Alpha Zeta () is a professional fraternity for students and industry professionals in agricultural and natural resources fields. It was founded in 1897 at Ohio State University and was the first collegiate society for agriculture.
History Charles W. Burkett and John F. Cunningham, roommates and students at the College of Agriculture at Ohio State University, founded the Alpha Zeta fraternity on November 4, 1897. Three years prior, Burkett and Cunnigham had the idea of forming an organization to support agricultural students, create fellowship, and promote agriculture. They recruited ten other agriculture students who became the fraternity's charter members, including
Alpha Zeta formed as a professional fraternity but became an honorary fraternity in 1936. Its chapters were limited to land-grant institutions until 1951.
At the fraternity's 1940 Conclave, a proposal was presented to open membership to non-white males. This was presented at each Conclave for twelve years, finally passing in 1952. Also in 1952, a proposal to admit women was defeated with a tied vote. The fraternity's constitution was amended in 1972, allowing its chapters to initiate women.
The fraternity was headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the 1960s. It was located in Lafayette, Indiana from 1974 to 1994, when it moved to St. Louis, Missouri. Its headquarters is currently located in Paducah, Kentucky. As of 2023, Alpha Zeta has chartered 74 chapters.
Its print publication was the Quarterly of Alpha Zeta, first published in the early 20th century. AZ News is now its primary publication.
Symbols The fraternity's badge is a monogram of the letter on top of the letter , with a small star at the center of the . Its key is the shape of two overlapping circles in gold and black. Its colors are old gold (mode) and sky blue. Its flower is the pink carnation.
Charitable activities In 1942, Alpha Zeta began issuing scholarships to a select number of members for graduate studies. The Washington, D.C. Alumni Association helped form the National Alpha Zeta Foundation of America, Inc. in 1960, allowing the expansion of the scholarship program. The foundation accepts and manages donations for "scientific, educational and charitable purposes which best advance agriculture for the public good."
The Alpha Zeta Foundation, Inc. was formed in Indiana on April 4, 1984, to oversee the fraternity's national scholarship program and to support its leadership development program.
Governance The fraternity is overseen by a seven-member High Council that is elected by student representatives of each chapter at Biennial Conclaves held on odd calendar years. The council includes the High Chancellor, High Censor, High Scribe, High Treasurer, High Chronicler, Alumni Representative, and student representative. Alpha Zeta also has staff who oversee the fraternity's operations and communications.
Membership To be eligible for membership in Alpha Zeta, students must be majoring in agriculture or a related field, must have completed one year of study, and must be in the upper two-fifths of their class. Prospective members are also evaluated for character and leadership.
As of 2023, Alpha Zeta has initiated 125,000 members and has 1,000 active members. Its membership types are student, alumni, associate, and honorary. Honorary members can be nominated by chapters every ten years after their Charter date.
Membership was limited to white males for the fraternity's first 55 years but became open to any male in 1952. Membership was made open to women starting in 1972.
Chapters Following is a list of Alpha Zeta chapters. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in italics. Chapters are named in some way concerning agriculture or after the locality of the chapter.
ChapterCharter date and rangeInstitutionLocationRegionStatusTownshendOhio State UniversityColumbus, OhioNortheastActiveMorrill –1900; 1903Pennsylvania State University University Park, PennsylvaniaNortheastActiveMorrowUniversity of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUrbana, IllinoisNorth CentralActiveCornell Cornell UniversityIthaca, New YorkNortheastActiveKedzie Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MichiganNorth CentralInactiveGranite University of New Hampshire Durham, New HampshireNortheastInactiveNebraska University of Nebraska–LincolnLincoln, NebraskaNorth CentralActiveNorth Carolina North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, North CarolinaSoutheastActiveLa Grange –1973University of MinnesotaSaint Paul, MinnesotaNorth CentralInactiveGreen Mountain University of VermontBurlington, VermontNortheastInactiveWilsonIowa State UniversityAmes, IowaNorth CentralActiveBabcock University of