Theta Tau () is a professional collegiate engineering fraternity. The fraternity has programs to promote the social, academic, and professional development of its members. Theta Tau is the oldest and largest professional engineering fraternity and has a membership of more than 50,000 men and women who study engineering in all its various branches on over 100 college campuses.
In 1911, representatives of the three chapters and the alumni association met at the University of Minnesota for the first national convention. The name was changed to Theta Tau, a revised ritual was approved, and the present badge was adopted. Perhaps most important for its future expansion, they decided that Theta Tau would include all branches of engineering.
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| 23rd
| 1960
| Detroit, Michigan
| Erich J. Schrader
| Jack A. Grimmett
| Zeta
| N/A
|N/A
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| 24th
| 1962
| Louisville, Kentucky
| Paul L. Mercer
| Michael D. Martin
| Omicron
| N/A
|N/A
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| 25th
| 1964
| Columbus, Ohio
| A. Dexter Hinckley
| John E. Daniel
| Phi
| N/A
|N/A
| Geology removed from the list of majors eligible for membership
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| 2023 Convention
| 2023
| Lexington, Kentucky
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|Lydia Hardin, Upsilon Beta
|Theta Delta
|Beta
|Rho Delta
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|2025 Convention
|2025
|Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Chapters
Notable alumni
{| class="wikitable sticky-header sortable" style="width:100%;"
!Name
!Chapter
!Notability
!References
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|Harry Darby
|Kappa
|U.S. Senator from Kansas
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|John W. F. Dulles
|Chi
|author and historian
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|Paul Endacott
|Zeta
|collegiate basketball player and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame
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|Roy Horstmann
|Phi
|professional football player and All-American
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|Marty Jackley
|Omega
|Attorney General of South Dakota
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|Aelred Kurtenbach
|Omega
|co-founder and Chairman of Daktronics Inc.
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|Arthur Edmund Seaman
|Beta (Honorary)
|curator of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum
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|Raymond L. Smith
|Beta (Honorary)
|President of Michigan Tech from 1965 to 1979
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|Charles E. Spahr
|Zeta
|President of Standard Oil of Ohio
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|Blake R. Van Leer
|Rho (Honorary)
|Dean of Engineering at NCSU and President of the Georgia Institute of Technology
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|William E. Wickenden
|Delta
|President of Case Western Reserve University and the American Society for Engineering Education
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In April 2018, the Syracuse University chapter of Theta Tau was expelled after video surfaced of members using language that was "extremely racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and hostile to people with disabilities."
In April 2024, The Cornell University chapter of Theta Tau was suspended for alleged drug and alcohol violations and hazing. Concerns arose after potential new members reported incidents involving cocaine use at fraternity events. Despite a cease and desist order, the chapter continued its activities until Theta Tau Central Office issued a suspension. Individual sanctions were imposed, and the fraternity's charter was suspended for two years. The chapter is expected to be expelled at the 2025 Theta Tau National Convention.
See also
- Professional fraternities and sororities
- Theta Tau Educational Foundation
- Rube Goldberg Machine Contest