Category Archives: Fraternity News

Installation of Gamma Eta at New Mexico State University

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Brothers:

I’m pleased to announce the installation (reactivation) of the Gamma Eta Chapter (#79) at New Mexico State University. This is the first installation of the biennium.

Beta Lambda Chapter from Eastern New Mexico University served as the advising chapter, and Mr. Dustin Seifert (Director of Bands, Eastern New Mexico) served as the advising person. A large contingent from the Gamma Iota Chapter at the University of New Mexico was also present. Others in attendance include alumni brothers from Alpha Psi (West Texas A&M) and Alpha Iota (Univ. of Colorado). Over 40 people attended the event.

Officers in attendance included SWD Vice President Justin Chesak. Mr. Steve Nelson, National Executive Director, served as the Installing Officer.

The newly elected officers of the Gamma Eta Chapter are:

President:  Julianne Brittany Guiterrez

Vice President:  Jennifer Guerrero Flores

Secretary: Antoinette Regine Gucela

Treasurer:  Courtney Marie Lucero

Sergeant at Arms:  Daniel DeJesus Flores

Member-at-Large: Enoeka Sara Abasumoh

Sponsor:  Ingrid Larragoity-Martin

DOB:  Dr. Christopher Hughes

Please send notes of congratulations to the new Chapter President Julianne Guiterrez at jbgut17@nmsu.edu.

Congratulations to Gamma Eta! Welcome to the brotherhood!

AEA,

Evan L. Thompson
National Vice President for Colonization & Membership
Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity

Northeast District Governor Announcement

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Brothers of the Northeast District –

I am pleased to announce to you the individuals that will serve as Northeast District Governors for the upcoming 2015-2017 biennium.

Marie Burleigh will return in her role as a Northeast District Governor.  You all have worked with her throughout the past several years, and I know that Marie is excited to continue in this role.  She is a valuable resource to the active members of the Northeast District, and I am confident that she is going to continue to help guide the district officers and the entire district as the NED continues to Strive for the Highest.  Additionally, Marie serves as a valuable member of the national leadership team in this capacity.

I am pleased to announced that joining Ms. Burleigh as an NED Governor will be Mr. John Leonard.  Mr. Leonard currently serves as the associate director of bands at Northeastern University in Boston, MA where he is the Director of the Pep Band, Director of the Concert Band, and manages several administrative tasks within the department including the scholarship program.  For the past several years John worked alongside DCI Hall of Fame recipients George N. Parks and Thomas P. Hannum, writing music for and instructing the Power and Class of New England, the UMass Marching Band, and served as the Director of the UMass Hoop Band from 2008 until 2012.  John is an honorary member of the Epsilon Nu chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi at UMass, and the Delta Delta chapter of Tau Beta Sigma at UMass.  He is also the sponsor of the Nu Theta chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi at Northeastern University.

If you would like to send a congratulatory e-mail or an introduction, you may reach John at jo.leonard@neu.edu.

I look forward to seeing the great things the Northeast District will continue to accomplish.  The work of your district officers and governors will help push this district to new heights.  Remember, tour work matters, band matters, and Kappa Kappa Psi Matters.

AEA,

Jack Lee

National President

Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity

www.kkpsi.org

Fall Kappa Kappa Psi Presents Schedule

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Kappa Kappa Psi Presents is a monthly conversation between active members and the national council. The upcoming topics were selected based on conversations with active students, District Governors, District Officers, CFRs, and your National Headquarters staff. Below you will find dates with corresponding topics and featured guests.

  • October 20th at 8pm EDT
    Chapter Financial Planning with Danny George, Trustee on the Kappa Kappa Psi Board of Trustees
  • November 19th at 8:30pm EST
    Active Continuing Membership Education with Yvonne Daye, National Chapter and Colony Education Coordinator
  • December 8th at 8:30pm EST
    Recruitment and Band Outreach with Evan Thompson, National Vice President for Colonization and Membership

To access the online meeting room click here. I am also providing links for OmniJoin’s FAQs and system requirements.

If you are unable to attend, be sure to submit any questions or conversation topics you have related to the overall topic to kkpsipresents@kkpsi.org with the appropriate session as the subject line.

I look forward to great conversations!

