From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Coat-of-Arms of Kappa Psi

Kappa Psi (ΚΨ) is the largest professional pharmaceutical college fraternity in the world. It was started on May 30, 1879, by F. Harvey Smith on the campus of Russell Military Academy in New Haven, Connecticut. The Central Office of Kappa Psi is located at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Kappa Psi first chartered a Chapter at a College of Pharmacy in 1898 at Columbia University and at that time Kappa Psi was a medical and pharmaceutical Fraternity. In 1924, the fraternity split into Kappa Psi and Theta Kappa Psi, the medical fraternity. Currently, there are 72 active Collegiate Chapters and 43 Graduate Chapters.

In 1976, Kappa Psi admitted its first women into the fraternity, and now over 80% of its chapters are co-ed. Those chapters that remain all-male have done so because no women have chosen to become brothers at these schools due to other professional fraternities and sororities active at these colleges of pharmacy.

Kappa Psi holds it's national convention biennially, The 2007 convention site is Boston, Massachusetts. The local chapter, Mu, will also be celebrating it's 100th anniversary, with celebrations planned for April. Other convention sites include San Diego; Myrtle Beach; Orlando; Williamsburg; Kalispell, Montana; Detroit; New Orleans, Kansas City, Philadelphia (in 1976); Scottsdale, Arizona (100th Anniversary); Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Fort Lauderdale; Marco Island, Florida; South Padre Island, Texas; and North Falmouth, Massachusetts. The largest attendance was the 48th (1997) Convention in Myrtle Beach (440 registrants). Myrtle Beach was also the host city in 1983.

In 2005, Mr. David E. Maszkiewicz was elected Grand Regent of the fraternity at the 52nd Grand Council Convention, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.