Wisconsin–MadisonMadison, WisconsinNorth CentralInactiveCentennial Colorado State UniversityFort Collins, ColoradoWesternInactiveMaine University of MaineOrono, MaineNortheastInactiveMissouri University of MissouriColumbia, MissouriNorth CentralInactiveElliott Washington State UniversityPullman, WashingtonWesternInactiveCalifornia –1957University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CaliforniaWesternInactivePurdue Purdue University West Lafayette, IndianaNorth CentralActiveKansas Kansas State UniversityManhattan, KansasNorth CentralActiveDacotah North Dakota State UniversityFargo, North DakotaNorth CentralInactiveScovell University of Kentucky Lexington, KentuckySoutheastInactiveMorgan University of TennesseeKnoxville, TennesseeSoutheastInactiveGeorgia University of GeorgiaAthens, GeorgiaSoutheastInactiveLouisiana Louisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge, LouisianaSoutheastInactiveOklahoma Oklahoma State University–StillwaterStillwater, OklahomaSouthwestActiveArkansas University of ArkansasFayetteville, ArkansasSouth CentralInactiveOregon Oregon State UniversityCorvallis, OregonWesternInactiveMaryland University of MarylandCollege Park, MarylandNortheastInactiveIdaho University of IdahoMoscow, IdahoWesternInactiveMontana Montana State UniversityBozeman, MontanaWesternActiveFlorida University of FloridaGainesville, FloridaSoutheastActiveCook Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick, New JerseyNortheastActiveWest Virginia West Virginia UniversityMorgantown, West VirginiaNortheastInactiveSouth Dakota South Dakota State University Brookings, South DakotaNorth CentralActiveNew Mexico New Mexico State UniversityLas Cruces, New MexicoSouth CentralInactiveArizona University of ArizonaTucson, ArizonaWesternInactiveMississippi Mississippi State UniversityStarkville, MississippiSoutheastInactiveSouth Carolina Clemson UniversityClemson, South CarolinaSoutheastInactiveVirginia Virginia TechBlacksburg, VirginiaSoutheastActiveWyoming University of WyomingLaramie, WyomingWesternInactiveRhode Island University of Rhode IslandKingston, Rhode IslandNortheastInactiveCalifornia Beta –1961University of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaWesternInactiveUtah Utah State UniversityLogan, UtahWesternInactiveCalifornia Gamma University of California, DavisDavis, CaliforniaWesternInactiveAlabama Auburn UniversityAuburn, AlabamaSoutheastInactiveDelaware University of DelawareNewark, DelawareNortheastActiveTexas Alpha Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station, TexasSouthwestActiveTexas Beta Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TexasSouthwestActiveConnecticut University of ConnecticutStorrs, ConnecticutNortheastActiveMassachusetts University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MassachusettsNortheastInactiveCalifornia Delta California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CaliforniaWesternInactivePuerto Rico University of Puerto Rico at MayagüezMayagüez, Puerto RicoSoutheastActiveIllinois Beta Southern Illinois University CarbondaleCarbondale, IllinoisNorth CentralActiveCalifornia Epsilon –xxxx?; 2005California State University, FresnoFresno, CaliforniaWesternActiveNevada University of Nevada, Reno Reno, NevadaWesternInactiveArizona Beta Arizona State UniversityTempe, ArizonaWesternInactiveLouisiana Beta Southwestern Louisiana UniversityLafayette, LouisianaSouth CentralInactiveCalifornia Zeta California Polytechnic State UniversitySan Luis Obispo, CaliforniaWesternInactiveIllinois GammaWestern Illinois UniversityMacomb, IllinoisNorth CentralActive1967 Sequel Yearbook, page 184Utah Beta Brigham Young UniversityProvo, UtahWesternInactiveWisconsin Beta University of Wisconsin–PlattevillePlatteville, WisconsinNorth CentralActiveTexas Gamma Tarleton State UniversityStephenville, TexasSouthwestActiveWisconsin Gamma University of Wisconsin–River FallsRiver Falls, WisconsinNorth CentralActiveIllinois Delta Illinois State UniversityNormal, IllinoisNorth CentralActiveLouisiana Gamma Louisiana Tech UniversityRuston, LouisianaSouthwestActiveTennessee Beta University of Tennessee at MartinMartin, TennesseeSoutheastInactiveTexas DeltaWest Texas A&M UniversityCanyon, TexasSouth CentralInactiveAlabama Carver Alabama A&M UniversityHuntsville, ALSoutheastInactiveMurray Murray State UniversityMurray, KYSoutheastInactiveMount Berry Berry CollegeMount Berry, GeorgiaSoutheastActiveOklahoma Beta Oklahoma Panhandle State UniversityGoodwell, OklahomaSouthwestActiveWestern Kentucky Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KYSouth CentralInactiveCalifornia Eta California State University, ChicoChico, CaliforniaWesternActiveLouisiana Delta Southern UniversityBaton Rouge, LASoutheastActive
Notable members