Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Launches Leadership Institute At Founding Place Of Cornell University

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has launched a new leadership institute and student residence at its founding school, Cornell University.

The Ivy League institution in Ithaca, New York, announced the news on Oct. 20, according to the Cornell Chronicle. Also known as the birthplace of the first fraternity for Black men, Cornell’s ties to the pillar of Black history are further ingrained in this new building.

Deemed the House of Alpha Leadership Institute, it sits within the Cornell Heights Historic District. Since its founding in 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha has expanded to multiple chapters across various colleges and communities. Now, it extends its presence at Cornell. The home even features the fraternity’s colors, black and gold.

The building came to life through the support of alumni members and the Alpha Light Fund, its social impact nonprofit. Any student can live in the residence. Its main requirement is that residents uphold values of leadership, justice, and equity, core pillars of the fraternity.

A major donor for the project was fellow member Robert F. Smith, billionaire investor and founder of Vista Equity Partners. Smith bought the 9,000-square-foot home in 2023 for $1.3 million. He then donated the property to the fund and paid $9 million toward its renovations. At its Oct. 18 dedication ceremony, Smith recalled how joining Alpha Phi Alpha shaped his experience at Cornell.

Smith shared, “These brothers welcomed me, in so many ways, to a new reality of opportunity, and that’s what the Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha chapter, is all about.”

The building will offer student housing as well as programming dedicated to uplifting the community and sparking diverse dialogue.

“We’re here to celebrate a vision of empowered leadership and active community building,” shared Dr. Dennis Mitchell, fellow alumni member and founding president of Alpha Light Fund. “It’s a vision rooted in cultural legacy, in collaboration and in sustainable impact.”

Alpha Phi Alpha was formed as a pathway for Black Cornell students to forge community on campus. Unable to live on campus due to segregation, Black students banded together to create a literary society.

It has since grown into the renowned fraternity known worldwide. Mitchell recalled this quest by its founders, who went on to build a legacy within and beyond the university’s halls.

“They created something new. Out of exclusion, they built belonging. Out of invisibility, they built visibility,” Mitchell said. “… There’s a reason that that spark is lit right here at Cornell University and not anywhere else, and more than a century later, that spark continues to burn.”

The fraternity also remembers its esteemed history on Cornell’s campus. The two parties continue to build upon this relationship as beacons of academic excellence. While challenges of academia and diversity appear greater than ever, Alpha Phi Alpha continues its founders’ legacy of equitable education and upliftment.

“Over the years, it’s a commitment that’s been questioned and tested many times,” said Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff. “Those founding values continue to guide us and ensure that Cornell remains committed to building a more just and equitable society through the education of the next generation of scholars and leaders. Alpha Phi Alpha’s founding at Cornell in 1906 is a critical part of that history, and its legacy is part of our identity today.”

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