Phi Zeta Explained

Phi Zeta (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΦΖ) is the only honor society of veterinary medicine in the United States.

History

Phi Zeta was established at Cornell University in 1925 with the assistance of Dr. Veranus Alva Moore^{[1] [2] [3]} Phi Zeta is an honor society for veterinary medicine. Its purpose is to promote, acknowledge, and reward scholarship in the profession of veterinary medicine.

Symbols

Greek scholar, George P. Bristol of Cornell University, suggested that the organization use the Greek word, spelled in its Latin form: PHILOZOI; meaning “love for animals”.

The emblem was designed by the artist and naturalist Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

The society's colors are blue and gold.

Membership

Third-year students ranking in the top 10% of the class and fourth-year students ranking in the top 25% of the class are invited to become members.^[4]

Honorary membership may also be bestowed upon interns, residents, faculty, and non-veterinary field related persons, who have made significant contributions to veterinary medicine.

Chapters

Chapters have been placed at all 32 accredited veterinary schools in the United States. Active chapters are noted in bold. Inactive chapters are in italics.

Chapter	Charter date and range	Institution	Location	Status	References
Alpha	1925	New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University	Ithaca, New York	Active
Beta	1929	University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine	Philadelphia and New Bolton Center, Pennsylvania	Active
Gamma	1931	Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine	Ames, Iowa	Active
Delta	1934	Ohio State University	Columbus, Ohio	Active
Epsilon	1948	Auburn University	Auburn, Alabama	Active
Zeta	1950	Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine	East Lansing, Michigan	Active
Eta	1950	Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences	College Station, Texas	Active
Theta	1950	Colorado State University	Fort Collins, Colorado	Active
Iota	1952	Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine	Pullman, Washington	Active
Kappa	1952	University of Minnesota	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Active
Lambda	1953	UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine	Davis, California	Active
Mu	1953	University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine	Urbana, Illinois	Active
Nu	1958	Oklahoma State University–Stillwater	Stillwater, Oklahoma	Active
Xi	1959	University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine	Athens, Georgia	Active
Omicron	1962	Purdue University	West Lafayette, Indiana	Active
Pi	1965	University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine	Columbia, Missouri	Active
Rho	1967	Tuskegee University	Tuskegee, Alabama	Active
Sigma	1969	Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine	Manhattan, Kansas	Active
Tau	1977	Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	Active
Upsilon	1979	University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine	Gainesville, Florida	Active
Phi	1979	University of Tennessee	Knoxville, Tennessee	Active
Chi	1984	Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine	Blacksburg, Virginia	Active
Psi	1984	North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine	Raleigh, North Carolina	Active
Alpha Alpha	1987	University of Wisconsin–Madison	Madison, Wisconsin	Active
Alpha Gamma	1987	Oregon State University	Corvallis, Oregon	Active
Omega	1988	Mississippi State University	Starkville, Mississippi	Active
Alpha Beta	1991	Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine	Grafton, Massachusetts	Active
Alpha Delta	2006	St. George's University	Saint George Parish, Grenada, West Indies	Active
Alpha Epsilon	2006	Western University College of Veterinary Medicine	Pomona, California	Active
Alpha Zeta	2014	Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine	Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, West Indies	Active
Alpha Eta	2017	Midwestern University	Glendale, Arizona	Active
Alpha Theta	2018	Lincoln Memorial University	Harrogate, Tennessee	Active

Notable members

• Wondwossen Gebreyes, veterinary physician
• Gary Tabor, environmentalist

See also

• Honor society
• Professional fraternities and sororities

Notes and References

1. Web site: Phi Zeta :: The honor society of Veterinary Medicine . Ncsu.edu . 2013-04-24.
2. Noted on the Phi Zeta national website, accessed 5 December 2021.
3. Book: Jack L. . Anson . Robert F. . Marchenasi . Baird's Manual of American Fraternities . 20th . 1991 . 1879 . Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. . Indianapolis, IN . 978-0963715906 . VII-40–41.
4. Web site: Organizations . Vet.cornell.edu . 2012-08-21 . 2013-04-24.