Come Home to KKΨAA

by Daniel Miller | ΚΚΨ Alumni Association Board of Directors, Chair

As alumni of our college and university band programs, we are all familiar with the comforts and joys of annual homecoming activities.  These homecomings offer us the chance to reconnect with our campus communities and to share a special time with dear friends, and they become events that serve as highlights in our personal calendars.  In much the same way, the Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association (“KKΨAA”) serves as a kind of year-round homecoming for alumni, life, and honorary brothers of our fraternity, as it provides its members a means to continue their involvement with our fraternity and to pursue our values of brotherhood, service, leadership, and musicianship throughout our lives.  The KKΨAA Board of Directors (“AABOD”) welcomes all alumni, life, and honorary brothers to “come home” and take part in our alumni association!

This is a wonderful time to join (or expand your participation in) KKΨAA, to take part in this spirit of homecoming, and to join brothers nationwide in making this homecoming an exciting, rewarding, and enduring one.  Brothers in KKΨAA can take full advantage of their membership by:

Attending District and National Conventions

As a general matter, only those alumni and honorary brothers who are current members of KKΨAA may attend district or national conventions.  (We encourage Life Members, who are also able to attend these conventions, to join KKΨAA without further payment through completion of an annual renewal form.)  District and national conventions can serve as a physical manifestation of the KKΨAA homecoming spirit, as they allow different generations of brothers to meet and interact.

In an effort to enhance the alumni experience at these conventions, Evan Thompson, the National President of Kappa Kappa Psi, charged the AABOD with the responsibility of establishing a series of alumni-centered programs at district and national conventions.  To that end, the AABOD worked with the District Governors and District Councils to ensure that each of the 2018 district conventions included (i) a presentation that introduced and explained the fraternity’s “Road to Wisdom” curriculum to alumni, life, and honorary brothers, (ii) an “Alumni Town Hall” to discuss opportunities for alumni participation in the fraternity and to listen to the concerns and feedback of alumni, life, and honorary brothers, and (iii) at least one workshop devoted to professional development.  While the alumni-centered programming offered at district and national conventions will vary from year to year and will depend significantly on the participation of many of the KKΨAA members in attendance, the AABOD enthusiastically supports the goal of ensuring that each convention includes excellent offerings for our alumni members.  Through such programming, KKΨAA can promote increased alumni attendance at district and national conventions through the promise of more meaningful and rewarding experiences.

Information about upcoming district and national conventions is available at https://kkpsiaa.kkytbsonline.com/upcoming-conventions.

Joining ΚΚΨAA Committees

When district and national conventions are not in session, KKΨAA maintains a sense of homecoming by offering its members opportunities for continued service and brotherhood.  The AABOD recently created new opportunities for such continued service through the development of two standing committees.

The KKΨAA Revenue Committee will consider ways to strengthen the financial standing of our alumni association.  This committee will consider and provide recommendations to the AABOD regarding (i) potential changes to the KKΨAA dues structure, (ii) programs to recognize KKΨAA members for their additional voluntary donations to the alumni association, (iii) proposals for fundraising projects, and (iv) opportunities for securing grants and sponsorships for KKΨAA.  The Revenue Committee will include, at least initially, all KKΨAA members who wish to join.

The KKΨAA Awards Committee will review nominations for the alumni association’s awards, including the Scott Stowell Alumni Excellence Award and the new Brent Cannon Music Education Alumni Achievement Award, which was announced at the 2017 National Convention.  (As the AABOD establishes additional award programs, this committee will also be responsible for reviewing nominations for those awards.)  The Awards Committee will recommend to the AABOD specific nominations for recognition through these award programs.  Because of the nature of this committee’s work, its size will be more limited than the Revenue Committee.

Further information about these KKΨAA committees is available at https://kkpsiaa.kkytbsonline.com/committees.  KKΨAA members with interest in joining these committees are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, as the deadline for these applications is rapidly approaching.

Helping to Start and Strengthen Local Alumni Associations

KKΨAA also supports a spirit of homecoming by supporting local alumni associations (“LAAs”) in which alumni, life, and honorary brothers can continue their fraternal engagement.  The AABOD provides oversight for these LAAs, and it encourages all alumni, life, and honorary brothers to consider joining existing LAAs and/or creating new LAAs.  LAAs can include just brothers, or they can be joint associations that include both Kappa Kappa Psi brothers and Tau Beta Sigma sisters.  (Please note that such joint LAAs must meet the requirements of both KKΨAA and TBΣAA.)  LAAs can be established as (i) a chapter-based LAA (focusing on the support of a particular chapter and a particular college’s band programs), (ii) a regional LAA (focusing on a particular geographic area), or (iii) a district LAA (focusing on a particular district of the fraternity and sorority).

