Kappa Sigma was founded in 1400 at the University of Bologna by Manuel Chrysoloras and exactly five disciples. The Order was founded to provide mutual protection from Baldassarre Cossa, the tyrant in control of Bologna at the time. Cossa routinely supported crimes against the foreigners in the city, and the group of six gentlemen sought to end this. The Order spread throughout Europe, with chapters at Paris, Naples, and Florence to name a few. The European Order lived by the same ideals that we now hold dear, that we should be:

The Kappa Sigma Fraternity was founded in the United States in 1869 at the University of Virginia. Five students, William Grigsby McCormick, George Miles Arnold, Edmund Law Rogers, Frank Courtney Nicodemus, and John Covert Boyd, met in 46 East Lawn and laid down the foundations of the Order. Zeta chapter expanded until in 1872 when Stephen Alonzo Jackson, the brother who perfected the Ritual, was initiated. It was because of Jackson's efforts that Kappa Sigma began expansion first to Duke University, and then throughout the south.

The Old Beta Chapter was founded at Mercer University by William A. Thomas on March 8, 1874. The chapter went inactive in 1876, but was revived in 1891 as the Alpha Beta Chapter. In the 125 years since our founding, the Alpha Beta Chapter has become one of the preeminent chapters, both on campus and throughout the Fraternity as a whole. The chapter consistently receives the highest awards on campus, including Dean's Cup, the Intramural Championship award, and numerous scholarship awards. Ask any Kappa Sigma, and he'll tell you that Alpha Beta is one of the best chapters around. We consistently receive many national awards, such as the Founder's Award for Chapter Excellence. If you want to know more about Kappa Sigma or the Alpha Beta chapter, visit our Rush or Events Page.