airport is $4.00.
- Note: As in any setting, be cautious of your surroundings, especially on public transportation.
- Taxi/Ride-Share Services: There are taxis available outside of baggage claim at the airport or from the lobby of the St. Louis Union Station Hotel. Cab fare is approximately $45 each way. Shared ride services such as Uber or Lyft may also be available. Fares generally are between $30-$40 each way.
Because of the timing and location of our Academy, it is important to be prepared for travel delays. If you are delayed, do not worry. Just get to St. Louis and the Union Station hotel as soon as you can. If you are delayed to the point you will not arrive on your scheduled day, contact Todd Rotgers to adjust your hotel reservation.
Undergraduate Travel Reimbursement
Each chapter receives one reimbursement at a rate of $0.14 per mile for the round-trip mileage from your chapter to St. Louis, Missouri. The reimbursement will be applied to your chapter’s account at the International Headquarters following the Academy. To receive your reimbursement, your chapter’s delegates must attend.
