What Is Alpha Kappa Psi?
Alpha Kappa Psi is the oldest and largest professional business fraternity with more than 200,000 members world-wide. It was founded on October 5, 1904 at New York University and incorporated on May 20, 1905. Alpha Kappa Psi gives students a chance to practice what they’ve learned in their classes in a controlled business environment before stepping out into the business world. Our practices strengthen students and prepare them for professional and business success.
The Core Values
In developing principled business leaders, Alpha Kappa Psi adheres to these lifetime values:
Brotherhood
The esoteric quality we call “Brotherhood” is of vital importance though difficult to define. Our members, from the day they become brothers until the end of their lives, foster a great love of the fraternity and a fondness for brother members. While brotherhood manifests itself in a multitude of ways, at its center is a sense of duty and respect for both the fraternity and individual members. All activities and decisions that involve the fraternity are guided by a sense of stewardship and selflessness. Members are anchored by the need to do what is in the best interest of the fraternity as a whole and are not swayed by individual self-interest.
Knowledge
College is merely the beginning of business education. Our members share their knowledge and experiences openly with the people they work with, regardless of rank or position. In addition, they seek out opportunities to share their real-world experience with brother members, and in doing so they enhance the lifelong learning of those members.
Integrity
While the business world offers many opportunities for success and advancement, it also requires us to make decisions about how we succeed. Our members understand the importance of making decisions and conducting business in a way that takes into account both legal and ethical considerations. Our members serve as role models through their consistently fair and ethical conduct.
Service
Much is expected of those to whom much is given. Business professionals who seek to improve the communities in which they do business improve lives and develop goodwill. Our members actively give back to their communities through volunteer activities and monetary support.
Unity
College chapters serve as living laboratories for classroom concepts and professional conduct. In turn, lessons learned in the fraternity prepare members for success in the business world. Because they recognize the value and importance of our Fraternity, our members are united in their passion to build a legacy for the future. They support the fraternity through volunteer leadership and monetary gifts.
Information taken from the official Alpha Kappa Psi Website
What is Nu Chi?
Every college establishment of a fraternity is identified by a set of Greek letters, unique to that chapter. Our chapter Nu Chi, was founded in the Fall semester of 1991. It was during this year that 14 of the brightest Alpha Kappa Psi brothers gathered in Orlando with the goal of establishing a chapter at the University of Central Florida. The Nu Chi is one of the largest and most advanced chapters in Alpha Kappa Psi.
An In Depth History
When New York University announced in 1900 that it would open an evening school for instruction in commerce, accounts, and finance, and would give a university degree to those who, having successfully qualified for admission, should successfully complete the course, the announcement was received with doubt throughout the country. The doubt manifested and the need of student loyalty in supporting the new idea were in no small measure the reason for Alpha Kappa Psi’s coming into being.
Prior to 1900, schools of business had been established at the University of Pennsylvania (1881), University of Chicago (1898), and University of California (1898).
The class that entered NYU in the fall of 1902, four months after the first of the new degrees had been awarded by the university, was unique in several respects. First, it was the three-year class; second, all students studied the same subjects; third, there were no textbooks — everything was new and somewhat crude; fourth, Dean Haskins died during the first semester; and fifth, Dean Johnson was promoted to the deanship during the same year.
Other things occurred that had a strong bearing on the early development of the Fraternity. The founders occupied the same seats five nights a week. They became acquainted with one another. Four men from Brooklyn (Bergen, Jefferson, Lane, Leach), later known as the Brooklyn Four, walked home from school together over the Brooklyn Bridge. The spirit of brotherhood grew so strong in the hearts and in the minds of the men from Brooklyn that early in the second year they decided to suggest to the other members of their class that something be done to perpetuate it, and Alpha Kappa Psi, the first professional fraternity in business, was founded at an organization meeting help October 5, 1904.
On March 20, 1905, formal application was made to the State of New York for a charter of incorporation for Alpha Kappa Psi. This application was drawn up in the handwriting of Frederic R. Leach and was signed by the ten Founders: George L. Bergen, Irving L. Camp, Robert S. Douglas, Daniel V. Duff., Howard M. Jefferson, Nathan Lane, Jr., Frederick R. Leach, Morris S. Rachmil, William O. Tremaine, and Herbert M. Wright.
The application was approved and the charter of incorporation officially issued in the name of Alpha Kappa Psi on May 20, 1905. In 1910, Beta Chapter at the University of Denver was installed; in 1911, Gamma at Northwestern University; in 1912, Delta was established at the University of Pittsburgh. Thus began the national development of Alpha Kappa Psi. Now, over 230 college chapters and over 75 alumni chapters have been installed, over 140,000 members have been inducted and Alpha Kappa Psi is one of the largest of American college fraternities.
The application was approved and the charter of incorporation officially issued in the name of Alpha Kappa Psi on May 20, 1905. In 1910, Beta Chapter at the University of Denver was installed; in 1911, Gamma at Northwestern University; in 1912, Delta was established at the University of Pittsburgh. Thus began the national development of Alpha Kappa Psi. Now, over 230 college chapters and over 75 alumni chapters have been installed, over 140,000 members have been inducted and Alpha Kappa Psi is one of the largest of American college fraternities.