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Mu Beta Psi
ΜΒΨ
FoundedNovember 5, 1925; 98 years ago (November 5, 1925)
North Carolina State University
TypeService
AffiliationIndependent
EmphasisMusic performers, students, and enthusiasts
ScopeNational
Colors  Red and   White
FlowerRed and White American Beauty Rose
PublicationThe Clef
CharteredApril 26, 1930
Chapters20 lettered, one alumni
Websitemubetapsi.org

Mu Beta Psi National Honorary Musical Fraternity (ΜΒΨ) is a service and music fraternity founded at North Carolina State University in 1925.[1]

Although an honorary fraternity, Mu Beta Psi views itself as primarily a music service group. The national fraternity and several chapters run scholarship programs[2][3] and pride themselves on providing service to their music departments.[4]

Any member of the fraternity is referred to as a brother without regard to the member's sex. This practice comes from the fraternity's beginnings and is used in context as a designation of membership, not of gender.[5]

History

Founding and early years

Mu Beta Psi National Honorary Musical Fraternity was founded on November 5, 1925, at North Carolina State College (now North Carolina State University) by music director Percy W. "Daddy" Price and a group of twelve men from the class of 1926 who were involved in campus music organizations.[1] The purposes of the fraternity were to promote music in its proper place as an educational subject, foster a fellowship among musicians, and stimulate interest in music across the college campus. Over the next few years, Price determined that the fraternity was different from the other music groups on campus and decided to expand it into a national fraternity.[1]

Beta chapter was established at Davidson College in early 1929. The two chapters met in late 1929 and early 1930, resulting in the adoption of the fraternity's constitution. The national organization was founded on April 26, 1930, accompanied by the elections of the first national officers. Price pushed hard for the fraternity's expansion. Some of the earliest prospects included Wake Forest and the College of William & Mary.[1]

Price's died in 1933 and was succeeded by Christian D. Kutschinski as music director.[1] Kutschinski became National Executive Secretary in the mid-1930s and sought to expand the fraternity.[1] Despite the challenges of the Great Depression and the Beta chapter going inactive, Delta chapter was established at Clemson University in 1937.

World War II and the 1950s

World War II brought about new challenges for Mu Beta Psi. As many students entered the armed forces, chapter activity was limited. With the war's conclusion, Kutschinski helped the Delta chapter reorganize. Alpha and Delta chapters met for a National Convention in 1949. During the 1950s, the majority of activities took place on the local level, with minimal collaboration between the chapters. The first post-war National Convention was held in 1957.

1960s

At the 1961 National Convention, Mu Beta Psi amended its constitution to allow membership to women. Additionally, a national publication, The Clef, was established. New expansion efforts were also put into place.

Kutschinski stepped down as National Executive Secretary in 1962. Three years later, Ralph W. Daniel was elected to the position and served for the next eighteen years. Two new chapters were installed: the Epsilon chapter at Washington & Lee University in 1965 and the Zeta chapter at Michigan Technological University in 1967. The latter was the result of a merger with Tri-Beta Honorary Band Fraternity.[6] In 1967, "Hail the Spirit," written by Milton C. Bliss, was adopted as the fraternity's song.

1970s and 1980s

The Mu Beta Psi Alumni Association was formally established in early 1970, providing college graduates with a chapter to continue participating in the fraternity's activities. The short-lived Eta chapter was installed at Virginia Military Institute in mid-1970. Theta chapter was established at Saint Augustine's College in 1973 and remained active for thirteen years. Iota chapter was established at Duke University in 1981 and went inactive three years later. Kappa chapter was established at Wofford College in 1989. In the mid-1980s, the fraternity created its Permanent Board of Trustees to ensure the organization's stability. The first members of the Permanent Board included Wallace DesChamps, Charlie Emki, David Wilson, and Bryan Reamer.

1990s

In the early 1990s, the national organization underwent a reorganization with the creation of new national offices, including the vice president of chapter maintenance, vice president of expansion, national treasurer, and national historian. The National Constitution was revised and approved in 1996. Lambda chapter was established at Anderson University in 1991, only to go inactive a year later. Mu chapter was established in 1993 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and would remain active for nineteen years. The fraternity extended northward with the establishment of the Nu chapter at SUNY Oswego in 1994 and Xi chapter at Saint Vincent College in 1996.

