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As I reflect on the past two years since my election as SigEp’s Grand President, I’m filled with pride and purpose — not just for how far we’ve come, but for where we’re going. Today, SigEp’s goal is clearer than ever: to be the largest and best fraternity on every campus where we plant our flag. Not for the sake of numbers or recognition, but because the world needs more of what SigEp has always offered young men.
Our nation needs more character. More resilience. More deep friendships. In short, what today’s young men need is exactly what SigEp offers: Virtue, Diligence and Brotherly Love.
More of those young men are seeking us out. Since announcing our aspiration to reclaim our title as the largest and best fraternity, undergraduate membership has climbed to its highest level since the pandemic. Chapters are growing, and the data shows it. Momentum is building.
But our success isn’t just in the numbers — it’s in the life-changing impact of the chapter experience.
Over the past few years, a team of dedicated volunteers has reimagined the Balanced Man Program — the heart of the SigEp experience and our way to reach every brother, every day. Our BMP was transformational when introduced to Generation X in the 1990s. The new BMP is built for today’s student. It helps brothers know themselves, seek balance, build authentic relationships and pursue excellence. It is relevant. It is rooted in our Ritual. And it is making a
measurable difference.
Chapters piloting the new program are growing at nearly four times the rate of others. Resignations are down. Engagement is up. And young men are discovering in SigEp what too many of their peers are missing — a place to belong, to lead and to become their best.
At every chapter I visited, I saw firsthand the appetite for connection and guidance. If it’s been a while since you’ve reconnected with SigEp, now is a great time. Our undergraduates need your wisdom, your encouragement — and to know that our brotherhood doesn’t end at graduation.
SigEp is rising — and it’s happening because of brothers like you. Men who believe, as I do, that this Fraternity still changes lives. I believe that when we show up as mentors, role models and brothers, we give young men exactly what they need.
I believe that in a world full of noise, confusion and disconnection, Sigma Phi Epsilon is the best place for a young man to find purpose, build character, and establish and nurture lifelong friendships. I conclude my term as Grand President confident that SigEp can and will equip young men with the tools necessary to build fulfilling and productive lives.
Thank you for continuing to support every worthy endeavor of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Brad Nahrstadt, Monmouth ’89
Grand President
When you joined SigEp, you entered a brotherhood that, as our founders said in 1901, “will be different.” If you’ve brushed up on our history like I have, you know Sigma Phi Epsilon is also the “Fraternity of Firsts.” Time and again, we’ve proven this Fraternity is different through bold and impactful decisions and innovative clarity of vision. I’d like to ask you to participate in our plans that will lead to SigEp’s next first — Raise Your Bar: A Strategic Plan for Every SigEp. Our objective is clear — we will be the largest and best fraternity on every campus where the SigEp flag is planted.
Today, and in the coming years, I’d like to ask for your support in achieving that bold goal. The Fraternity’s leaders set this goal because we believe that today, college-aged men are at a crossroads. They are falling behind in academic performance, mental health, relationship building and professional preparedness.
SigEp can and will bring more men inside the walls of our welcoming chapter homes and SigEp Learning Community spaces — where development, in-person connection, friendship and brotherhood are alive and well. Through our chapter experience centered on the Balanced Man Program and national leadership events, we will raise a generation of men who go on to lead their communities after college.
Raise Your Bar: A Strategic Plan for Every SigEp calls for increased financial investment and unprecedented volunteer support. It challenges us to meet the needs of this and future generations of young men with development opportunities that are essential to success. It demands that we grow and share the SigEp experience with more men than ever before in our history.
If you haven’t been connected to the Fraternity recently, I ask that you get reconnected. Make sure your contact information is up to date on mySigEp.org. Attend events at your chapter and make connections with alumni in your area. Consider making a gift this Nov. 1 on Founders Day of Giving, or consider the rewarding experience of mentoring undergraduates at your home chapter or a chapter near you (sigep.org/volunteers).
Our new strategic plan demands the involvement of every SigEp, and it is for each of us. I’m working with our National Board of Directors — and relying on all of our 250,000 alumni — to pursue the peak performance that will make us the largest and best fraternity. I hope you’ll join us, in whatever way you’re able, in supporting SigEp’s bold vision.
Brad Nahrstadt, Monmouth ’89
Grand President
During the Alumni Awards Dinner, the closing event at the 2023 Grand Chapter Conclave, Brad Nahrstadt, Monmouth ’89, was announced as SigEp’s newly elected Grand President. A former district governor, Nahrstadt was first elected to the national board in 2015.
While addressing attendees, Nahrstadt spoke about SigEp’s ability to make a tremendous impact in the lives of today’s college men.
“I firmly believe the solution to the struggles facing young men today is to provide a bigger and better SigEp experience,” he stated. Daniel McVeigh, Texas Wesleyan ’90, and Victor Wilson, Georgia ’82, were re-elected to the board as Grand Treasurer and Grand Secretary, respectively.
Other returning board members include David R. Calderon, Cal Poly-Pomona ’88; Greg A. Pestinger, Kansas State ’86; Michael A. Wolbert, Northwest Missouri ’94; and Dr. Regina Hyatt, Mississippi State University’s vice president for student affairs.
In addition, Darron Trobetsky, Indiana of Pennsylvania ’94; Scott Carr, California-Santa Barbara ’86; and Mike Duggan, Missouri State ’74 (a former student director), were all elected to the board for the first time as alumni directors.
Three undergraduate brothers were also elected to the board as student directors: Matthew Crabtree, Colorado School of Mines ’25; Tom Fridrich, Florida ’25; and Blake Gibney, South Dakota State ’25.