The Alpha Theta Monument, also known as the Kappa Kolonade, was formally dedicated by members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. on the Tennessee State University main campus on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015. The massive and impressive structure, much more than a granite and concrete edifice, is the culmination of countless hours of planning and unprecedented commitment by members of the Alpha Theta Network Affinity Chapter of the TSUNAA. The ATN also presented TSU President Dr. Glenda Glover with a check for $100,000 for scholarships during the dedication ceremony.

The Kappa Kolonade is a tribute to the hundreds of men initiated through the Alpha Theta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. since the TSU chapter’s founding on May 23, 1931. Much more than that, it is a continuation of their primary mission as a TSUNAA Affinity Chapter to grow their membership and raise money in support of TSU and its students. In the words of Monument Committee Chairman, Claude Mitchell, the Kappa Kolonade Monument is “… meant to inspire today’s students and future generations of Kappas to pursue excellence and achievement and to honor Alpha Theta’s history, our achievements, our great university and our most noble fraternity.”

Since 2012, the Kappa Kolonade project has received contributions from more than 220 Kappa Alpha Psi member donors. Over the past year, members and contractors spent hundreds of hours on detailed design, project management and architectural planning. The monument includes more than 450 square feet of concrete, 42 pieces of imported and domestic red and gray granite from India, China and the USA that weigh more than 33,000 pounds (16.5 tons). The Kappa Kolonade Plaza contains 1,600 brick pavers, including 224 personalized pavers engraved to each donor’s specifications.

During Homecoming 2011 the Alpha Theta Network (ATN), led by Scholarship Committee Chairman Theo Maxey, launched a fundraising drive to raise $100,000. During Homecoming 2012, the ATN presented $150,000 to the TSU Foundation to establish the ATN Endowment Scholarship Fund.

Also during Homecoming 2012, the ATN membership approved a proposal to begin the planning, fundraising and construction of the Kappa Kolonade Monument. Moreover, ATN chapter members concluded that although their Monument would not be the first on the TSU campus, it should be more than an historical tribute to the Alpha Theta Chapter. The members determined that the Kappa Kolonade, both through its design and its fundraising plan, should serve as a tangible example of their continual pursuit of excellence and a perpetual source of revenue to augment the funding of the ATN Endowment Scholarship Fund. And because of their focused commitment, the ATN awarded its second round of annual scholarships to three more deserving TSU students during Homecoming 2015.