The History of Nu Sigma Nu:

Nu Sigma Nu was founded on the 2nd of March in 1881 right here at the University of Michigan, making it the oldest medical fraternity in the nation. The founding members were Robert Stephens, Charles Frye, Benjamin Strong, Fred Main, John Gish, and William Mayo, founder of the Mayo Clinic. In fact, legend has it that our billiards here in the house once belonged to Dr. Mayo himself.

The fraternity was founded with the idea of stressing “scholarship, the development of better teaching, and generally in raising medical education to a higher level.” In 1886, the fraternity became a national organization, with the University of Michigan becoming the Alpha Chapter.

Since that time, another distinguished alumnus, Dr. William E. Upjohn, of pharmaceutical fame, and many other alumni have made generous donations to the house, making Nu Sigma Nu what it is today. Thanks to their generous donations, not only have vast improvements been made to the house, but a scholarship fund has also been created to help 4th year medical students fund away and international rotations.

Leadership positions at Nu Sigma Nu are available to you, and these positions have acted as springboards to future careers for many alumni. In fact, hundreds of our alumni have gone on to become strong leaders in the medical community while still keeping close ties to our chapter. Over the past few years, our M4s have matched at institutions such as Michigan, Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Penn, just to name a few.

As you begin your journey into medicine and beyond, we encourage you to become a part of the rich history and tradition of Nu Sigma Nu!