An Exploratory study of Institutional Characteristics, Fraternity and Sorority Membership, and Socially Responsible Leadership

We used a longitudinal national dataset for an exploratory study that examined potential interaction effects of institutional characteristics and fraternity and sorority membership on students' socially responsible leadership. First, we investigated the direct effect of fraternity and sorority membership on socially responsible leadership. Controlling for a variety of potentially confounding variables, we found that fraternity and sorority membership predicted statistically significant albeit modest gains in leadership in the fourth year of college. Next, we explored the interactions of institutional characteristics—including type, selectivity, and geographic location—and fraternity and sorority membership on socially responsible leadership. Institutional characteristics significantly influenced the effect of fraternity and sorority membership on socially responsible leadership in 8 of the possible 40 interaction effects. We discuss implications for practice and future research.