History of Alpha Kappa Psi:
Prior to 1900, schools of business had been established at the University of Pennsylvania, The University of Chicago, and the University of California. However, business still was not widely recognized as a formal field of professional study. Thus, when New York University announced in 1900 that it would open an evening school for instruction in commerce, accounts, and finance, the announcement was received with doubt throughout the country. The doubt manifested, and the need for student loyalty to support these new ideas was a major reason for the founding of Alpha Kappa Psi.
The class that entered NYU in the fall of 1902, four years after the first of the new degrees had been awarded by the university, included some special students, men of vision. The Fraternity's Founders attended classes together five nights a week. Occupying the same seats nightly, they quickly became well acquainted with one another. Four men from Brooklyn, later known as the "Brooklyn Four," walked home from school together over the Brooklyn Bridge and discussed the need for an organization. The spirit of brotherhood grew so strong in the hearts and minds of the men from Brooklyn, that early in their second year, they decided to suggest to other members of their class that something be done to formalize and perpetuate it. Alpha Kappa Psi, the first professional fraternity in business, was founded at an organizational meeting held on October 5, 1904. In the Spring of 1905, formal application was made to the State of New York for a charter of incorporation for Alpha Kappa Psi. The application was approved, and the charter of incorporation for our Alpha chapter was officially issued in the name of Alpha Kappa Psi on May 20, 1905.
Today, there are three major types of fraternities:
The general or social fraternity, initiates students from all of the respective colleges of a university and its activities and functions are chiefly social in nature. The honorary fraternity or society selects its members because of their outstanding achievements in scholarship, leadership, or specialized activities. The professional fraternity, of which Alpha Kappa Psi represents, is a specialized fraternity that limits its student membership to a specific field of professional education in accredited colleges and universities offering courses leading to recognized degrees therein, and which possess some characteristics of the other two types. It selects its members based on scholastic ability and potentiality for future success. Its purpose is to emphasize professional ideals and ethics and to provide mutual interests of fraternal and professional nature while in school, and fraternal professional association in later life. Although fraternities are historically male, and sororities are comprised of only women, honorary and professional organizations have long been co-educational while keeping the title "fraternity". Members in Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity, men and women alike, are referred to as "Brothers" by tradition.
