Founded in 1904, Alpha Kappa Psi is the oldest and largest co-ed professional business fraternity in the United States. Alpha Kappa Psi attracts achievement-minded business students and provides these students with personal development opportunities as well as enhances their professionalism, thus enabling them to become better business leaders for tomorrow. Through a variety of professional, community service, fundraising, and social events, Alpha Kappa Psi interacts with other organizations that we can offer assistance to, or that can help us continuously improve. Finally, Alpha Kappa Psi offers a great opportunity to meet new and exciting people.
Through our four objects, as adopted at our founding, we seek:
Among the benefits of being a member, each member has the opportunity to participate in a number of chapter activities and to be a part of an organization with a strong sense of pride, honor, history and tradition. Each member is encouraged to take an active role in the fraternity. There are tremendous opportunities for growth and leadership on the executive board, the various committees, and through personal involvement.
To develop well trained, ethical, skilled, resourceful and experienced business leaders.
Our mission, as adopted by the Board of Directors, embodies the Purposes, Objects and Rituals of our Fraternity. Our mission statement is a clear, concise guide that allows us to objectively measure each program and policy of the organization. Chapters and volunteers at all levels should utilize the document to gauge the effectiveness of operations and program content. Behaviors or programs that do not fit our philosophy should be revised or brought to an end.
Our overall goal is a special one, the preparation of men and women for future success. Colleges and Universities teach valuable lessons in the classroom. However, the living laboratory of Alpha Kappa Psi gives our collegians the practice they need in developing advanced communication skills, a true understanding of the value of teamwork and firsthand experience with the unique challenges of motivating a team through project completion.
The mission statement empowers our members to make the most of their experience by letting them measure the effectiveness of their own programs. Our Mission is a tool to assist volunteers with their work at the chapter level. As strategic planning begins, you can ask the question; "How does this (program, policy, idea, etc.) help us fulfill the Mission of Alpha Kappa Psi?" Outstanding efforts begin with the end in mind. The Mission of Alpha Kappa Psi makes our desired result quite clear.
Our history begins in the fall of 1902, when four gentlemen began attending evening business classes at New York University, which had only been offering business classes since 1900. These four men occupied the same seats five nights a week. They became acquainted with each other and began walking home from school together across the Brooklyn Bridge. These four men are now known to Alpha Kappa Psi as the "Brooklyn Four". The spirit of brotherhood grew so strong in their hearts and minds that, early in their second year of school, they suggested to the other members of the class that something be done to perpetuate it. An organizational meeting was held on October 5, 1904 and Alpha Kappa Psi was founded.
On March 20, 1905, a formal application was made to the State of New York for a charter of incorporation for Alpha Kappa Psi. It was signed by the Brooklyn Four (George L. Bergen, Howard M. Jefferson, Nathan Lane Jr., and Frederic R. Leach) and six others (Irving L. Camp, Robert S. Douglas, Daniel V. Duff, Morris S. Rachmil, William O. Tremaine, and Herbert M. Wright). These ten people are considered by us as the Ten Founders of Alpha Kappa Psi. On May 20, 1905, the application was approved and the charter of incorporation was officially issued. This officially made Alpha Kappa Psi the first professional business fraternity in the United States.
Today, Alpha Kappa Psi is among the twenty largest national college fraternities in the country. With over 140,000 men and women in over 250 college chapters and 80 alumni chapters, AKPsi is a complete, integrated, capably administered national business fraternity standing for the highest levels of conduct and achievement in university and professional life. Of these 140,000 people, 4,500 of them are now successful business executives.
Prominent Alumni include: Malcolm Forbes, Jr., Sam Walton, Lee Iacocca, J.E. Davis (founder of Winn-Dixie), J.C. Penney, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and many other highly successful businesses and community leaders throughout the nation.
e-mail - gu.akpsi@gmail.com