Donor Profiles

I constantly socialize with Brothers. I do business with Brothers, I laugh with Brothers, I have traveled the world with Brothers, learned business, management & leadership skills, remained humble; I always have a bed to sleep in, a helping hand, or a shirt off a back. I do not know who I’d be without my Brothers. I don’t want to know. Money is the least I can give back.” - Eric Simons, Delta ’80 NYU

I give to Psi Upsilon every year because Psi U provides real support to help improve the undergraduate college experience for each member during their time in school and help make lifetime friendships. - Brad Corner, Omicron '72 University of Illinois

I give to Psi U every year because for brothers, old and young, our legacy is worth maintaining.

- Patrick Armstrong, Epsilon Nu '01 Michigan State University

I have given to Psi Upsilon every year since I graduated as a small way of saying thank you for the support that Psi Upsilon provided to me and the Kappa chapter. I can't imagine college without Psi Upsilon. My annual gifts are a way to pay it forward and stay connected. - Jordan Shields, Kappa '98 Bowdoin College

Alumnus Points to Fraternity’s Vital Role in Young Brothers’ Lives

John Thaler, Omega ‘97 (University of Chicago)

calls the “gigantic rise in college tuition coupled with an uncertain job environment” far and away the biggest challenge college students face today. Thaler, a 1997 graduate in economics from the University of Chicago, admits that his own generation was largely spared the difficulty.

“It’s a clear problem for all these kids,” Thaler contends. “And that’s where I see Psi Upsilon able to play its biggest role in our students’ lives — to help them transition from student to professional, across all sectors of the business world. Scholarships can help brothers one at a time. But when you look at the collective membership, you need leadership training that can reach the masses. That’s where the fraternity can best create a structured dynamic, a clear path by which they can impact today’s undergraduates’ lives.”

John knows what it takes to succeed. Following a decade of holding successful positions in investment, he struck out on his own in 2007, launching JAT Capital just ahead of the Great Recession. Today, the global long/short equity hedge fund manages a multi-billion dollar portfolio.

Yet he says if it had not been for the fraternity, he’d have likely ended up in law or medicine. “When I was 18 years old, I’d not been around very many people who worked on Wall Street. But after joining our Omega Chapter, there were a lot of economics majors going off to the investment and banking sector. In fact, I nearly chose to leave and study my entire junior year in Berlin, which would’ve taken me in a different direction. Ultimately, I decided I didn’t want to leave my Psi U friends for a whole year.”

Thaler agrees that beyond those friendships, young brothers need skills they learn in a fraternal environment long after they move into a career. “Teamwork is certainly a big one,” he says. “At the chapter and in my business today, it’s critical to be able to function as a unit where people are assigned and meeting individual responsibilities in order to achieve a collective goal.”

It’s the sum total of his fraternal journey and friendships that have moved Brother Thaler to contribute back to the success of both his chapter and the Psi Upsilon Foundation. “I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a brother in Psi Upsilon. Reinvesting back what I received from my experience in the fraternity is very important to me. This is one way I can help other Psi U brothers have the same opportunity I had and learn the important life lessons I obtained that have shaped the person I am today.”

(From left)Gary Pan with Walter Deichmann, Eta ‘85 and Robert Dunn, Eta ‘85 at a March 2014 mini-reunion in Big Sky, Montana

One Brother’s Legacy of Service (That Wasn’t in the Plan)

The average college freshman is undecided in a major. Of those who do declare one, most will switch. Many will do so two, or three, or four times.

But Gary Pan, Eta ‘86 (Lehigh) was not your average college freshman. When asked during high school what he thought he wanted to do, Gary rattled off his well-planned litany of professional goals. “First I’m going to ... and then I’ll ... and by 1992 I should be able to ...”

That ten-year professional plan was quite specific, and, extraordinarily, Gary Pan accomplished it just as he set out to do.

The Weston, Massachusetts native earned his BS in electrical engineering with a minor in legal studies from Lehigh University in 1986. Gary attended Virginia Tech to finish an MBA and later began the pursuit of a doctorate of management (organizational leadership) from University of Phoenix. In 1990, he founded his own company. “Being fortunate enough to know that I wanted to start an information technology and systems engineering firm supporting the federal government,” he says, “I strategically moved to Washington, DC, cut my teeth at a small firm in my target industry to gain valuable experience, and eventually launched out on my own with Panacea Consulting.”

One thing that hadn’t been in the plan, however, was joining a fraternity. “No, I hadn’t planned on that,” he admits. “But one night I went to a movie and met a group of guys sitting next to me and they were great.”

They were Eta chapter Psi U brothers. Soon enough, Gary was one, too.

It was through Psi Upsilon that Gary says he had the opportunity to grow the most in college. “I was extremely shy in high school. It was pretty bad – I could never get up in front of a group or express myself confidently. Psi U gave me my biggest opportunities to grow at Lehigh. It was a safe, supportive environment where I could develop my communication and leadership skills. That was on top of finding lifelong friends.”

Unlike those fraternity graduates who never look back after leaving campus, Gary understood the value of the family he had found. “No way did I think it was the end. We were brothers for life. I have worked professionally with some of my brothers, I have shared a house with some, some have been in my wedding party ... If I am traveling I try to make an effort to at least call a local brother just to catch up.”

Gary’s natural leadership abilities and his heart for service earned him undergraduate roles as treasurer, rush chairman, vice president, and archon. As an alumnus, he’s continued to give back as a dedicated Alumni Advisory Board member and past member of the Executive Council. He is currently a Psi Upsilon Foundation director and serves on the scholarship committee.

Gary’s scholarship committee work is particularly meaningful for him. First, he says it gives him the chance to follow the lead of Henry Poor, Gamma ‘39 (Amherst) who heralded the importance of promoting academic excellence among Psi U undergraduates. “Having worked with Henry for many years, I consider him a role model and someone to emulate.”

“The second reason has to do with Curtis J. Rettke. Curt was a fellow Eta – a couple years older than I – who came to join me at Panacea during its formative years. He was instrumental in helping the firm grow and mature. Later, Curt succumbed to lymphoma leukemia and I led an effort to establish a named scholarship in his memory. I continue my work on the scholarship committee to honor Curt.”

Gary Pan says he’s amazed and inspired by the academic, fraternity and civic leadership espoused by the “diverse and accomplished group of young men and women” in Psi U.

The depth of his connection with the Fraternity led Gary to give back through financial support for the Psi Upsilon Foundation dating all the way back to his first year as an alumnus. In recent years, he stepped forward with a major gift to the Leadership Initiative.

“Investing in others is who I am. It’s in my DNA. And I believe in investing in our fraternity and our future leaders. Psi Upsilon has so many wonderful programs and resources that really make a difference for our undergraduates. Beyond scholarships is our Archons Academy and this summer’s Leadership Institute. Establishing a financial foundation that continues to provide valuable resources for undergraduate education is investing in our collective future.”