In recent years, Psi Upsilon has been exploring effective strategies to enhance the growth and support of its chapters, focusing on recruitment efforts, revitalizing dormant chapters, and establishing new ones. To advance these objectives, we appointed a Director of Growth in 2021, who has been instrumental in steering these initiatives. Additionally, we have collaborated with Phired Up, the nation’s leading authority in Fraternity Recruitment, to develop a comprehensive recruitment certification program designed to better equip our members.
This initiative has been made possible due to the generous support from the Annual Fund, particularly those who participated in the March Challenge, which emphasizes contributions toward the Fraternity and the expansion of Psi Upsilon.
This Fall we saw a healthy increase, just above 10%, in new members from the previous year and the below table shows the numbers that have been reported to us.
We are thrilled this isn’t the extent of our growth and the exciting opportunity to revitalize several of our dormant chapters and begin new ones are growing. A group of students recently created an Owl Club at Columbia University, reinvigorating the Lambda Chapter. Additionally, our Provisional Chapter at Purdue University has submitted its petition for full chapter status, which will be circulated among our chapters for voting in January. We are currently speaking with students at Kenyon College who are interested in restarting that chapter and have been invited to return to the University of Minnesota in the Fall of 2025.
If you know of a college student who would be a great member of Psi Upsilon, or even may be interested in starting a chapter of Psi U, please be sure to reach out to us and let us know as we hope this success continues into 2025!
The Psi Upsilon Social Impact Fellowship is an annual program that brings together alumni who are engaged in professional or volunteer work aligned with the fraternity’s value of Service to Society. Over the course of the year, fellows participate in in-person and remote training sessions to enhance their professional skills, and are also eligible for grants to support their ongoing community impact initiatives.
The Archons’ Academy is Psi Upsilon’s annual leadership program for its elected chapter presidents. The academy curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including the fraternity’s history and values, personal leadership development, conflict resolution techniques, and organizational governance.
In 2024 we combined the in person portions of these programs to allow the Fellows and Archons to work with one another and that gave us the opportunity to have a reception where alums could meet both our Fellows and elected Chapter Presidents in person.
The reception is scheduled to commence at 6:30 PM. During this time, we will be providing a selection of heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages. The evening will include brief remarks as well as an introduction of our Fellows and Archons, followed by ample opportunity for networking and social engagement. All members of Psi Upsilon are welcome as well as spouses and guests.
So please register today and join us on January 10th at the Sheraton Suites in Alexandria, VA for this great evening!
Who: All Psi Upsilon Alumni and Guests When: Thursday, February 6th at 6:30 PM Where: The Seattle Tennis Club (922 McGilvra Blvd E, Seattle, WA 98112) Business Casual Attire
Brothers, we hope you can join us for an exciting expansion of the Speaker Series program, with a live panel discussion at the Seattle Tennis Club!
Join Mike Egan, Theta Theta ’90, a 26 year veteran of Microsoft, and other exciting panelists. Members of the Executive Council, Foundation Board of Directors and other area alums will be in attendance.
The reception begins at 6:30 PM. We’re thrilled to offer an array of delectable hors d’oeuvres and beverages for your enjoyment. The evening’s program will feature brief remarks, as well as the introduction of our distinguished Fraternity and Foundation leadership. Brief remarks will honor attendant scholarship recipients. This will be followed by ample time for networking and social engagement. All members of the Psi Upsilon community, including spouses and guests, are invited to attend.
If you cannot attend, but want to support the speaker series, scholarships, and educational work of Psi Upsilon, please consider making a donation here
Psi Upsilon Beacon, Leadership & Service Highlights. published Fall 2024. The Beacon highlights the grant, scholarship, and fellowship programs of the Psi Upsilon Foundation in support of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity. This issue highlights our 2024-2025 Social Impact Fellows, alumni doing philanthropic works, and more.
On December 4th, several Psi Upsilon alumni gathered at the Woodcliff Hotel in Rochester, New York, to present Thomas T. Hanford, Gamma ’62 (Amherst), with the Distinguished Alumni Service Award. This award recognizes alums whose service and dedication to the fraternity and their chapters bring great honor to the organization.
For nearly 50 years, from 1973 to 2022, Tom served as an officer on the Gamma alumni corporation’s board, including as President from 1994 to 2011. In this role, he diligently educated undergraduates on the Gamma’s history and guided them through the chapter’s years of off-campus operations after Amherst College compelled the sale of their chapter house. Demonstrating his steadfast commitment to the broader Psi U fraternity, Tom also provided counsel to the Upsilon Chapter in his hometown of Rochester, NY, and assisted in reestablishing that chapter in 2013.
