Marquette Revitalization
Onbehalf of the KSR Board, we would like to welcome you back to normal communications. It’s been a while since you’ve heard from us, and that’s going to change! Starting Fall of 2024, KSR will be issuing more consistent publication of The Aggie , with additional communications in various media types, so you know what we’re doing and how you can get engaged!
Revitalization
Triangle Fraternity is and continues to be an innovator and leadership creator as both a social and professional organization. We are entering a new generation of STEM, which requires us to continuously adapt and evolve to serve the future needs of our undergraduate and alumni communities. We are seeing, increasingly more by the year, that success means all stakeholders in our ecosystem working together is an imperative. This means being able to quickly cultivate prospective members and parents from diverse backgrounds, focusing on active member academic excellence, engaging alumni, working closely with Marquette University leadership and building partnerships with other undergrad and alumni organizations. Only then can we ensure we’re working together to strengthen brotherhood, enable career growth, achieve academic excellence and lead boldly in professional environments and across our local communities.
Following the suspension of the MU active chapter from events spanning 2014 to 2018, KSR’s role as an alumni board required pivoting from an advisory role to an active leadership body. The current and primary focus for four years has been to re-establish and achieve full charter reinstatement of an active chapter by the end of the 2024 academic year. We started from zero members in 2019, and we’re happy to report on the enclosed progress below. Initially, it was assessed a rebuild process would take approximately three years; however, due to ongoing challenges such as university enrollment decline and the global pandemic, the board adjusted its overall timeline of success
to a five-year horizon. A rolling twoyear strategic plan was then created to outline how KSR Ltd., Triangle Fraternity National, Marquette University and the undergraduate student body would tackle the challenges, mitigate risk and drive a formal growth and recruitment strategy to sustain and build a highperforming organization on campus.
The plan is intended to serve as a governance template to ensure the needs of both the active chapter and its alumni are met. We included best practices within the industry to better align with the goals, aspirations and needs of Marquette University and its students. While the Marquette Chapter was not affiliated with Triangle until 1937, the local organization was founded in 1923. For 100 years, we have celebrated tradition, high academic achievement and excellence in service to the student body and to the community. Last year marked our 86th year on Marquette University’s campus.
There are six core pillars to KSR’s current strategy that will enable our future. This includes financial requirements, which we will activate in a multi-year fundraising campaign to achieve immediate needs for chapter growth and recruitment, in addition to large-scale capital renovations for modernization of the chapter facility.
Successes and Achievements
9 Pledged and initiated 12 new members between fall of 2023 into spring of 2024, bringing the colony total size to 16 members
9 Created a total pipeline of 30 newly vetted prospects as of August 2024.
9 Six eligible men have moved into the home’s 5-year non-residency. Total awarded scholarships funded by Triangle Education Foundation and Art Moeller Endowments totaled over $85K between the 2022-2024 academic years.
9 Six new members attended Leadership and Training Weekend (LTW) in January 2024.
9 We funded a resident HQ staff advisor, Zack Pfeifer, to assist in the strategy and execution of recruitment, growth and planning.
9 KSR donated almost $20K of CEF funds to assist in the execution of Scobie Leadership School in July of 2023 and charitable grant donations during National Convention 2024.
9 Two newly initiated students attended 2023 Scobie Leadership Institute after a four-year absence.
9 KSR completed complex renegotiations of the housing lease to re-establish residency starting in 2024, working closely with Marquette University, which invested $60K into operational and safety improvements in the chapter home this year.
9 We raised the first $65K in committed funds in a silent Phase I fundraising campaign in 2023.
9 The undergraduate students achieved the highest GPA of a student organization on campus in Fall of 2023.
9 KSR Ltd. hosted the first Founder’s Day in the last five years.
9 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was home to the 2024 Triangle National Convention, where three distinguished alumni received notable awards!
Fundraising Campaign
We are officially announcing our fundraising campaign to enable our future needs, and we are in need of your financial support and leadership to achieve our big bets. Outlined below are outcomes and objectives to achieve with a formal fundraising campaign:
• Reopen the chapter house with signed and paid-for leasing with Marquette through Spring of 2025. Given the current economic situation of tuition costs and undergraduate need, this was an imperative.
• Establish ongoing residency for live-in advisor HQ staff member through at least Fall of 2026.
• Hire and retain a nationally recognized PR firm to assist in propagating communication to drive brand amplification, STEM growth, community presence and comprehensive social media campaigns.
• Plan and execute large-scale capital renovations for the chapter house to modernize living conditions. Since its opening in 1994, the
chapter home needs some large changes. This work will take two years to complete once fully funded, inclusive of full bathroom renovations, kitchen/basement modifications, entryway redesign and creation of additional STEM technology needs for educational purposes.
• Increased additions to our endowment fund that will provide ongoing academic scholarships and support for both actives and alumni
Desired Outcomes
• Secure non-ending mutually
Phase II Fundraising Vehicles
negotiated lease terms with Marquette University.
• Maximize capacity of student living back to 30+ members.
• Retain Triangle HQ live-in resident advisor and recruitment strategist through 2026.
• Grow to minimum standard of 20 initiated members by May 2025.
• Establish full charter reinstatement by Spring of 2025.
• Convert old living conditions into a modernized, equitable and inclusive home for all member needs and future requirements of STEM.
Questions? Contact Peter Merkel, at peter.merkel@gmail.com, or Kamil Karmali, at kamil.karmali@gmail.com
Chapter Endowment Fund Tax-Deductible
• Local and national student programming and leadership development
• Undergraduate and alumni academic scholarships
Donate via Triangle Education Foundation Donation Page
Scan the QR Code
Triangle Education Foundation Pass-Through Fund (Revitalization) Tax-Deductible
• Fund mid-scale capital renovations in 2024 and grants to Marquette University for subsidy of housing costs, rent, utilities and project work
• Operational costs for upgrading desks, chairs, study rooms and makerspace
• Near-term flexibility to fund additional needs-based scholarship dollars incremental to Dr. Art Moeller Scholarship
Donate via Triangle Education Foundation Donation Page
Scan the QR Code
KSR Alumni Board Non-Tax-Deductible
• Focus: housing rent assistance for 20232025, utilities, house operational expenses and recruitment expenses
• Assist 2-year payback plan to TBHC for upfront operational expense payments and ongoing basic renovations
• Secure ongoing academic financial subsidy for resident advisor for three years
Donations accepted by check:
Payable to: KSR Ltd.
Mailed to: Peter Merkel 1660 N. Prospect Ave. Unit 1907 Milwaukee, WI 53202
Capital Improvement Fund #4796 (CIF) Tax-Deductible
• Large-scale, multi-year capital renovations with MU
• Project work term period: 2024-2027
Donate via Marquette University
Select “other fund designation” and enter Triangle Fraternity House Capital Improvements Fund (#4796)
Old Rose and Gray Engineering Scholarship #4756 (ORG)
Tax-Deductible
• Originally established for the Time to Rise campaign
• Direct scholarship assistance for students pursuing a STEM discipline, primarily geared toward engineering for incoming freshmen
Donate via Marquette University
Select “other fund designation” and enter
BUDNEY OLD ROSE & GRAY MU ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP (FUND #4756)
