Tau Kappa Epsilon

A Cold Winter’s Night

On January 10, 1899, five young men at Illinois Wesleyan University met to discuss the formation of a new organization on campus. Their avowed purpose: to aid college men in mental, moral and social development. They would rise to become the largest and greatest fraternity in the world: Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Better Men for a Better World

Our five founders first sought to create an organization that did not only accept cookie-cutter men who all had the same traits and features. This goal is still true of TKE today. No two members are exactly alike; no chapter completely the same. However, there are two things that can be said for every chapter, every brother, of Tau Kappa Epsilon: each is intertwined in the bond of brotherhood, and each seeks to be, truly, a better man for a better world. Tekes find that there six pillars of human success, toward which we tirelessly strive:

• Scholarship - serious attention to academic performance and strength of mind.

• Leadership - the ability to take charge, and to be responsible for your actions and choices.

• Service - responsibility to campus, community, and the world. Those who have more, give more.

• Character - honesty, integrity, patience, and fidelity—not only shown, but believed in.

• Teamwork - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 

• Brotherhood - a network of friends—a family—that spans around the world.

With these attributes in tow, our brothers enter the world fully prepared to do one thing: make as positive of an impact as is humanly possible, and greater.