Its focus is to provide young women of Cornell University interested in agriculture with foundations in professionalism and ties in sisterhood to achieve personal goals and success. The founding members of Sigma Alpha (Marilyn Burns, Cindie Davis, Ann Huling Mathews, Amy Mathews, and Jennifer McMillian) wanted an organization that would allow women to establish lifelong friendships with other women who were pursuing similar goals and careers. It would be comprised of women majoring in agriculture and would develop not only social skills, but professional skills. With a little hard work, Sigma Alpha became an officially recognized student organization on January 26, 1978 at The Ohio State University. For the next few years, the sorority thrived locally, then began to spread nationally after the creation of the National Board in 1980. The Alpha Psi Chapter was chartered on April 20, 2002.
