Fast Facts
Founding date: June 1st, 1847
Founders: John Bradt Yates Sommer, John Moon Skillman, and William Henry Dayton
Founding chapter: Phi chapter, New York University
Number of chapters: 85 all-time; currently 46 active
Fun facts: Zeta Psi was the first Fraternity to establish a chapter on the west coast of the United States, the first to establish a chapter in Canada, the first to have an active chapter at all Ivy League schools simultaneously, and the first to establish a chapter outside of North America. Zeta Psi also has a tradition of chartering only at the worlds elite universities, establishing chapters almost exclusively at only Top-100 institutions.
The Legacy of the International Fraternity
This history was written and redacted by Jared S Sunshine (Αlpha, 2004), drawing on a wide array of sources. Chief among these were the international fraternity’s archives, Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities, and the Bements’ Story of Zeta Psi. Where resources may be found in whole, part or reference on the internet, the data deriving therefrom will be noted in the main text and explained in greater detail in linked footnotes. Grateful mention is made of Tim Kennedy, with whom the author corresponded regularly and provided much useful guidance in this project.
As we tread the pathway high:
An illustrated history of the international fraternity.
- 1847-1860: Foundation and Early Expansion
- 1860-1864: Zeta Psi in The Civil War
- 1864-1900: Breaking New Ground
- 1900-1920: The Challenges of the 20th Century
- 1920-1947: Troubled Peace and Another War
- 1947-1980: A Fresh Landscape for Fraternities
- 1980-2006: Sesquicentennial and Millennium
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