AEA,

Zac
—-
Zachary T. Humphrey
National Vice President for Student Affairs
Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity
zac@kkpsi.org

September National Council Update

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Have you been wondering what the national council has been working on since you elected them in Lexington? Below you will find a list of goals and updates relating to those goals.

Jack Lee, National President – lee.jack.d@gmail.com

  • Have regional premieres (each district) of the commissioned piece “Of Blood and Stone”
    • Jack has been working with Steve Nelson and Doug Stotter to review the contact of the commissioned piece that was signed several years ago to ensure that we can get the regional premieres. He has also worked with Steve and Doug on seeking out some collegiate programs that will premiere the piece for us. So far there are several that are willing. The fraternity will promote these regional premieres through our own mediums as well as through publications such as “The Instrumentalist” and “Southwestern Musician” (Two prominent band publications)
  • Create and publicize the Fraternity discipline process so that all chapters can see what process we use
    • He has been working with VPCM Evan Thompson and CCEC Yvonne Daye to ensure that we have a documented discipline process. Much of the operation of the Fraternity in past years has been dependent upon institutional knowledge with little written down and documented. They  are very near to finalizing this document, and he anticipate that this will be uploaded to the national website within the next two-three weeks.
  • Identify and appoint governors for the Southeast and Northeast Districts
    • Following national convention the fraternity has two vacancies in our governor corps – one in the northeast and one in the southeast. Evan Thompson’s election to VPCM created the vacancy in the southeast district. I have appointed a replacement, and that replacement will begin duties immediately. Latrondrick Hunter will fill the SED governor position and there will be a formal fraternity-wide e-mail announcement this week. He is currently working with several individuals to fill the vacant NED governor position that was left empty with Casey Goodwin stepped down and her term ended at national convention.
  • Schedule a meeting between the National Executive Director, the National President, and the Chair for the Board of Trustees
    • He has been communicating with Steve Nelson and Rod Chesnutt on scheduling a face-to-face meeting between the three of them. That meeting is scheduled for September 19th on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus in Fort Myers, FL. The meeting will be an opportunity for Steve, Rod, and Jack to update each of other on the work of the council, board, and HQ. It will also be used to begin planning some of the larger work of the biennium.
  • Review the Fraternity’s presence at Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and State Music Educators Association Meetings
    • Steve, Kathryn, and Jack have been working to adjust our presence. They will have a booth at the Intercollegiate Marching Festival in Allentown, PA. There are many programs with chapters that march at this event. They will also be in attendance at Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic. and TMEA. They are currently discussing our purpose at these meetings and making adjustments as needed.
  • Work with National Headquarters on the Fall Mail Out
    • The beginning of each school year, the fraternity mails (read: e-mails) out a formal document that helps recap national convention and the upcoming year.  It also includes important information for the active membership. That mail out should occur within the next several days.
  • Review National Council Minutes for publication
    • Vice President Krcatovich has currently submitted the minutes to Past President Beason and Jack to review and submit any needed adjustments before publication. That document is currently being reviewed, and I anticipate that it will be sent along to Robert Bratcher for branding and publication extremely soon.
  • Coordinate with VPCM Thompson, the CFRs, and HQ the CFR travel schedule
    • While VPCM Thompson completed the large majority of the work for this, Jack worked alongside him to ensure that we continued the necessary CFR focus that carries from one biennium to the next. The CFR schedules were completed, posted online, and the CFRs are already making visits.

Evan Thompson, National Vice President for Colonization and Membership – evan@kkpsi.org

  • CFR program
    • Evan approved CFR travel schedules and continue to provide professional development and training throughout the semester.
    • Preparing for 2016 CFR Hiring Process. Developed criteria and worked with Robert to update the advertisement for the Podium.
  • District Leadership Conference 2016
    • Planning for the 2016 District Leadership Conference this summer in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Will be providing leadership training for district presidents and quality professional development for Governors.
  • Work through colony and discipline for this upcoming semester in an efficient and timely manner
    • Evan Finalized Discipline Letters with Yvonne Daye for Fall 2015 with hard deadlines set for September 15 or 30. Please follow up with those chapters. He also approved Membership Education Programs for Colonies and discipline chapters.
  • Get chapter discipline protocol and flow charts finalized and approved for publication on the national website
    • Evan worked with Yvonne Daye to finalize discipline protocol and flow charts (will be available on National Website by September 30). The protocol and flow charts will allow the council to be more transparent in the discipline process
  • Review, change, update, overhaul the colonization process (will be prepared for district convention season)
    • Evan is planning Pre-Installation Visits for New Mexico State and East Tennessee Colonies with 3rd Degree/Installation ideally happening in late September or Early October. He has also approve University of Illinois Chicago and UI-Urbana/Champaign for 1st and 2nd degrees.
  • Hold mid-semester conference call with Governors and would like to do the same with District Presidents
    • Continue work on the Chapter Vice President’s Teaching Guide (will be prepared for district convention season)