In 2003, Tom became a member of the Psi Upsilon Foundation’s board, and from 2004 to 2008, as its Chairman provided critical leadership to the Foundation and Fraternity. Tom helped Psi U make tough decisions that sustained the fraternity through a period of financial existential crisis. Tom has been a very generous donor to the Annual Fund, is a member of the Pillar Society, and was one of the first brothers to offer a substantial match of contributions to the Annual Fund, starting a trend that is part of the lifeblood of Psi U’s finances today.
A true gentleman, Tom has served Psi U selflessly and expertly in many capacities, while greatly enjoying the fellowship of his brothers. Tom Hanford has truly represented the life of a distinguished Psi U alumnus and brother.
Pictured: Thomas Fox, Omicron ’00 (Illinois), Richard Rasmussen, Upsilon ’72 (Rochester), Sam Andrews, Gamma ’80 (Amherst), Thomas Hanford, Gamma ’62, Martin Brayboy, Gamma ’84, Jay Riemenschnieder, Beta Alpha ’90 (Miami OH)
On December 5th, 2024, the 5th Annual Gilrane Economic Symposium was held in Greenwich, CT at the Greenwich Country Club Captain’s Grill. Brother Patrick Gilrane, Psi ’83 (Hamilton) acted as moderator for Lawrence Rakers, Omicron ‘86 (Illinois) – Mutual Fund Manger at Fidelity Investments, and Christopher P. Fuller, Zeta ’88 (Dartmouth) – Managing Partner at Verus Investment Partners, LLC. The panel discussed expectations for the 2025 economic landscape. The annual speaker panel, endowed in Brother Gilrane’s honor, was followed by three entrepreneurial pitches courtesy of the FishFund. Speakers representing their companies presented and took rapid fire questions from the audience. The paid event brought together brothers from around the country. Next year’s GES and FishFund Venture Presentations are scheduled for December in NYC
Ani: The Cultural Benefits Platform https://www.alwaysani.com/ Delight Your Employees With Cultural Experiences That Keep Teams Connected & Engaged! ANI is an employee benefits platform that provides cultural experience access designed to improve workforce community, engagement, and wellness and build bridges between business communities and the arts. Presenter: Emeka Kanu, Beta Beta ’11 (Trinity) https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekanu/
SeaTrac – The Next Wave of Uncrewed Surface Vehicles https://www.seatrac.com/ A flexible platform for defense, environmental and offshore energy applications. SeaTrac designs and develops uncrewed surface vehicles for persistent in-shore and open-ocean missions. Energy is derived from solar panels; propulsion comes from a highly efficient electric motor. Power from the vessel’s substantial battery storage allows for consistent cruise speeds over days with varying weather conditions. Presented with support from Alessandra Bianchi, Gamma ’86 (Amherst) https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandra-bianchi-b114636/
Madrona Distilling https://madronadistillery.com/ Madrona Distillery is a gin-focused spirits producer located in Redmond, Washington. We began building the business three years ago and opened our doors in February of 2024. To date we have accumulated 7 international awards including 5 gold medals. Product sales channels include our tasting room, direct distribution and a regional wholesaler. The business is wholly owned by Tom Allan and his wife Anne. The name Madrona honors the beautiful red-barked trees that line the shores of their favorite sailing destination, The San Juan Islands of northwest Washington. Some of the botanicals used in production are harvested from their home on Orcas Island.
Presented by: Thomas T. Allan IV, Theta Theta ’89 (University of Washington)
Psi Upsilon Foundation invites you to our annual Symposium bringing together industry leaders together for an evening of moderated discussion around what 2024 might bring. About the history of the Gilrane Economic Symposium.
Make a Donation Here or Text GIVE to (317) 399-4318 to make a tax-deductible suggested donation of $25+ to the Foundation & support our programs, operations and outreach efforts like this.
The 181st Psi Upsilon Convention will be held in Syracuse, NY and is hosted by the Pi Chapter to celebrate its 150th Anniversary from Friday, July 25th with all events ending the evening of Sunday, July 27th and guests departing Monday, July 28th.
The 181st Convention website has more details, including a schedule of events, registration, and information on booking hotel rooms.
On 11.24.2024 the leadership of Psi Upsilon’s Executive Council and Foundation Board of Directors gathered for a discussion about Psi U’s past, present and our future. The Psi Upsilon Founder’s Day Livestream Event happened for almost two hours on Sunday, November 24th at 7:30 PM Eastern. It beamed live on our social media channels – Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Psi U.org. It is accessible on this page below.
