Over the last two decades, I have been incredibly fortunate to have met a number of Psi U brothers but for those I have not had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Tim Zepp, Chi Delta ’08 (Duke University). I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and provide an update on the work of the Executive Council including a number of our strategic goals and priorities.
By way of background, my undergraduate fraternity experience helped to shape me in countless ways and develop the soft skills that guided my career path from engineering to consulting to investment banking. In Psi U, I learned how to build consensus around common goals, navigate interpersonal challenges and was encouraged by my fellow brothers to step up in leadership roles. After graduating I wanted to continue giving back to this organization that had given me so much, which eventually led me to serve as a Director of the Psi Upsilon Foundation prior to serving on the Executive Council Board for several years and elected President this past July. The Executive Council helps to conduct the business of the fraternity, including developing the strategic vision and priorities guiding the future of the organization. In my time serving on both of our boards, I have been incredibly impressed by the level of thoughtfulness and dedication of our many volunteer leaders which has inspired me to be a better leader.
As President of the Executive Council, I am incredibly excited by the work we are doing to try to bring greater connectivity across our global network. We are thinking creatively to support our chapter and alumni group leaders so they may run their organizations more effectively and efficiently. One example is our work to rollout career-mentorship offerings across our chapters by codifying and leveraging ideas and best practices from successful programs like the one run by the Psi chapter at Hamilton College. We are also in the process of building the framework for geography-based Psi U Alumni Clubs to provide new opportunities to build cross-generational and cross-chapter connections across our network.
As we continue to enhance the programs we provide to our membership, we are also focused on investing in our long-term success and growth. Coming up next month, Psi Upsilon’s March Challenge is an opportunity to invest in the future of our brotherhood through the donation of money (or new for this year, pledging your time) to support the growth of our organization, including our plans to hire a new junior staff member to work closely with undergraduates on current and prospective Psi U campuses. Amplifying the impact of the amazing work that our brotherhood is already doing each and every day is a top priority and I believe the biggest opportunity we have to demonstrate the value of lifelong fraternal membership.
As we all know from our lived experiences and supported by research from the North American Interfraternity Conference, brotherhood in Psi Upsilon provides numerous lifelong benefits including friendships, a sense of belonging and skills that serve as an accelerator for success in college and beyond. None of this is possible without the many volunteer leaders and professional staff of our Fraternity and Foundation working hard each and every day to execute on the vision and many initiatives described above. The long-term success of our organization relies on the engagement of each of you reading this and the brothers in your individual networks. No matter your age, background, or past involvement with Psi Upsilon, we would appreciate your involvement, and I would enjoy hearing your ideas, feedback, and have you join an upcoming Psi U event! Thank you for reading and I look forward to connecting with many of you in the future.
Yours in the Bonds,
Tim Zepp, Chi Delta ‘08
President of the Psi Upsilon Executive Council