Marco Krcatovich, National Vice President for Programs – mkrcatovich@gmail.com

  • “Close the books” on the 2013-2015 National Convention: Minutes, Scholarship Notifications, etc. Update the National Constitution.  Publish the National Budget.
    • Marco closed the 2013-15 business and is working with Robert to post updated versions of the National Constitution and National Convention minutes along with the National Budget.  Updates to the Guide to Membership will be complete by mid-October.
  • Create a new webpage for each award and build a new, uniform award application for each.  Aiming for a soft launch by January in advance of District Convention season.
    • Marco began work with Robert Bracher on the new Press Release template, new award and grant templates, and will be starting our work on new websites in September.
  • Create a fundraising plan for the Trust Fund Scholarships account so that the fraternity can raise as much money as we give out each biennium and work towards a long-term fraternity goal of endowing our scholarships and leadership programs as we also endow the NIB and other projects.
    • Marco developed the fundraising plan to raise roughly $25,000 this biennium and will present it to the Development Team, Board of Trustees, and National Council at the end of September along with working on better outreach about programs like the National Headquarters Bricks to help in the kickoff for the upcoming capital campaign.
  • Review the National Website and update all pages that are now inconsistent with the decisions at National Convention or are out of date.  
    • Marco began identifying updates for the National Website and identified some ways to get the active membership involved in reviewing and improving our national website.
  • Create a regular schedule for promoting, notifying, and celebrating our national programs and awards to begin automating many of these annual processes so there is more focus on new projects and not rebuilding the current structure each biennium.
    • Marco created new internal deadlines for reports and Council documents and began work on a better template for National Convention reports and pre-convention communication to make the fraternity’s operations more transparent and accessible.
  • Month of Musicianship!!
    • Marco crafted the Month of Musicianship plan and I will be reaching out to the District officers who deal with “programs” (VPP, MAL, etc.) to collaborate and cross-promote.
  • Create sample applications for each award to document best practices and help chapters improve the quality of the applications they submit.
    • Marco is developing resources to improve not only the number of applications we have for our awards and programs, but improve the quality of those applications as well.
  • Craft a personal evaluation process for the office that will be completed by active members and designed to identify where outreach is working and where brothers are learning about our awards and programs and where the information is not reaching the membership.
    • Marco will be reaching out to actives across the brotherhood to make sure changes are being noticed and to review his own work every six months to regularly identify areas for improvement as a brother and a leader.
  • Develop new chapter/national press releases and begin regularly promoting our awards and programs to the general public.
    • In an effort to increase the reach of our programs, Marco is sending press releases for new awardees and notifying university administration when our brothers are recognized for their great work.  To do this a new press release template for the National Leadership and for chapters is being developed and it will be introduced to chapters this fall.

Zac Humphrey, National Vice President for Student Affairs – zac@kkpsi.org

  • Finalize student chat schedule of topics and format to present to the active brotherhood by mid September
    • Zac researched alternatives to google hangouts for VPSA student chats. He also drafted a plan for the coming year in terms of student chats in terms of content and format that was shared with the national council. He recently tested out the OmniJoin online meeting tool during a meeting with district officers. He presented his vision for the new Kappa Kappa Psi Presents sessions to the active brotherhoods and planned the first one focusing on the Online Membership Reporting System.
  • Work to promote the Podium Online as a medium for continuing conversation between the active brothers and the national level
    • Zac discussed with Robert Bratcher at HQ ways to better utilize the Podium Online and make it into a resource that is more utilized throughout the year. He also submitted a piece for The Podium that challenges brothers to submit their experiences to The Podium and the Podium Online.
  • Work with Robert on developing the chapter social media database
    • Zac shared links to the social media contact info form that Robert created and helped publicize this project. This will become a resource that our students can use to share and connect with others online.
  • Get the conversation from the national level more constant and consistent
    • Zac worked with Robert to come up with ways to streamline communication from the national level and have presented ideas to council and HQ on ways to make our messaging more consistent across various media while taking advantage of the inherent strengths of each medium.
    • He has also been working with Marco and Robert to come up with a way to make sure that we are staying active in our online presence throughout the year and that reminders are consistent and constant.
  • Create and maintain a district officer hangout that happens throughout the year
    • Zac hosted a meeting with district officers to provide an update on what the national council has been working on since national convention. This is set to be a regular meeting throughout the year to not only provide updates on national council work, but also an opportunity for the district officers to collaborate and work together.
  • Meet with all VPSA candidates and write up an after action report on the conversations that were had to present to the council
    • Zac met with the 6 other VPSA candidates to debrief from national convention and also look for ways to keep active and engaged alumni involved as well as have conversations about what the office of VPSA could accomplish in the coming biennium.

