Brothers of the Southwestern Province, welcome to our new home! The new Southwestern Province website is still under construction; therefore, I indulge your patience while we add our new features. We need more pictures to add to the website. If you have pictures from a Southwestern Province event (i.e. 2011 Province Council Meeting, Conclave, Kappa Kamp, CRWLC, etc…), please forward them to info@southwesternprovince.org ASAP.

I am both humbled and honored to have been appointed by 32nd Grand Polemarch Bates to serve as your new Province Polemarch. I greatly appreciate the many calls, emails, and letters expressing support and encouragement. I endeavor to continue the good work, leadership, and service provided by our past Polemarchs, most notably my predecessor Brother Ron Julun.

The Province continues its initiatives to transition to “green” by using less paper and relying more on technology as a primary means of communication. A paper-less chapter certification process is now the standard. Three-ring binders are no longer accepted. In addition, a stronger push will be made to streamline event registration by greatly reducing mail-in registrations. The Communication & Technology Committee is to be commended for its efforts. And again, a "special" thanks to the SWP Executive Board for continuing supporting this effort.

Below are some key events that need to be added to your calendars:

1. The Chapter Certification deadline is October 31, 2011. Note that any chapter planning to participate in the Fall 2011 Intake Clusters must be certified by the earlier October 2, 2011 deadline.

2. The Fall 2011 New Membership Intake Clusters (MOIP) are scheduled for November 4-5, 2011 in Jackson, Mississippi and November 11-12, in Austin, Texas. Chapters desiring to participate should act quickly to request permission to participate and to submit planning documents. Visit the Members Only section for MOIP documentation and Cluster Intake details.

3. National Founders Day: January 5-8, 2012 in Memphis, TN. More information should be available soon on the IHQ website (www.kappaalphapsi1911.com).

4. The 2012 Southwestern Province Council Meeting will take place on April 11-15, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meeting will be special as it represents the Province’s first meeting in the Crescent City since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Coincidently, this year’s French Quarter Festival will be running concurrently with the 76^th Southwestern Province Council Meeting. Please register and reserve your room ASAP!

Our province continues to grow with many successful and vibrant chapters; however, we continue to lose chapters to both inactivity and suspensions. Growing the number of chapter on our rolls through reclamation and reactivation remains a core initiative. The SWP still has approximately 30 inactive chapters, where efforts continue to see them reenergized so they can make a difference in their communities and within Kappa Alpha Psi.

I am excited about the things we shall achieve this year. Again, thanks for your support! Kappa - 100 Years and Building: The Journey Continues!

Yours In The Bond,

Timothy F. Albert

Southwestern Province Polemarch