I was elected Supreme Prior at the age of 34—the youngest in the modern era of Sigma Alpha Mu. It put me in a very unique position to connect with the undergraduate Fraters as when I joined the Octagon I was only 8 years out of college. During my tenure on the Octagon and through my term as Supreme Prior my career was a motivational speaker on the college lecture circuit. I was able to visit nearly every chapter during that time and I used my age, position, and popularity as a speaker to help our undergraduates understand the changing times that were upon North American fraternities. I believe the most valuable time I spent as Supreme Prior was not behind a lectern in front of the Convention, but around a pizza box in the living room of a chapter house.

Aside from being on the frontline and waving the “purple and white flag” I saw my time as Supreme Prior as a time to build a foundation that would teach and guide chapters. Along with my exceptional Octagon I wanted to make sure that the policies (Public Relations, Risk Management, and Chapter Performance Standards) enacted throughout the nineties leading up to my term were not just “rules” to follow, but standards of excellence to strive towards. Once Supreme Prior Phil Glauben handed me the gavel, one of my first acts as Supreme Prior was to appoint him Chairman of the Education Committee (a position he still holds today). I knew that Phil would be the right man to lead the process for developing an Educational Strategic Plan. The finished product is still the adopted model of our current educational programs.

The most satisfying part of the Supreme Prior position is to install and re-install chapters. I have always been very dedicated to expansion of SAM as is Executive Director Aaron Girson. Aaron, himself, is a prime example of the type of leader that expansion brings into our fold, as I first met Aaron when he was a founding member of his chapter at Western Michigan University. Together we added the position of “Expansion Consultant” to our staff roster so that we would always have someone dedicated to bringing back dormant chapters and taking Sigma Alpha Mu on new campuses.

Joel Goldman
Sigma Zeta Chapter
May 7, 2008