Introducing, Kappa Kappa Psi Presents

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KKPsi_presents_logo
Brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi,
 
Thank you to everyone who participated in the availability poll! Based on the responses, the first VPSA-hosted student chat will be next Tuesday, September 22nd, at 9pm EDT. The topic for this first session will be the Online Membership Reporting System. Our guest co-host for the session will be Aaron Moore, National Alumni, Historical, and Development Coordinator. He has a long history with the development of the OMRS and is a great resource for your chapters. Please come with your questions and OMRS-related experiences to share!
 
The rest of this announcement will be in two parts. The first part will detail the new format and structure of these chats going forward this biennium. The second relates to the online meeting tool the fraternity has at its disposal. I will provide links to the tool’s website that include system requirements, download instructions, and FAQs.
 
I am excited to continue the great conversations that were started in Lexington! See you online Tuesday evening!
 
AEA,
Zac
 
Zachary T. Humphrey
National Vice President for Student Affairs
Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity
zac@kkpsi.org
 

Part I: Introducing Kappa Kappa Psi Presents
 
After listening to the feedback received in Lexington and the following weeks, I have been working with members of the national leadership, as well your district leadership, to revamp what was formerly known as the VPSA Student Chats. Out of those conversations, Kappa Kappa Psi Presents was born.
 
The idea behind Kappa Kappa Psi Presents is that once a month, your VPSA will host an online conversation between the active brotherhood nationwide that revolves around a central topic or theme. Participating in these conversations will be a knowledge-area expert from the national level that will act as a resource in addition to the VPSA throughout the conversation. An hour will be allotted, which will allow brothers to actively engage with each other as well as with members of the national leadership. Kappa Kappa Psi Presents will not be a video chat, but rather an audio chat, as video is one of the great limiters in online meetings. Also know that there is a 50 participant maximum.
 
To give brothers a sense of how the hour flow, I give the following breakdown. Each conversation will start with introductions on the theme and host as well as a quick update on the work of the national level. Next, I will turn the conversation over to the guest host and allow them to give a quick overview of their experience as it relates to the topic. I will then pose a series of questions that either myself and the other co-host have come up with or questions that brothers have submitted ahead of time. From there, the goal is to allow the bulk of the time be given over to the brothers in attendance to ask questions of their own and share experiences. Towards the end of the hour, I will begin to wind down the conversation and make any relevant announcements (the next chat topic and time, etc.).
 
You might be asking, “what if I cannot make a session, but I have a question or I want to hear other’s experiences on that topic?” Fear not! As mentioned, I am encouraging brothers to submit their questions or conversation topics relating to the Kappa Kappa Psi Presents topic beforehand. Starting on Saturday, September 19, brothers will be able to send emails to kkpsipresents@kkpsi.org that contain their questions.
 
In addition, I plan to record the audio of each session. The goal is to work with Robert Bratcher, our National Publication Manager and Multimedia Designer, to publish a monthly podcast with the recorded audio that will be made available following each session. This will allow access for brothers who cannot make the time, or for brothers who were not able to attend due to participant restrictions imposed by the software.
 