Each LAA offers a unique environment for further participation in our fraternal goals, and the achievements of our LAAs should make every brother proud.  Our LAAs have provided thousands of dollars in scholarships to high school and college students, have sponsored grants to support active brothers’ travels to fraternity events and convention, and have hosted service and social events across the country.  Through the efforts of these LAAs, the mission of our fraternity has truly been advanced.

KKΨAA serves as a home for the fraternity’s LAA program.  The AABOD works alongside existing LAAs to share resources and guidance, and it is ready to help any group of alumni, life, and honorary brothers seeking to create a new LAA.  Alumni, life, and honorary brothers interested in joining an existing LAA can find a directory of existing LAAs at https://kkpsiaa.kkytbsonline.com/laa_directory.  Further information about starting a new LAA is available at https://kkpsiaa.kkytbsonline.com/starting-an-laa.

Identifying Opportunities for Continued Musicianship and Service

As a home for alumni, life, and honorary brothers, KKΨAA seeks to support its members’ musical and service aspirations.  In order to identify band programs in which our members can perform, the AABOD has begun initial collaborative efforts with the Association for Concert Bands (“ACB”), which fosters excellence in adult concert bands and community bands through performance, education, and advocacy.  Many bands across the country are members of ACB, and our members should consider whether they can join these bands, provide service and support for these bands, and/or attend the performances of these bands.  More information about bands in ACB that could benefit from the participation, service, and support of our alumni, life, and honorary brothers can be found at https://kkpsiaa.kkytbsonline.com/locate-bands.  The AABOD is excited about its new collaboration with ACB and the new musicianship and service opportunities it may bring.

Charting a New Course for Fraternal Engagement

All homes start with a blueprint and are then adapted to suit the needs of their occupants.  At the 2017 National Convention, the incoming and outgoing AABOD members drafted a list of goals and action items for this biennium.  This list served as a blueprint to start discussions with KKΨAA members in attendance at the convention, and the list was improved considerably in light of feedback from our members.  The revised list of goals and action items is available at https://kkpsiaa.kkytbsonline.com/2017-2019-kappa-kappa-psi-alumni-association-goals-and-action-items, and it provides KKΨAA with the means of measuring its achievements and evaluating its next steps over the coming months.

Please note, however, that this list is not, and will never be, truly final.  KKΨAA’s ambitions and aspirations will always be defined by its membership, and they will continue to evolve as our membership proposes and elevates new ideas.  The goals and action items on KKΨAA’s current list reflect ideas raised, discussed, and praised by our members, and our organization’s vitality depends on its members’ active engagement.  Through full participation in KKΨAA, alumni, life, and honorary brothers have the opportunity to help define our sustained roles in the fraternity we love.

Ready for Your Homecoming?

JOIN KKΨAA NOW!

All alumni, life, and honorary brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi in good standing are invited to join KKΨAA!  Life Members of our fraternity can join KKΨAA simply by completing the annual membership form, which is available in an online format at https://kkpsiaa.kkytbsonline.com/life-member-annual-renewal.  Alumni and honorary brothers may join KKΨAA by making an annual dues payment of $50 and completing a similar annual membership form, which is available in an online format at https://kkpsiaa.kkytbsonline.com/online-membership-application.  (A printable version of the annual KKΨAA membership form is available at https://kkpsiaa.kkytbsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/KKPsiAA-Membership-Form-FINAL.pdf.)

Please note that all brothers who recently became alumni following their college graduations enjoy a free year of provisional membership in KKΨAA.  (As provisional members, these brothers can take advantage of all aspects of KKΨAA membership, but cannot participate in voting without first making the annual dues payment of $50 to become full voting members of the alumni association.)  This free year of provisional membership serves as KKΨAA’s initial welcome to new alumni.

Please join me, the members of the AABOD, and all members of KKΨAA in making our alumni association a meaningful home for all of our alumni, life, and honorary brothers!  By striving for the highest, we can make possible a homecoming that never ends!