Schedule:
• Thomas Fox, Omicron ’00 (Illinois)spoke about Psi Upsilon’s founding at Union College on November 24th, 1833
•Timothy Zepp, Chi Delta ’08 (Duke) and Alexander Senchak, Eta ’06 (Lehigh) had a conversation about the work of the boards and where they would like to see Psi Upsilon go in the future.
• Alex and newly elected EC board member Catherine Lefebvre, GT ’18, discussed their involvement with Psi Upsilon and what inspires them to give back to our Fraternity.
We’d like to thank everyone who helped make the 2024 Days of Giving such a success! This year we raised $110,478 from 336 donors, including 61 first time donors! All of these are new records for the Days of Giving and surpassed our goals!
The top 10 chapters in terms of participation were:
What made this such a success was the hard work of our team captains who helped rally their chapters, we’d like to thank John Song, Omega ’91 (Chicago); Manuel Chaknis, Omega ’85 (Chicago); Mark G. DiPasquale, Pi ’88 (Syracuse); Edward R. “Chip” Braulick, Eta ’84 (Lehigh) and Brian M. Christie, Zeta ’07 (Dartmouth) for their outstanding work and support!
In addition every donation during the Days of Giving had double the impact thanks to the generosity of the following brothers who stepped up and made matching gifts. We’d like to thank:
Dollars raised: $110,478 ★ against our goal of $100k!
336 Donors for the event (beating the 2014 “Get in the Game” campaign total of 321) ★
18 Undergraduates Donations
34 Memorial and Tribute Gifts ★
26 Chapters Participating
130 donors gave their greatest gift ever ★
Average of $216
To kick off the Days of Giving we held an Awards and Recognition event on Thursday, October 17th and invited past scholarship attendees, Social Impact Fellows, and those that have received some of our individual awards such as the Fiske Award, Distinguished Alumni Service Award, and David AB Brown Award.
On Friday October 18th we held our first livestream event which included a tour of the International Office and some of our historical items on display, a check in with our Social Impact Fellow Dr. Brian Christie, Zeta ’07 (Dartmouth), a presentation about solar-powers aquatic drones courtesy of Alessandra Bianchi, Gamma ’86 (Amherst) and her company www.seatrac.com , and a conversation about horror literature and must watch movies this spooky season with horror author Brian Asman Phi Delta ’03 (Mary Washington) (by the way, his new werewolf book “Good Dogs” is out now at http://www.brianasmanbooks.com !
Awards for 2024:
The Pi will receive bragging rights and a pizza party for having the most donors, while the Omicron will receive a Psi U banner for raising the most dollars. Special kudos in the form of a Psi U gift basket to Mark G. DiPasquale, Pi ’88 (Syracuse) for rallying the most donors.
Jo
Memorial and honor gifts Mariann Williams, Rho/Chi Delta 2017 (H) made a gift in memory of Bill Wishard, Delta Delta ’63 John Kay, Delta ’78 made a gift in honor of Henry B. Poor Jorge Gonzalez, Delta 1990 made a gift in memory of Rob Schroeder Tim Tritsch, eta 1985 made a gift in memory of Mark Wheatley Scott Greenstkne, Eta 1988 made a gift in memory of Mark Wheatley George Blandino, Eta 1984 made a gift in memory of Curt Rettke John Gewartowski, ETA 1988 made a gift in memory of Mark Wheatley Gary Pan, Eta 1986 made a gift in memory of Curtis Rettke: Miss you Gary Pan, Eta 1986 made a gift in memory of Mark “Bing” Wheatley Karl Brotzman, ETA 1974 made a gift in honor of Warren Serenbetz Jonathan Chaffin, Gamma Tau’00 made a gift in memory of Bill Wishard Jeffrey Weber, ETA 1984 made a gift in memory of Curt Rettke Michael Pagan, Eta 1985 made a gift in memory of Mark Wheatley Joan R Brewster, Gamma 1986 made a gift in memory of Henry Poor Chirley Quillian, Gamma Tau 2011 made a gift in honor of Grampa Dodger Charles Hall, Gamma Tau made a gift in memory of Michael Unti| Bill Wolf, Omega 1990 made a gift in memory of Jonathan Persky Jose Garza, Omega 1990 made a gift in memory of Clay Huestis D Pauletti, Omega made a gift in memory of Clay Huestis: Tan ‘em Tucker-style. Kevin Fazendeiro, Omega ’95 made a gift in memory of Clay Huestis David McBroom, Omega 2020 made a gift in memory of Lynn Werner Peter Weinstein, Omega 1983 made a gift in memory of Jon Persky Robert McIntire, made a gift in memory of Michael Summers: Happy birthday a bit early and also good memories of Mike and Ann who was Psi U sweetheart. Brian Orange, Pi 1989 made a gift in memory of Garrett Dubious| Timothy Chipperfield, Pi 1987 made a gift in memory of Garret DuBoi: Peter Chynoweth, Pi 1986 made a gift in memory of Muggsy Mollihan Harry Silverstein, Pi 1996 made a gift in honor of Salvatore DiNitto Marc Fishman, Pi 1990 made a gift in memory of David Cooper James Phelan, Tau ‘63 made a gift in memory of Wes Kolb Robert Beecroft, Tau 1962 made a gift in memory of David Norcross Charles Sollitt, made a gift in memory of Tony Zubick William Hiltz, Zeta 2005 made a gift in honor of Evelyn Kaiser Matthew DeMarco, Zeta 2007 made a gift in honor of Jarren Hayes: This donation is just a small token of appreciation for your dedication and support of our chapter and brotherhood! ITB Andrew Hughey, Zeta 2006 made a gift in honor of Yale Fillingham: Itb!