Now you are probably wonder what are the types of topics we will discuss during these monthly sessions. In the conversations since convention, some of the topics and themes that active brothers want to discuss are as follows:

  • the Online Membership Reporting System
  • the Podium/social media
  • 3rd degree, then what? (continuing membership ed/active-in-training when they get their bid/are candidates, etc.)
  • director and/or sponsor transitions/relations
  • de-mystifying the board of trustees
  • graduating seniors/alumni association/life membership
  • chapter: small and isolated? (small chapter problems)
  • chapter: too big to fail? (large chapter problems)
  • transitions (officer, membership status, etc.)
  • managing finances (not just how to fundraise, but acting in fiscally responsible manners, making financially sound decisions, planning for the future, etc.)
  • service (how do chapters address needs, come up with what to do, etc.) 

I figure this is something that will develop and evolve organically as the program gets going based on feedback, as well as trends that are observed by your district and national leadership.
 
Part II: Online Meeting Tool
 
The national organization has an account with OmniJoin. To access the online meeting room click here. I am linking OmniJoin’s FAQs and system requirements. The tool works on Windows and Mac based machines. Note that for Windows, it works on IE 9 or later, Chrome, of Firefox browsers. For Mac, it works on Safari and Firefox browsers. There is also a mobile app that works with iOS. You can find more info on mobile access here.  In order to participate, you will have to install either the browser plug-in or the client application on your computer or mobile device.
 
Starting at 8pm EDT on Tuesday, I will have the meeting room open to allow brothers the opportunity to try logging on as this is a new tool for the active membership. It is a fairly straightforward process to install, whichever method you choose. The first time I used it, it took less that two minutes to get up and running.
 
Please, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out!

2015-2017 Southeast District Governor Appointment

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Brothers of the Southeast District –

I am pleased to announce to you the individuals that will serve as Southeast District Governors for the upcoming 2015-2017 biennium.

Dr. Craig Aarhus will return in his role as a Southeast District Governor.  You all have worked with him throughout the past several years, and I know that Craig is excited to continue in this role.  He is a valuable resource to the active members of the Southeast District, and I am confident that is going to continue to help guide the district officers and the entire district as the SED continues to Strive for the Highest.

As you all know, the election of past SED Governor Evan Thompson as Kappa Kappa Psi’s National Vice President for Colonization and Membership leaves a vacancy in the SED Governor position.  I have worked closely with Dr. Aarhus and Vice President Thompson to select an individual that will complement the momentum the SED currently has.

I am pleased to announced that joining Dr. Aarhus as a SED Governor will be Latrondrick Hunter.  Tron is no stranger to the SED.  Tron comes to us with great experiences; experiences that will definitely help him in his new governor role.  He was initiated in to the Zeta Eta chapter at South Carolina State University in 2010.  He is a recipient of the J. Lee Burke Student Achievement Award.  After receiving his Instrumental Bachelor of Arts degree, Tron began graduate work at Alabama A&M University in pursuit of a Masters of Music Education degree.  There he operated as the Drill/Show Coordinator.  His duties included creating field designs and producing and arranging halftime show concepts.  Currently, Tron contributes to the world of music by producing marching band field shows for high school and collegiate band programs across the Southeast.

If you would like to send a congratulatory e-mail or an introduction, you may reach Tron at lhunter6@gmail.com.

I look forward to seeing the great things the Southeast District will continue to accomplish.  Your work matters, band matters, and Kappa Kappa Psi Matters.

AEA,

Jack

—

Jack Lee

National President

Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band  Fraternity

www.kkpsi.org

Founded in 1919 at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Kappa Kappa Psi is the leading fraternity solely dedicated to supporting and developing college and university band programs. Kappa Kappa Psi has affiliation with over 210 college and university campuses across the United States of America. Guided by our values, mission and ritual, Kappa Kappa Psi is purposefully working towards our vision; With a dedicated spirit of unity and cooperation, we are unequivocally committed to become the world standard of excellence for band fraternal organizations. Collectively, Kappa Kappa Psi members are inspiring one another and all college band members to Strive for the Highest.

Notification of Dues Increase

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Just a few short weeks ago, the National Chapters met at the 2015 National Convention to participate in numerous leadership development activities, elect our new National Council and Board of Trustees members, and to attend to other business of the Fraternity/Sorority.  Over the next month, you will receive further updates about the changes to come out of convention, but we wanted to call your attention to one change that will begin to affect members immediately.

