National fraternities that pioneered a campus
 

In an accompanying thread I listed the number of institutions and the era in which national fraternities were introduced. Here is a list of which fraternities they were.

By 1850 the fraternities with the largest number of chapters which pioneered a campus were:

Alpha Delta Phi, 11
Beta Theta Pi, 9
Delta Kappa Epsilon, 3
DElta Psi, 3
Mystical Seven, 3
Sigma Phi, 3

By the turn of the twentieth century more familiar names appear. In 1900 the fraternities with the most pioneer chapters were:

Beta Theta Pi, 26
Delta Tau Delta, 19
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 19
Phi Delta Theta, 16
Phi Gamma Delta, 15
Phi Kappa Psi, 15
Alpha Delta Phi, 13
Alpha Tau Omega, 13
Kappa Sigma, 12
Delta Kappa Epsilon, 10
Phi Kappa Sigma, 10
Sigma Nu, 10
Kappa Alpha Order, 9
Sigma Chi, 8
Zeta Psi, 8

Fifty years later some of the younger fraternities became more aggresive at opening news schools to national Greek organizations, while some of the older groups became more conservative. The pioneers by 1950 were:

Sigma Tau Gamma, 29
Beta Theta Pi, 27
Kappa Alpha, 24
Omega Psi Phi, 24
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 24
Alpha Phi Alpha, 23
Kappa Sigma, 22
Delta Tau Delta, 20
Phi Delta Theta, 19
Sigma Nu, 18
Alpha Tau Omega, 17
Phi Gamma Delta, 15
Phi Kappa Psi, 15
Alpha Delta Phi, 13
Sigma Chi, 13
Phi Beta Sigma, 13
Pi Kappa Alpha, 13
Delta Kappa Epsilon, 10
Phi Kappa Sigma, 10
Zeta Psi, 10

The list today reflects the dramatic expansion of the Greek system during the last half of the twentieth century and the groups most aggressive at adding chapters. It is also interesting that some of the largest groups have tended to wait until a Greek system was well established before placing chapters, while others chose to be first in. As of today, the pioneer chapters are:

Tau Kappa Epsilkon, 93
Kappa Sigma, 51
Sigma Phi Epsilon, 49
Sigma Tau Gamma, 49
Alpha Phi Alpha, 37
Kappa Alpha, 35
Omega Psi Phi, 33
Beta Theta Pi, 31
Phi Delta Theta, 31
Pi Kappa Alpha, 31
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 31
Delta Sigma Phi, 30
Pi Kappa Phi, 25
Alpha Tau Omega, 24
Delta Tau Delta, 23
Sigma Nu, 22
Alpha Phi Delta, 21
Sigma Chi, 21
Phi Beta Sigma, 20
Phi Kappa Psi, 18
Phi Kappa Sigma, 18
Phi Sigma Kappa, 18
Sigma Pi, 18
Theta Chi, 18
Phi Gamma Delta, 17

WHAT?! Darn them straight to heck!!!!!


That's better. :)

I am actually surprised (but not extremely so) that Kappa Alpha Psi was not a pioneer on any campus according to this data.

Kappa Alpha Psi pioneered at 15 institutions, just below my arbitrary cut-off point. The list totals about 70 groups -- a bit long to post all.

Eh, screw em. You did good, oldu. ;)

Tau Kappa Epsilkon, 93
Kappa Sigma, 51
Sigma Phi Epsilon, 49

I can see Sep and TKE up there. Very surprised to the KE.

It'd be interesting to see each GLO and the accompanying 'pioneered' campus. IE, Beta was first fraternity at Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Kansas State....etc.

Beta wasn't first at Miami of Ohio?

No, Alpha Delta Phi was first on the Miami campus. Beta's founding (or maybe Phi Delta Theta's) occured after Alpha Delt's.

From Miami University's Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Leadership Community.

"In 1809, Miami University received its charter from the State of Ohio. Instruction began in 1824. It was in 1833 when the university saw it's first fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi. Since then, Miami University has experienced a long history of fraternal life on campus for nearly 170 years. Five social Greek-lettered organizations have their origins here at Miami University: Beta Theta Pi (1839), Phi Delta Theta (1848), Sigma Chi (1855), Delta Zeta (1902), and Phi Kappa Tau (1906)."

Ahem? Phi Delt? 'xcuse me? :) Phi Delt is a meer youngin' to Beta, founded 1848 at Miami University. I expect more from a Sigma Chi :) ......But yes, ADPhi was first at Miami.

My deepest IFC apologies to a fellow Miami Triad member. :)

Miami Triad. Is Phi Kappa Tau the odd man out?

Yes. I'm not sure why. Maybe Beta, Phi Delt, and Sigma Chi were called the Miami Triad before Phi Tau was founded.

Odd "org" out, along with Delta Zeta. ;)

Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi are grouped together as the Miami Triad both because they were founded in roughly the same timeframe (1839-55, versus 1906 for Phi Kappa Tau), and because, like the Union Triad, they had a significant influence on the development of the fraternity system in a way that orgs founded much later (20th century) did not.

I would just add that the main thing about The Miami Triad is that all three were expansion-oriented fraternities pretty much from the get go.