The first Leadership College was held in 1987. The conference, held in Oxford, Ohio, was intended to be a flagship conference for the sole purpose of developing leadership skills for Phi Delta Theta undergraduate students. This extended weekend event replaced the former Chapter Officers’ and Advisers’ Conference programs that were held throughout the academic year on several weekends at a variety of campus locations.

The conference was held biennially until 1992 when it became an annual event, held every year except for 2003. In 2004, the Leadership College was renamed the Emerging Leaders Institute, and in 2012, the Kleberg Emerging Leaders Institute.

The inaugural Leadership College in 1987 brought together members from across the United States and Canada to learn more about the Fraternity, leadership skills, and the great traditions on which Phi Delta Theta was founded. There were 440 individuals involved with the leadership seminars and sessions at the first Leadership College.

Today’s Leadership Colleges, now the Kleberg Emerging Leaders Institute, continue to be held every summer on the Miami University campus. They include daily general sessions, small-group chapter meetings, chapter award presentations, ceremonies, leadership and education seminars, group meals, and bonding between faculty, alumni, and undergraduate Phis.

Read the recap article from the inaugural Leadership College in the Winter 1987-88 edition of The Scroll