The organizers of the Phi Zeta society, when seeking a suitable name, sought the help of learned Greek scholar Professor George P. Bristol of Cornell University. Professor Bristol suggested a Greek word, which in the Latin form is spelled PHILOZOI and means “Love for Animals.” Phi Zeta was adopted as the name of the society. The emblem’s pendant is formed by the letter Phi superimposed by the letter Zeta. The design was the work of naturalist and artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
Phi Zeta originated in 1925 by a group of senior veterinary students in the New York State Veterinary College at Cornell University. With the assistance of a group of faculty members, including the dean of the college, Dr. Veranus A. Moore, the society was formally organized, and Dean Moore was elected as the first president of the Alpha Chapter. The Society of Phi Zeta was organized in 1929 at a meeting in Detroit, MI, and Dean Moore became its first president, as well. Also in 1929, a charter was granted to the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Beta Chapter was established. In 1931, Phi Zeta’s Executive Committee approved the petition of a group from Iowa State College, and the Gamma Chapter was established. Since then, 24 chapters have been chartered, bringing the total number to 27. Chapters of the society may be formed at any recognized veterinary medical college or at any other institution of higher learning.
The University of Tennessee’s Phi Chapter of Phi Zeta was established on May 17, 1979, the year of the first DVM graduates at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The first president of the Phi Chapter was Dr. W.W. Armistead.
Click here to see a complete list of chapters.​
