As early as 1883, editors of 14 men's fraternity magazines met in Philadelphia to promote the concept of interfraternal cooperation. Editors of National Interfraternity Conference member organizations met at an annual dinner for many years before officially organizing in 1923.
In the late 1960s, discussions with editors of professional fraternity publications and women's sororities brought about the realization that all editors would benefit from belonging to a single association. Since 1969, CFEA has actively sought the participation of all Greek-letter society editors and their staffs in a spirit of interfraternalism that today encompasses more than 300 members including a virtual "alphabet soup" of Greeks: NIC, NPC, NPHC and PFA member groups. That makes CFEA the oldest and most inclusive interfraternal organization. CFEA officially celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1998.
A diverse group, CFEA editors were initially involved primarily in magazine production for their respective groups. Today, their editorial role has expanded to embrace all formats of written and verbal communication, including public relations, promotional pieces, video projects, annual reports, and maintenance of web sites.
CFEA Archives at the University of Illinois
The CFEA Archives are a part of the Student Life and Culture Archival Program of the University of Illinois Archives, which serves as a research center for the preservation and study of materials relating to all aspects of student life at American colleges and universities. CFEA deposited its materials at UIUC in 1999. Material from current and former CFEA members is actively being sought to complement the current holdings. Particularly, archival material from the early years of CFEA's existence is needed to complete our collection.
For more information or to arrange deposit of records, contact
Ellen D. Swain, Archivist for Student Life and Culture
Archives Research Center, Room 105
1707 South Orchard
Urbana, IL, 61801
Telephone: 217-333-7841
FAX: 217-244-4300
E-mail: eswain@illinois.edu
To view CFEA holdings, click
here.
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Student Affairs
Student Organizations-Government
College Fraternity Editors' Association Files, 1872-2003
Volume: 5 cubic feet
Arrangement: Alphabetical
College Fraternity Editors' Association (CFEA) files, containing administrative
correspondence,
minutes, officer and committee notebooks and packets, financial documents,
historical scrapbooks
and clippings, photographs, and publications regarding CFEA annual
meetings, committees, daily
operations, and the history of CFEA and the journals of its member
fraternities and sororities.
For a detailed finding aid, click
here.