Special Thank You to the dedicated staff and volunteer speakers who made this event successful!
Tom Fox, Omicron ‘00 Jonathan Chaffin. Gamma Tau ‘00 Bethann Taylor Jay Riemenschnieder, Beta Alpha ‘93 Alex Senchak, Eta ‘06 Vicky Manfren
Award Evening Speakers
Alex Senchak, Eta ‘06 Tim Zepp, Chi Delta ’08 Richard A. Rasmussen, Upsilon ’72 Tuna Ergan, Gamma Tau ’23 [VIDEO] Dr. Don Nguyen, Epsilon Nu ‘20 Dr. Roberta Hunter, Epsilon Iota ‘94 [VIDEO] Logan G. Spector, PhD, Phi Beta ’95 [VIDEO] Evan Terry, Epsilon Phi ‘93 James M. Cornacchia, Pi ’86 David A.B. Brown, Epsilon Phi ‘63 Tom Fox, Omicron ‘00
Livestream Event Speakers
Alessandra Bianchi, Gamma ’86 Dr. Brian Christie, Zeta ’07 Brian Asman, Phi Delta ’03 Thomas J. Fox, Omicron ‘00 Jonathan Chaffin, Gamma Tau ‘00 Alexander Senchak, Eta ‘06
This Spring we’ve held several events to help Psi Upsilon Brothers connect with one another in their cities, some of these are standing and regular programs and others were grass roots where alums have offered to organize and manage the gathering. We hope to grow this practice to more areas but need volunteers to help organize – these can be informal like a happy hour or sporting event, or more formal like a dinner or speaking event. We’re happy to help connect you with others in your area to plan, and we can assist with creating registration page and email and social media campaigns to get the word out. If you would like to speak with someone about getting involved in this endeavor, please feel free to reach out to Executive Director Thomas Fox at tfox@psiu.org.
A summary of some of our Spring Events:
June 18th – Washington DC Nationals Game
We had over 25 Psi U’s from eight chapters recently get together at a Washington DC Nationals Game in the hope of creating more regular Psi U events in the Washington DC area. Thank you to David Pitcher, Phi , Bruce Blakeman, Phi , John Hoskins, Eta and Jonathan Colb, Phi Nu for helping organize the event.
June 5th – ATL Celebration of Psi Upsilon Achievement
Brothers from 9 chapters in the Atlanta area gathered to celebrate Psi Upsilon scholarship & graduate scholarship recipients, Social Impact Fellows, and new Foundation board member Jennifer Roper, Gamma Tau ’03. Special thanks to JC Sparking, Chi ’89, for sponsoring! Attendees enjoyed remarks from 2023 FishFund Senior Fellow Alex Hofelich, Gamma Tau ’98 (Georgia Tech), 2023 Gamma Chapter Corporation Senior Fellow Jeremiah Olney, Gamma Tau ’15, and Dr. Tony Kremer, Omicron ’87 Graduate Scholarship recipient Tuna Ergan, Gamma Tau ’23, and Psi U volunteers. It was a pleasure to support these brothers and learn about their achievements and honors.
May 16th – Speaker Series Event at the Chicago Club
Peter Weismantle, Eta ’72 (Lehigh) is the Director of Technical Architecture of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and helped design the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) and the Jeddah Tower which will be the first 1km tall tower when it is completed! Our Speaker Series program was created by the Psi Upsilon Foundation to create platforms for alums to share their stories. Thanks to generous alums in the Chicago area we were hosted at the Chicago Club and had a wonderful evening.
April 18th – Perfect Pint Happy Hour in New York City
Psi Upsilon has been hosting happy hours at the Perfect Pint in New York City for a number of years now, and it has become a regular Spring event for our alums in the NYC metro region – many of whom now serve as hosts and help with marketing the event.
