Our Story
Our Founding
The Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority was founded on November 4, 1899, at what was then Michigan State Normal College, a teachers college in Ypsilanti. Back then, the sorority movement was just starting to sweep the country. Our Founders Helene M. Rice, Mayene Tracy, Adriance Rice, Eva O’Keefe, May Gephart, Mabel Chase, Ruth Dutcher, and Harriet Marx saw an opportunity for women to engage and grow together as Sisters.
From our beginnings in 1899 to today, we are proud to have continually promoted the ethical, cultural, social, and professional development of our members. The Sorority invests in women by instilling the skills necessary to navigate life, and inspires members to enrich their own lives and the lives of others. Like our Founders, we strive to empower women to excel in every way.
Scroll through the next eras of our Sisterhood
Early Growth
Our first 50 years
Our Founders, and the trailblazing women who followed, spent the first 10 years of Alpha Sigma Tau’s history laying the bedrock for a national organization.
In April 1905, the Beta Chapter was founded at another teachers college, Central Michigan Normal School (now Central Michigan University) in Mt. Pleasant. Additional chapters were soon established and, by April 1926, the Sorority was large enough to capture the attention of the Association of Education Sororities (AES), a national umbrella group for sororities at teachers colleges. We joined AES that year, and have been a truly national organization ever since, maintaining a robust presence at colleges and universities across the country.
Alpha Sigma Tau’s first National Convention was held in 1925 in Detroit, Michigan, where the Sorority’s member magazine, The Anchor, was first launched.
In 1945, Alpha Sigma Tau launched its first National Philanthropy with Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County, Kentucky. The long-running partnership lasted 71 years until 2016. Generations of Alpha Sigma Taus supported the school’s mission of teaching basic trade skills and, later, environmental sustainability. Also, later during that same period, the Sorority’s National Service Project Partner was Habitat for Humanity.
Building a Movement
Mid-century to the millennium
The second half of the 20th century was a period of even greater sustained growth for Alpha Sigma Tau, cementing its place as a national sorority and movement.
In December 1951, the AES merged with the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), and Alpha Sigma Tau began a long and fruitful partnership with NPC that continues to this day.
In 1982, the Alpha Sigma Tau National Foundation was founded to promote and expand the educational and charitable activities of the Sorority. This opened up additional sources of donations and other resources that the Sorority used to grow, thrive, and, most importantly, empower and enrich members’ lives. Today, initiatives like Name Your Story are only possible because of the financial support of the Foundation and its donors. Other key programs supported by the Foundation and its donors include programming at Officer Academy and National Convention, AΣΤ Excel, and scholarships that members of all ages use to continue their educations.
In 1995, Alpha Sigma Tau established a National Headquarters office in Birmingham, Alabama, after having a Central Office in St. Louis and other locations.
Sisterhood for the 21st Century
A new era for Alpha Sigma Tau
Largely run by volunteers for most of its history, Alpha Sigma Tau spent the first years of the twenty-first century enhancing its national operations.
In 2009, the National Headquarters moved from Birmingham, Alabama, to its current home in Indianapolis, Indiana. There, a team of nearly 20 professionals works daily to deliver services and support to collegiate and alumnae members and volunteers.
Today, as throughout our history, the women of Alpha Sigma Tau continue to form lasting bonds of Sisterhood that carry on throughout life.
Today, the Sorority’s programs and service projects continue to enrich the lives of many, allowing our Sisters to, as our Creed says, contribute our share to the progress of humankind. For example, Alpha Sigma Tau’s National Philanthropy, the Women’s Wellness Initiative, empowers women to improve wellness in their communities through service activities and projects.
Today, as always, we seek new members who aspire to lifelong friendship grounded in shared values to join our Sisterhood, and enrich their own lives and the lives of others.
Introducing AΣΤ’s Digital Museum!
In celebration of our upcoming 125th Anniversary, Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority and Foundation are undergoing a massive historical archives preservation project.
Thanks to support from our donors, memorabilia from AΣΤ’s rich history will be captured, cataloged, and made available digitally for current and future members to enjoy for generations to come.
This is the first phase of a multi-phase project. Please consider making a gift to the AΣΤ Foundation to save Alpha Sigma Tau’s history.
For our upcoming 125th Anniversary celebration, Alpha Sigma Tau is capturing and compiling members’ stories so they can be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come.
This historical preservation project is unlike any project we’ve done before! We’re capturing stories of our Sisterhood on audio so that after another 125 years pass, our Sisters in 2149 can hear your account of what Alpha Sigma Tau was like.
We’re only collecting stories for a few months, so be on the lookout for your invite via mail and email!