The 2015-2017 biennial budget for each organization was reviewed and approved by the Ways & Means Committee and then adopted by the majority of the National Chapter in attendance in Lexington.  After a period of six years with no dues increase, both organizations have voted to raise dues and initiate fees by $15 effective for the 2015-2016 school year.  This increase is to cover the growth of the organization, allow for increased development of our programs, and to support several capital improvement projects at our National Headquarters properties.  The following table lists all chapter and membership fees for the 2015-17 biennium:

Active, Conditional, Associate Membership Dues

$100.00 (On-Time)

$125.00 (Late)

Initiate Fees

$110.00 (On-Time)

$137.50 (Late)

Chapter Fee

$75.00 (On-Time)

$93.75 (Late)

Honorary Initiation Fees

$50.00 (On-Time)

$62.50 (Late)

It is important that all chapter officers check to see if they have any pending forms in the OMRS.  These fee changes will go into effect on Friday 8/14.  Once the fees are updated in the OMRS, all pending forms with a balance due will be updated to the current fee structure listed above.

Mourning The Loss of Professor Robert D. Jorgensen

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Robert D. Jorgensen

Kappa Kappa Psi joins The University of Akron college band community in mourning the loss of Professor Robert D. Jorgensen, who passed away on July 4, 2015. Director of Bands at The University of Akron for 26 years and as Director of Bands Emeritus since his retirement in 2013, Jorgensen also held the titles of Professor of Music as well as Assistant Director of the School of Music. Since 2006, Mr. Jorgensen has served as musical director/conductor of The Freedom Brass Band of Northeast Ohio.

During his tenure at Akron, the University of Akron Symphonic Band was invited to perform at 11 conferences of the Ohio Music Education Association, the 1992 conference of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA); the 1998 CBDNA conference; the 2003 American Bandmasters Association Convention; and the 2004 CBDNA conference. Under his direction, the UA Symphonic Band also performed at Severance Hall in Cleveland in April 2003, followed by a 2008 European tour.

Professor Jorgensen has been widely honored as a music educator and conductor. He received the Outstanding Bandmasters Award from Phi Beta Mu, International Bandmasters Fraternity, in 1999 and the Citation of Excellence Award from the National Band Association in 1981. In 1992, Kappa Kappa Psi honored Professor Jorgensen with the A. Frank Martin Award. Recently, Mr. Jorgensen received unanimous support from his colleagues for the distinction of Professor Emeritus at The University of Akron. He was also honored on December 6, 2013 as a recipient of The University of Akron Honorary Alumni Award.

Mr. Jorgensen has appeared as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the United States and, in 2009, he was invited to serve as an adjudicator for the St. Patricks Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. He has held professional memberships in the The American Bandmasters Association, (past president), National Band Association, Mid-American Conference Band Directors Association (past president), College Band Directors National Association, NAfME – The National Association for Music Education, Ohio Music Education Association, and Phi Beta Mu. Mr. Jorgensen was also an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi (Zeta Omicron) and Tau Beta Sigma (Epsilon Iota).

Mr. Jorgensen earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree from Michigan State University. He was euphonium soloist with the United States Army Field Band in Washington, D.C. from 1969-1972. Prior to joining the faculty at The University of Akron in 1987, Professor Jorgensen had served on the faculty at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY and had also served as Director of Bands at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX.

Professor Jorgensen’s work as a dedicated and devoted musician and educator lives on through the thousands of students he taught and influenced throughout his career.

2015-2017 Western District Governors

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Brothers of the Western District –

I am pleased to announce to you the individuals that will serve as Western District Governors for the upcoming 2015-2017 biennium.

Current WD Governors, James Llamas and James Hudson,  will not return as governors for the upcoming biennium. Both James Llamas and James Hudson has been exceptional members of the Kappa Kappa Psi National Leadership team.  Their professional life is embedded in the work that we do within Kappa Kappa Psi – bands.  Through those efforts, each of them will continue to live the mission and vision of our Fraternity.  I wish them both the best of luck in their future, and I wanted to publicly thank them for their tireless efforts as a WD Governor.

Serving as the Western District governors will be Lance Coochyouma and Charlene Ronne.

Charlene Ronne was initiated into the Brotherhood on April 10, 2009 as part of the Lambda Alpha Chapter at the University of California, Irvine. There she pursued and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in History while playing tenor saxophone and trombone in the UC Irvine Anteater Pep Band and the UC Irvine Wind Ensemble. During her time as an active Brother, Charlene was elected to the offices of Chapter Treasurer, Vice-President, and President. Additionally, during her senior year she was elected Western District President of Kappa Kappa Psi and received the honor of being a J. Lee Burke Student Achievement Award winner.

