About » History
Virginia Agriculture and Mechanical (A&M) College was founded as a land grant university on old coal land in Southwestern Virginia in the spring of 1872. With one of the only public university sponsored standing cadet units in the country, top notch engineering and architecture programs, and an agriculture department unrivaled on the East Coast, Virginia Tech has become an internationally respected research university. Graduates of Virginia Tech have long been noted for their strong adherence to the guiding motto of the university, Ut Prosim, meaning “That I may serve”.
In accordance with this motto, and recognizing the philanthropic tradition of Greek letter organizations, the Virginia Tech administration decided in 1882 that fraternities would be a welcomed addition to the University community. For seven years, three fraternities thrived on the campus, adding a much needed social outlet to break up the monotony of student’s lives. In 1889, however, University officials felt that fraternities had overstayed their welcome and subsequently banned Greek letter organizations “indefinitely”. After waiting nearly 20 years after the ban was lifted, Delta Tau Delta’s international governing council decided that Virginia Tech was ready for a Delt chapter. After petitioning the University in 1999, Delta Tau Delta was given permission to form a colony. Expansion consultant Nick Prihoda lead a team of consultants that spent three months hand picking members of what would become the Alpha Founding Fathers of the Virginia Tech Crescent Colony. The fall of 2000 saw the formation of Delta Tau Delta’s Virginia Tech Crescent Colony with 24 Alpha brothers. By the beginning of the spring of 2001, the Alphas had dwindled to 12, in dire need of a boost in numbers. The spring saw an incredible pledge class of 14, the Beta class of Founding Fathers. Three more pledge classes were added (Gamma, Delta and Epsilon) before the international organization voted to designate the Virginia Tech Crescent Colony as the Iota Zeta Chapter of Delta Tau Delta. On November 16, 2002, a day that will forever live in the hearts of all Virginia Tech Delts, 34 founding fathers signed the charter, seeing the culmination of two years of hard work vindicated by a beautiful formal ceremony.
Since that time, Iota Zeta has become a recognized standard of leadership and excellence both nationally and locally. The chapter has won awards for a nationally recognized new member education program, a comprehensive academic achievement curriculum, and an excellent Adopt-a-School program at Harding Avenue Elementary. The chapter also received the Southern Division Chapter of Excellence Award, recognizing overall excellence in chapter operations for the 2002-2003 academic years. Iota Zeta also continues to grow recognition on the Virginia Tech campus. In recent years, the chapter has won Homecoming Week 2009, placed second in Greek Week 2009, and won multiple philanthropic events. Continued success, however, always lies in the future, adding to the importance of having a constant flow of present and future leaders into the organization.