Warren Albert Cole (Boston 1909) founded Lambda Chi Alpha on November 2, 1909 while attending college at Boston University. Cole founded Lambda Chi Alpha with the purpose of bringing about the association of college students of good moral character in the various collegiate institutions within the United States and Canada; to foster a high moral and spiritual standard of life based on Christian ideals; to promote honorable friendship; to cultivate intellectual excellence; to secure for members the greatest advantages in college life; to establish brotherly love, mutual aid, close personal connection between alumni, undergraduates and colleges; and, to bind them together for mutual pleasure and interest in college, as well as after life by testing each with courage, self-control, obedience, democracy, and courtesy toward all with whom they may come in contact.

Today, Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is one of the largest men’s general fraternities in North America with more than 275,000 initiated members, with nearly 200 active subsidiaries (called chapters) at colleges and universities. It was the first fraternity to eliminate pledging in the early 1970s, and remains a leader in the fight against hazing, alcohol abuse, drugs, and other challenges facing today’s college students.

Lambda Chi Alpha serves as a co-curricular experience to complement higher education by providing young men with opportunities for academic achievement, leadership development, and lifelong friendships.