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72nd Grand Arch Council Letter
June 1, 2004
Dear Brothers and Friends of Phi Kappa Psi ,
Over the past twenty-three months, I have had the sincere privilege and genuine pleasure to serve as the S.W.G.P. of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. It has been a truly an exhilarating and unique experience in which has allowed me the special opportunity to visit over fifty of our nationwide chapters and speak to many of our undergraduate members and our dedicated local alumni volunteers. I am pleased to share that all across the country and everywhere I encountered, Phi Kappa Psi is truly experiencing a reawakening based upon our ''recommitment '' to our founding core values. To paraphrase my predecessor Steven Nieslawski two years ago ''We have re-found ourselves.'' The first Biennium following our 2002 Sesquicentennial Celebration has been marked in record organization growth and in the strong collective spirit to forging new partnerships with our important publics.
We have listened and responded to your comments. The entire Executive Council Elected & Appointed Officers, Permanent Fund and Endowment Foundation Trustees, and our nationwide family of local dedicated alumni volunteers that comprise the entire fraternity leadership team have worked together to further revitalize Phi Kappa Psi and help prepare our Fraternity for the challenges and opportunities that we will face in the 21st Century. I wish to especially thank Executive Director Shawn Collinsworth and our professional staff in their strong dedication and hard work.
The 2002-2004 Phi Kappa Psi Biennial Plan has created and/or introduced the following new fraternity programs and initiatives to address an ambitious agenda for the future, in the development of the Phi Kappa Psi Project 2025 Housing Initiative, New Volunteer Advisor Orientation, Men of Excellence Values Based Curriculum, Hyparchos Area Coordinator Network, Dab Williams Alumni College, 2004 Phi Kappa Psi Grand Catalogue, Permanent Fund Resolution, Phi Psi Web Portal, Sesquicentennial History Book Project, New Alumni Association Accreditation, Boys & Girls Club of America Community Service Partnership, Strategic Assessment Review, Headquarters Speakers Bureau and Theme Founders Day Celebrations.
I am also very proud to share that Phi Kappa Psi enjoys the distinction of having the largest average chapter size of 45 in the North American Inter-fraternity Conference. Our census has topped four thousand student members for the first time in two decades. We will have chartered a record five new chapters and initiated the building process of four additional new colonies in this exciting period of growth bringing our total chapter roster to the approximate level of one hundred groups and in the stated strategic goal of establishing an additional twenty-five more chapters in a decade. I am also pleased to announce the creation of eight new metropolitan and regional Phi Psi Alumni Associations and in the revitalization and planned development of many more in the near future. The 2004 Grand Arch Council in San Diego will be represented by over 40 Accredited Alumni Associations up from 20 groups recorded two years ago.
We have invested heavily in our future in the form of new Phi Psi member services, communication forums and resource support programs. Our emphasis in values based student leadership development, alumnus advisory training, scholastic excellence, new alumni association programming, physical plant upgrade and in the enhanced priority of philanthropic and community service endeavor is defining our organizational path. In 2003, Phi Kappa Psi announced its stated Project 2025 goal to create the most attractive, competitive and safe fraternity housing on our nation's college campuses which includes the feasibility of the Phi Kappa Psi National House Corporation on the drawing board. In 2004, our fraternal organization entered a long term strategic service partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America in which to further elevate our Phi Psi commitment to the ''Great Joy of Serving Others'' as ''Men of Excellence'' in Phi Kappa Psi.
I am deeply thankful and will be forever inspired by the level of dedication and loyalty that exists in our beloved Fraternity. I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for the privilege in serving in this role and in the lifetime of memories that it has provided. I am looking forward to the future and in my personal goal to help facilitate the return of my own California Theta Chapter and in the active participation of the Phi Kappa Psi Speakers Bureau Outreach Program.
I invite you to attend the upcoming 72nd Grand Arch Council in San Diego as we are expecting a very strong attendance at this summer's convention and will join together to share in some exciting new announcements and by marked accomplishments.
Let us enjoy our success and be ever reminded of each of our individual responsibility to insure that Phi Kappa Psi will live and flourish in what will be indeed be a very bright and vibrant future.
I am proud to be a Phi Psi!
Fraternally yours,
Chic...
John V. Ciccarelli
California Theta '72
58th President of Phi Kappa Psi
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