Alpha Kappa Psi was founded on a simple but demanding conviction: principled leadership is not optional in business — it is foundational.
In 1904, our founders sought to elevate business into a respected profession at a time when favoritism and informal networks often determined opportunity. They believed merit, education, and character should outweigh cronyism and backroom advantage.
That belief was not merely moral; it was structural. Markets function best when participants trust the system itself. Trust depends on predictable rules, transparency in transactions, and accountability for misconduct.
The founders were aware of the business environment, illustrated by the decades of patronage and scandal that surrounded the New York Customs House, which was only a couple miles from the New York University campus. Although reforms took place in the early 20th century, there remained questions about the political and economic power the Customs House wielded, including the former head of the Customs House, Chester A. Arthur, who became the 21st president of the United States in 1881.
In AKPsi’s tradition and history, this discipline has been mentioned as “square dealing” — fairness, transparency, and honesty in action. Square dealing is not abstract idealism. It is economic infrastructure. It protects honest actors, strengthens institutions, and reinforces confidence in the marketplace.
In complex environments, incentives can reward speed, leverage, or short-term gain. Principled leadership resists those pressures and safeguards the systems that make innovation, opportunity, and growth possible.
That is why Alpha Kappa Psi develops principled business leaders — not simply to succeed within markets, but to strengthen the conditions that allow markets, organizations, and communities to thrive.
Values in Action:
Alpha Kappa Psi was founded in 1904 on a bold idea: that business could — and should — be a respected profession defined by character, competence, and accountability.
This blog series is designed to recognize the principles that shape healthy markets, ethical leadership, and long-term prosperity.
The Alpha Kappa Psi founders recognized favoritism and informal networks that often determined opportunity in their era. They held a common belief that business instead should be based on fair pay for fair products and services.
More than a century later, that conviction remains central to AKPsi’s identity. Today, business operates in a complex, fast-moving environment that tests judgment and character. Markets depend on trust. Trust depends on transparency, accountability, and consistent standards. These are not abstract ideals; they are the foundations that allow organizations, communities, and economies to flourish.
Each post in this series begins with brief factual context and interprets contemporary business themes through the lens of business principles, such as Accountability, Integrity, Service, Courage, and Growth.
Values in Action reflects our commitment to developing courageous and principled leaders to succeed in business and to strengthen the systems and institutions that make societal prosperity possible.
