Alpha Kappa Kappa (ΑΚΚ) is a medical school fraternity that was founded in 1888 at Dartmouth Medical School. AKK had over sixty chapters at various medical schools throughout the United States and Canada for approximately eighty years but now operates with two independent, local chapters.
History
Alpha Kappa Kappa was established at Dartmouth Medical School on September 29, 1888. It was created for "social intercourse, mental development, scholarship and mutual assistance." The fraternity incorporated in New Hampshire by a special act of the legislature on July 25, 1889.
The fraternity expanded to be national and international, with chapters across the United States and in Canada. Its national headquarters was in Ellettsville, Indiana. It was a member of the Professional Fraternity Association.
The fraternity disbanded nationally in the 1960s, with three chapters continuing as independent organizations. Alpha Theta chapter at the University of Texas Medical Branch stayed active until the mid-2000s. The Epsilon chapter at Jefferson Medical College is still active. It has a chapter house at 317 South Eleventh Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It provides affordable housing for male medical students.
Alpha Psi chapter at the University of Iowa also stayed active after the disbanding of the national fraternity. Now called the Alpha Kappa Kappa Society, it operates as a residential community with a chapter house at 339 Teeter Court in Iowa City, purchased in 1925. The chapter went co-ed in the 1990s. It has an Alumni Board that was established in 2019.
Symbolism and traditions
Pin of St. Louis University
The Alpha Kappa Kappa badge was a gold crescent with the letters, Α, Κ, and Κ, enameled in black. Wrapped around the crescent are twin coiled serpents facing each other. The horns of the crescent support an enameled black book bearing the letter(s) of the chapter. (In the infobox, a photographic example shows a pin from the Mu chapter at the University of Pennsylvania.) The book may be set in pearls and emeralds, which were the fraternity's jewels. The name of the school was sometimes etched onto the side of the book, which was held at a diagonal.
The colors of the fraternity were Dartmouth green and white, to honor its founding school. Its symbols were the book and the twin serpents.
Its quarterly magazine was The Centaur.
Chapter List
Following is a list of Alpha Kappa Kappa chapters in Greek letter order. In the early days, chapters chose their letters, so in a few cases, date order does not always match Greek letter alphabetization. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters and institutions are in italic.
Chapter went dormant when the college closed in 1918.
Chapter formed from Alpha Delta Sigma (local).
Chapter went defunct when The medical school closed in June 1921.
Miami Medical College consolidated with and adopted the name of the Medical Department of the University of Cincinnati.
The Ohio Medical University became the Starling-Ohio Medical University in 1907.
Chapter went defunct when Sewanee's Medical School was discontinued in 1903
Chapter went defunct when the medical school closed in 1903.
Chapter formed from Alpha Rho Society (local). After the dissolution of the national fraternity, this chapter was closed. Its real estate assets were sold and a foundation was established, forming a perpetual fund to award scholarships through the Minnesota Medical Foundation.
Chapter was withdrawn because of South Carolina law.
Chapter went defunct when the school closed in 1913.
Chapter went dormant when the medical school closed.
Chapter formed from Beta Alpha (local), established as Les Bones Pares in the fall of 1919. It petetiioned to join Alpha Kappa Kappa on May 5, 1920.
Chapter formed from Gamma Tau Beta, a local medical organization, when the University of Wisconsin started its four-year medical college.
Chapter formed from Alpha Sigma (local).
Notable members
Edward Starr Judd Jr. (Alpha Rho) – surgeon and Mayo Clinic founder and partner