2000s

Five new chapters were established in the 2000s. Omicron chapter was established at Roanoke College in 2001. In 2007, the brothers of Mu Upsilon Alpha at Rutgers University merged with Mu Beta Psi to establish Pi chapter.[7] Rho chapter was established at Northern Michigan University in 2008. A year later, Mu Beta Psi crossed the Mississippi River for the first time with the establishment of Sigma chapter at Saint Louis University in 2009; although, it would quickly go inactive.

2010s

During the 2010s, Mu Beta Psi officially established a national scholarship that is open to college students at the locations where it maintains active chapters. In 2011, the Tau chapter was established at American University in Washington, D.C. The position of chief financial officer was added to the Permanent Board. At the 2018 Convention, all national policies were amended with gender neutral language, as the organization accepts members without regard to their gender identity.[8] A new fraternal life and conduct policy was also adopted "to achieve the safest environment possible for our members, pledges, and guests."[9]

Purpose

Mu Beta Psi concentrates its efforts in support of the following four purposes:[10]

Chapters

Following is a list of Mu Beta Psi chapters in charter order.[11][1] Active chapter names are indicated in bold; inactive chapter names are in italics.

Chapter Chartered/Range Institution Location Status References
Alpha November 5, 1924 North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina Active
Beta February 9, 1929 – c. 1935 Davidson College Davidson, North Carolina Inactive
Gamma Unissued [a]
Delta January 16, 1937 – 2005 Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina Inactive
Epsilon April 11, 1965 – c. 1986 Washington and Lee University Lexington, Virginia Inactive
Zeta November 23, 1967 Michigan Technological University Houghton, Michigan Active [b]
Alumni Association March 21, 1970 Raleigh, North Carolina Active [c]
Eta May 5, 1970 – 1971 Virginia Military Institute Lexington, Virginia Inactive
Theta November 22, 1973 – c. 1987 Saint Augustine's College Raleigh, North Carolina Inactive
Iota March 1, 1981 – c. 1984 Duke University Durham, North Carolina Inactive
Kappa February 19, 1989 – 1996; April 25, 2020 Wofford College Spartanburg, South Carolina Active
Lambda April 24, 1991 – 1992 Anderson University Anderson, South Carolina Inactive
Mu April 4, 1993 – 2012 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina Inactive
Nu April 10, 1994 State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, New York Active
Xi November 17, 1996 – 2006 Saint Vincent College Unity Township, Pennsylvania Inactive
Omicron March 31, 2001 – 2017 Roanoke College Salem, Virginia Inactive
Pi October 7, 2007 Rutgers University–New Brunswick New Brunswick, New Jersey Active [12][d]
Rho November 16, 2008 Northern Michigan University Marquette, Michigan Active
Sigma November 7, 2009 – 2010 Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri Inactive
Tau April 10, 2011 American University Washington, D.C. Active
Upsilon November 17, 2019 Stetson University DeLand, Florida Active
  1. ^ Gamma Chapter was never formally designated; Percy W. Price died before a school could be finalized and a charter issued, and the effort was lost. Records indicate that Gamma Chapter was to be established at The College of William and Mary, but colonization efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
  2. ^ Chapter resulted from a merger with the Tri-Beta Honorary Band Fraternity.
  3. ^ Mu Beta Psi Alumni Association is a separate organization but is considered an active chapter. The Alumni Association is open to alumni of all Mu Beta Psi chapters, active or otherwise.
  4. ^ Chapter formed by merging with Mu Upsilon Alpha, an honorary, co-educational service fraternity of the Rutgers University Bands.

National Presidents

The following is a list of the National Presidents of Mu Beta Psi since the establishment of the Fraternity's National Organization in 1929. The office was vacant on two separate occasions. The first was from 1932 through 1957, although Christian D. Kutschinski used the title National President interchangeably with National Executive Secretary during that time. The second instance was between 1958 when Wade Hicks resigned and the 1961 National Convention.

