“The purpose of Theta Tau is to develop and maintain a high standard of professional interest among its members, and to unite them in a strong bond of fraternal fellowship.”
Early Beginnings — Organization History
Theta Tau was founded on October 15, 1904, by Erich J. Schrader, Elwin L. Vinal, William M. Lewis, and Isaac B. Hanks originally as the “Society of Hammer and Tongs.” The name was changed to Theta Tau in 1911 at the first national convention, although the hammer and tongs remain symbols of the organization. Since 1904, over 40,000 members have been initiated into Theta Tau from all branches of engineering, forming a strong network of students and alumni. Theta Tau remains the oldest and largest professional engineering organization to date.
A Second Family — Chapter History
Before Spring 2015, USC’s school of engineering had no associated co-ed professional organization. Freshman Eric Deng sought to change this. With an interested group of engineering students, Deng met with Theta Tau’s Executive Director, Michael Abraham for an orientation session that would mark the start of Theta Tau at USC. The Colony of Theta Tau at USC was officially established on August 30, 2015, with a total of thirteen founding members. Progressing quickly, the colony held its first recruitment and initiated the Alpha Class a few months later. Theta Tau Kappa Epsilon officially became a chapter in the summer of 2017.
Since then, over sixty members from nine classes have graduated from USC as alumni of Theta Tau. Theta Tau at USC recruits a new class at the beginning of each semester during the second week of classes and gives prospective members a chance to get to know Theta Tau Kappa Epsilon and its active members.
Aside from recruitment, members participate in a variety of Theta Tau events focusing on organized community service, social bonding, and professional development. Some of our most anticipated events include our semesterly chapter-wide Retreat where members travel off-campus to bond for a weekend, our annual Mock Interview event where recruiters and alumni help prepare students for future interviews, and our chapter wide Invite where members get the chance to dress up and celebrate at a special off-campus location. Every member has their own favorite event, so make sure to ask a member what theirs is!
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