Fraternal Fundamentals

By Everett W. Lord, Grand President

Agreat life insurance company has recently erected a new home office building a block or two away from my office in the Back Bay district of Boston, where only a few years ago the waters of the bay ebbed and flowed over what is now dry land. Since all this territory is underlaid with strata of marsh-earth and gravel, to get a secure foundation for the great building it was necessary to drive piles down forty, sixty or eighty feet to the firm rock below. The workmen were busy for weeks before the walls of the building began to appear. Thousands of piles, hundreds of tons of cement, were sunk from sight before a stone of the visible foundation was laid, but the massive edifice erected on that foundation will stand for generations.

For a real building the foundation is the most important consideration; you can build nothing more impressive than a woodshed or a hen-house without laying deep foundation stones. The Scriptures tell of the man who built his house on the sand; he was in too great haste to see his house rise, or perhaps he thought he could not afford to spend money on a foundation. For two thousand years he has been recognized as “The foolish man.” The wise man looks well to the foundation on which he builds. Nothing is stronger than its foundation; nothing is likely to be of better quality than its foundation.

The government of the United States was founded on the principle of political equality of men; its strength has come from the soundness of that fundamental principle. The governments of the old world were founded on the basis of divine right of kings, and the common failure of those governments has been due to that defect in their foundation.

Modern civilization is founded on morality and the sanctity of family life. It has advanced beyond ancient civilization only because these fundamental principles are better and purer than were the bases on which some older civilizations rested.

Modern business is founded on the bases of honesty and service. The great growth of business houses today has been due to the recognition of these fundamental principles more than to special ability or to unusual opportunity.

Our Fraternity is founded on the foundation of individual worthiness, fraternal aspiration, commercial idealism and institutional loyalty—bases sufficiently firm and deep for a noble edifice. The strength and glory of the fraternity today is found in its adherence to these fundamental objects for which it exists.

To every chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi my first message would be a call to keep clearly in mind these bases on which the Fraternity is founded, and to make some definite plans by which during the present year these fundamentals may be emphasized. I hope that every chapter may make a definite program for the year, with specific plans for “furthering the individual welfare of its members”— developing their strength and strengthening their weaknesses: for “fostering scientific research in the fields of commerce, accounts and finance”— an ambition worthy of any body of scholars: for “educating the public to appreciate and demand higher ideals”—a really tremendous task, but one on which notable beginnings have already been made: and for “promoting and advancing degree courses in business administration,” thus helping in a most effective way to place the standards of college instruction on continually higher planes. With every member making the objects of the Fraternity his objects, and every chapter establishing a clear-cut plan for magnifying the ideals of the Fraternity, the current year will be Alpha Kappa Psi’s best—but only the beginning of better yet to come.

Alpha Kappa Psi has experienced numerous changes to its policies, membership, programming, and priorities in its 119-year history.

Despite these changes, the sentiments made by Brother Grand President Lord in 1923 remain valid 100 years later. The strength and glory of Alpha Kappa Psi today are in its adherence to the objectives members learn to emulate early in their affiliation.

Though these objectives are not explicitly stated within the priorities of each new strategic plan, their spirit is ever-present. As the previous strategic plan transitions to the new one, the Fraternity's direction builds upon the solid foundation laid well before our time.

Alpha Kappa Psi is a community for learning. In chapters, members learn how to become leaders, build relationships, and manage the day-to-day operations of a small business. In business, members continue to build on these skills leaning on their foundations to develop the next generation of principled business leaders. This example illustrates how AKPsi furthers its members' individual welfare and fosters research in related fields.

As business leaders gain more visibility, thanks to the internet and social media, you can easily witness AKPsi leaders educating the public to appreciate and demand higher ideals. Through the media, their good and faithful deeds become known to the public and spread the good name of the Fraternity.

While college enrollment rates slightly decline, conferred undergraduate business degree rates remain steady, thus reinforcing the essential need for college-educated business leaders. Even members earning degrees other than business understand the importance of developing the soft skills required for a successful career. Relationship building, professional communication, and critical thinking are a few of the many skills members mature in their collegiate years.

Today, we stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us. Whether you are a student or alumnus, always remain steadfast and committed to furthering the objectives and values of our beloved Fraternity to ensure the foundation we have built upon remains solid.