No. Name Chapter Tenure
1 Joseph Carson Matthews Jr. Alpha 1929–1930
2 Paul Brown Fry Beta 1930–1931
3 John Perkins Rabb Alpha 1931–1932
* Office Vacant N/A 1932–1957
4 Wade H. Hicks Delta 1957–1958
* Office Vacant N/A 1958–1961
5 George M. "Buddy" O'Kelley Delta 1961–1963
6 Ralph W. Daniel Alpha 1963–1964
7 Horace E. Hudson Delta 1964–1965
8 Thomas J. Tisdale Delta 1965–1966
9 Robert B. Kirkpatrick Delta 1966–1967
10 Owen Cordle Alpha 1967–1968
11 James W. Chaney Alpha 1968–1969
12 Jacob A. Houck Alpha 1969–1971
13 William M. Agee Epsilon 1971–1972
14 David A. Powers III Epsilon 1972–1973
15 Thomas L. "Larry" Sloan Delta 1973–1974
16 Timothy Lipsey Delta 1974–1975
17 Tony R. Stapleton Delta 1975–1976
18 Quentin Jackson Theta 1976–1977
19 Jeff Paulson Zeta 1977–1978
20 Kerney D. Smoak Delta 1978–1979
21 Jeff Smith Zeta 1979–1980
22 Richard D. Witt Delta 1980–1981
23 Cindy Sharp Alpha 1981–1982
24 Larry Perry Alpha 1982–1983
25 Gayle E. "Charlie" Murray Alpha 1983–-1984
26 Mary A. Seabrook Delta 1984–1985
27 Wallace P. DesChamps Jr. Delta 1985–1987
28 Laura Rencontre Zeta 1987–1988
29 Tamron L. "Tammy" Tant Delta 1988–1989
30 Timothy S. Kudlock Delta 1989–1991
31 James K. Brock Alpha 1991–1992
32 Timothy "Tyler" Clark Alpha 1992–1994
33 Jeffrey R. Bodway Zeta 1994–1996
34 Allison Schwamberger Alpha 1996–1997
35 Matthew Rushing Alpha 1997–1998
36 Kelly Smith Nu 1998–1999
37 Christopher D. Rodkey Xi 1999–2001
38 Jonathon R. Fielbrandt Zeta 2001–2002
39 Ryan R. Hauck Delta 2002–2004
40 Phillip G. Staten Omicron 2004–2007
41 Andrew J. Fleming Zeta 2007–2009
42 Garrett Cooperman Nu 2009–2011
43 Christopher Ciarlariello Pi 2011–2013
44 Ariane Osterwald Tau 2013–2014
45 Ian Schaefer Rho 2014–2015
46 Sarah Feutz Alpha 2015–2016
47 Chrissy L. Fleming Mu 2016–2017
48 Ashley Ford Alpha 2017–2019
49 Patrick Zazzaro Pi 2019–2020
50 Tyler Jensen Zeta 2020–2021
51 Em (Ethan) Mitchell Nu 2021–2022
52 Nathan Booms Zeta 2022–present

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Our History – Mu Beta Psi". Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  2. ^ "Mu Beta Psi National Scholarship - Apply Today!". Mu Beta Psi.
  3. ^ "Band Scholarships". Clemson University.
  4. ^ "Service". Mu Beta Psi. 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  5. ^ "National Constitution". ΜΒΨ Policy Library. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  6. ^ "Zeta Chapter". Mu Beta Psi. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  7. ^ "Letter from the President". Mu Upsilon Alpha.
  8. ^ "National Constitution - ΜΒΨ Policy Library". mubetapsi.org. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  9. ^ "Fraternal Life and Conduct Policy - ΜΒΨ Policy Library". mubetapsi.org. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  10. ^ "Who We Are". Mu Beta Psi. 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  11. ^ "Where We Are – Mu Beta Psi". Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  12. ^ "Mu Beta Psi - getINVOLVED". Rutgers Campus Labs. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  13. ^ "Tamar Greene: News". Tamar Greene. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
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