Editing Sigma Alpha (section)

==History==

Sigma Alpha was first conceived on February 26, 1977, by [[Ohio State University]] students Marilyn Burns, Cindie Davis, Amy Matthews, Ann Huling Mathews, and Jennifer McMillan.<ref name=":6" /> On January 26, 1978, Sigma Alpha became an officially recognized as a student organization.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority {{!}} Get Involved at NC State |url=https://getinvolved.ncsu.edu/organization/sigmaalpha |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=North Carolina State University}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> It was established as a women's fraternity for agricultural students and to promote scholarship, leadership, and service.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Sigma Alpha Sorority {{!}} Fraternity & Sorority Affairs |url=https://fsaffairs.illinois.edu/organizations/sororities/SigmaAlpha |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />

In 1980, its five founders established a national board to oversee the ''Alpha chapter'' at Ohio State and to expand the sorority to other institutions.<ref name=":6" /> They also changed the fraternity's constitution to allow additional chapters.<ref name=":6" /> ''Beta chapter'' was chartered at [[Purdue University]] on April 14, 1984.<ref name=":6" /> Ten additional chapters followed between 1985 and May 1991.<ref name=":6" />

The fraternity held its first annual national convention in 1985 in [[Columbus, Ohio]].<ref name=":6" /> Since then, the national board has been elected at the annual conclave.<ref name=":6" /> By 1991, Sigma Alpha had 750 members.<ref name=":6" /> The organization was incorporated in the State of Ohio on April 8, 1991.<ref name=":6" />

Sigma Alpha is a member of the [[Professional Fraternity Association]] (PFA), a national organization of professional Greek letter organizations. It also belongs to the [[Consortium of Collegiate Agricultural Organizations]]. As of 2024, more than 19,000 members have been initiated into Sigma Alpha, now called a professional sorority.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2014-11-05 |title=Home |url=https://sigmaalpha.org/ |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=Sigma Alpha Sorority |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Barnett |first=George A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HK5tNbVYs0UC |title=Encyclopedia of Social Networks |date=2011-09-07 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=978-1-4129-7911-5 |pages=802 |language=en}}</ref> The sorority's national headquarters are in [[Hampton, Iowa]].<ref name=":7" />