With over 30 chapters and counting across the country, Acacia is constantly improving in our mission of “preparing tomorrow’s leader”. Our cutting edge membership program is designed to develop your inborn talents, giving you the tools you need to have an impact on your community after graduation. To do this, our organization brings together a diverse group of likeminded individuals and pairs them with our success proven undergraduate program to promote excellence in academics, leadership, and service.
As a collective, we are a group of engineers, entrepreneurs, politicians, businessmen and, most importantly, brothers. We are each others active resource and support for any and all challenges that college provides us. On campus, we strive to be leaders in our respective fields, service, as well as student organizations. Many professors at campuses around the country are themselves members of our fine fraternity, and a healthy network of thousands of alumni are always eager to help.
The Acacia Club was established on December 8, 1903, as a social group for any student or faculty member who had been “Raised” as a Third Degree Master Mason. Three years later, on May 18, 1906, the University of Minnesota Acacia Club officially became the 11th Chapter of Acacia International Fraternity. For almost 70 years, Acacia thrived at the University until the mid-1970’s when the Chapter closed due to lack of membership. Although a brief recolonization took place from 1983-93, the time was not yet ripe for Acacia to return.
Acacia At Millersville University
The Millersville Chapter of ACACIA began as an idea, conceived by Brad Skiles, in the winter of 1987 in Bard Hall. The inspiration for the idea came from Todd Skiles, Brad’s brother, an Acacian at Shippensburg University. Brad obtained the names of twenty five interested men with the help of Mark Hess and after contacting ACACIA International Headquarters, Millersville ACACIA became an official colony. Sixteen of the twenty five began the 4-week pledge program, and temporary officers were elected. When the 4-week pledge program was completed, the executive council of the ACACIA chapter initiated the sixteen., Thus, the ACACIA Chapter of Millersville University was founded on May 2, 1987. The chapter was officially chartered April 23, 1988.
A pair of local awards have been established in honor of two of our founding brothers and are given out annually in the spring. The Brad Skiles Award is given to the brother that best exemplifies ACACIA by showing the most ACACIA Spirit. For achieving the highest G.P.A. in the fraternity, a brother is rewarded with the John Chipperfield Award.