Lance is a two-term WD president, and served on the WD Council for four years.  Lance was initiated in to the Gamma Kappa chapter at Northern Arizona University in the spring semester of 2001.  He served as drum major there for three years, and then transferred to the University of Arizona where he was an active member of the Omega chapter and served as color guard captain.  He is a life member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.  Lance is also a recipient of the J. Lee Burke Student Achievement Award.

I am confident that Lance and Charlene are going to be an exceptional team, and that we can expect nothing other than excellence from the Western District.  As I have heard many times: The best are in the West, and I know that we can expect this to continue.

If you would like to send a congratulatory e-mail or an introduction, you may reach Lance at lance@kkpsi.org and Charlene may be reached atcharleneronne@kkpsi.org.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Lexington, KY this summer for the 2015 National Convention.

AEA,

Jack

—

Jack Lee
National Vice President for Colonization and Membership
Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band  Fraternity
www.kkpsi.org

Founded in 1919 at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Kappa Kappa Psi is the leading fraternity solely dedicated to supporting and developing college and university band programs. Kappa Kappa Psi has affiliation with over 210 college and university campuses across the United States of America. Guided by our values, mission and ritual, Kappa Kappa Psi is purposefully working towards our vision; With a dedicated spirit of unity and cooperation, we are unequivocally committed to become the world standard of excellence for band fraternal organizations. Collectively, Kappa Kappa Psi members are inspiring one another and all college band members to Strive for the Highest. 

2015-2017 Southwest District Governors

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Brothers of the Southwest District –

I am pleased to announce to you the individuals that will serve as Southwest District Governors for the upcoming 2015-2017 biennium.  I have determined that for the Southwest District that we will move forward with three district governors.  This will help the governors in their responsibilities of assisting the district officers, chapters, and individual brothers in a district that has over 60 active chapters.

Current SWD Governor, John Graham, will not return as a governor for the upcoming biennium. John has been an exceptional member of the Kappa Kappa Psi national leadership team.  His band program at The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff continues to excel under his leadership.  I wish him the best of luck in his future, and I wanted to publicly thank him for his tireless efforts as a SWD Governor.

 

Toni Castle will return in her role as a Southwest District Governor.  You all have worked with her throughout the past several years, and I know that Toni is excited to continue in this role.

Joining Toni will be Clinton Wieden.  Clinton is no stranger to the SWD.  Clinton’s involvement in Kappa Kappa Psi began in late 2001, when he was initiated as part of the Zeta Delta class of the Alpha chapter. He held multiple chapter and district offices, including two terms as the Southwest District President. His service as an active member saw him twice honored as Alpha’s “Brother of the Year,” and the Fraternity recognized his contributions by awarding him the J. Lee Burke Student Achievement Award in 2006.  He has also served in the past as a member of the HQ staff, and is a Life Member of both Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.

Also joining the SWD Governor team is Kalem Graham.  Kalem is the current Assistant Director of Bands at Langston University.  Kalem was initiated in to the Zeta Psi chapter at Virginia State University on February 20, 2003 and is also a Life Member of the Fraternity.  He previously served as Northeast District Member-at-Large.  Professionally, Kalem has served as Director of Bands at Franklin City Public School, as a graduate assistant at Radford University, and now as Assistant Director of Bands at Langston University.

 

If you would like to send a congratulatory e-mail or an introduction, you may reach Toni at tonicastle@kkpsi.org.  Clinton can be reached at wieden@kkpsi.org.  You can reach Kalem at kograham@langston.edu.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Lexington, KY this summer for the 2015 National Convention.

AEA,

Jack
—

Jack Lee
National Vice President for Colonization and Membership
Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band  Fraternity
www.kkpsi.org

Founded in 1919 at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Kappa Kappa Psi is the leading fraternity solely dedicated to supporting and developing college and university band programs. Kappa Kappa Psi has affiliation with over 210 college and university campuses across the United States of America. Guided by our values, mission and ritual, Kappa Kappa Psi is purposefully working towards our vision; With a dedicated spirit of unity and cooperation, we are unequivocally committed to become the world standard of excellence for band fraternal organizations. Collectively, Kappa Kappa Psi members are inspiring one another and all college band members to Strive for the Highest.