Our Mission & Credo

Our Vision Statement

Forging Leaders, Bettering the World

Our Mission

The mission of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity (ZBT) is to foster and develop in its brotherhood the tenets of its Credo: Intellectual Awareness, Social Responsibility, Integrity and Brotherly Love, in order to prepare its brothers for positions of leadership and service within their communities.

Mindful of its founding in 1898 as the world’s first Jewish Fraternity, ZBT will preserve and cultivate its relationships within the Jewish community. Since 1954, ZBT has been committed to its policy of non-sectarian brotherhood, and values the diversity of its brothers. ZBT will recruit and initiate men of good character, regardless of religion, race or creed who are accepting of these principles.

Our Credo

At the 1963 National Convention in San Francisco, a dozen or so chapter presidents were concerned about the wave of anti-establishment feeling which was the emerging throughout the country, particularly as this manifested itself on college campuses in growing anti-fraternity sentiment.  They determined to draw up a resolution that would serve as an effective response-at least so far as ZBT was concerned-to those who claimed fraternities were irrelevant and had outgrown their usefulness.

The resolution, which the Convention adopted overwhelmingly, became so widely quoted during the turbulent years of the 1960s that it became known as the “Credo” of Zeta Beta Tau.

We, the brothers of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, believe that the development of the individual as a responsible, mature member of society is the primary goal of the university today.

We believe that fraternity offers to the university community a unique, desirable and successful means of achieving this goal.

In fulfilling the purposes of fraternity, we dedicate ourselves to the principles of: Intellectual Awareness, Social Responsibility, Integrity, and Brotherly Love.

Intellectual Awareness

Fraternity creates an atmosphere conducive to the expansion of the individual’s intellectual horizons, the interchange of ideas within the academic community and the pursuit of scholastic excellence.

Social Responsibility

Fraternity requires the individual to commit himself and accept his responsibility to participate.

Integrity

Fraternity generates a standard of personal integrity – a framework for the individual to maintain honesty, exhibit loyalty and retain a sense of self-discipline.

Brotherly Love

Fraternity inspires and expresses the interrelation of the individual with his fellows, his pride in the institution and respect for the wisdom of its tradition.