SigEp National History

Building Balanced Leaders for the Worlds Communities has been SigEps mission since 1990. This leadership is developed by helping members strive for balance in their lives, building Sound Minds and Sound Bodies as a lifetime habit based on one of the core ideas of ancient Greek philosophy of the Balanced Man. The Founders of Sigma Phi Epsilon admired the ancient Greeks and desired to establish a fraternity based upon its balanced life ideal. They selected Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love as the cardinal principles.

• Founded on November 1, 1901, at the University of Richmond.

• Composed of 240 chartered chapters and 17 chapters in the process of meeting chartering criteria (Sigma Epsilon Chapters) across the United States.

• Boasts the largest undergraduate membership, presently over 14,000, of any mens collegiate fraternity for the last two decades.

• For 21 consecutive years, SigEp has been selected as the fraternity of choice by college males through their decision to join.

• 5,300-5,600 men choose to join annually (based upon the last 10 years).

• Maintains the highest first-year member retention rate, over 90%, of any national fraternity.

• 246,000 lifetime members rank SigEp in the top four among national fraternities despite founding 38th in chronological order of 64 national fraternities; presently boasts the largest living alumni population.

• Governed by the Grand Chapter, which is composed of undergraduate delegates (by an 85% margin), District Governors, and National Board of Directors.

• Guided between Grand Chapter meetings by volunteers known as the National Board of Directors.

• Maintains a full-time professional staff of over 35 people.

• Publishes quarterly magazine, The Journal of Sigma Phi Epsilon, which is distributed to all members for life upon joining.

• First major national fraternity to abolish membership restrictions based upon race, religion, or creed, five years before Americas civil rights movement.
• First national fraternity to establish a housing trust for all chapters and separate National Housing Corporation aimed at supporting housing excellence.
• First national fraternity to establish a traveling staff to assist chapters in effective operations.
• First fraternity to charter a chapter in all fifty states.
• First national fraternity Educational Foundation to build an endowment greater than $11 million.
• First national fraternity to receive a grant from the federal Department of Education to enhance member development programs.
• First national fraternity to provide financial assistance to brothers for graduate school through the Resident Scholar program.
• First national fraternity to partner with the White Houses Office of National Drug Control Policy in order to create substance abuse education programs for members.