These changes were soon fully adopted by all chapters of the fraternity which retained the name Phi Sigma Kappa.

[1] Its founders were Raymond Victor Bottomly, W. Roy Campbell, W. Ingram Forde, Humphrey Jones, Robert C. Marley, Orin M. Rhine, and Fred M. Thompson.

These three groups joined as Phi Sigma Epsilon, becoming a national teachers' college fraternity at its first conclave on December 30, 1927.

[3] The fraternity expanded to many other campuses until World War II when an acute manpower crisis caused every chapter to cease operations between 1941 and 1946.

Under the leadership of national president Shannon Flowers, the fraternity was successfully revived after the war with all chapters reopening.

By 1947, Phi Sigma Epsilon similarly broadened its focus and no longer remained strictly a fraternity for teachers, embracing the general academic population.

Phi Sigma Epsilon had an unofficial goal of having sixty chapters, a milestone it reached under the leadership of President James Whitfield, doubling in size between 1958 and 1970.

Like many fraternities, Phi Sigma Epsilon had difficulty managing its chapters in that time of social change.

This alarming situation precipitated aggressive action to shore up or re-charter struggling groups, resulting in 45 chapters by the 1980 conclave.

An emergency council meeting was called where president John Sandwell was appointed to replace Hoskin as interim acting executive officer.

An audit confirmed the council's worst fears: Phi Sigma Epsilon's only asset was its equity in its national headquarters building.

One month later, at a belated and hastily called 30th Conclave, James Whitfield was again elected to serve as president.

The fall ushered in a flurry of activity, with plans for a follow-up Council meeting and publication of a series of chapter bulletins to teach the basics of fraternity management.

The word "merger" was mentioned, and the two agreed to talk further, expanding the conversation to a half dozen or more fraternal leaders from both groups.

The evening prior, the council met to review general fraternity operations, but final decisions on all items were deferred until action on the merger vote.

Phi Sigma Epsilon's 31st and last conclave's final vote was the unanimous selection of James Whitfield to sign and implement the merger documents.

Scott Hull of Phi Sigma Epsilon was brought on as a fourth leadership consultant on staff.

[2][3] Some chapters were at a level of disorganization or actual dormancy that there were no members left on those campuses to manage the merger.

The merger terms allowed a special naming provision for the first three chapters of Phi Sigma Epsilon.