The three groups of women designated themselves Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, respectively, and thus the national organization was born. The Sorority was incorporated on April 29, 1999, and with the participation of the Alpha chapter, the Beta colony, and the Gamma colony, the national organization was established at the first annual National Convention on August 21, 1999. The first out-of-state expansion effort resulted in the founding of the Utah State University chapter in the spring of 2000. Graduate, Alumnae, and Professional (GAP) Program In the first national constitution, the earliest members of Theta Nu Xi laid the foundation for an active post-graduate status. On July 19, 2000, sixteen women petitioned the national board to be granted status as an Alumnae chapter. These women requested that a structure be put in place that would allow post-collegiate members the ability to participate fully in Sorority activities and the national organization while a more complete structure was being developed. The national board granted the sixteen pioneers the equivalent of chapter status, allowing them to send representatives to the 2000 National Convention. At this convention, on behalf of the Alumnae chapter, Soror Jerri Kallam submitted a resolution to establish Alumnae Chapter Standards. During the same meeting, Soror Amanda Greene, representing the Alpha chapter, submitted a resolution to create a committee to examine the role of alumnae and professional membership. These resolutions were adopted and a committee was created. This committee, composed of Sorors Jerri Kallam, Christie Aden, Shannon Stewart, and Melissa Murchison-Blake, was charged with refining and further developing the name, structure, and important documents relating to alumnae and professional membership and so sparked the development of an official Graduate, Alumnae, and Professional (GAP) Program. At the 2001 National Convention, the alumnae committee submitted a GAP policy along with supporting documents. Through the advocacy of this committee and the success of the program as evidenced by the GAP-initiated women present at the Convention, the GAP program was officially established and became the first of its kind for multicultural sororities. Founding Monarchs Melissa Murchison-Blake and Janelle Poe, along with Sorors Holly Woodard and Rebecca Treherne, officially chartered the first GAP chapter on April 11, 2002. Being the first multicultural sorority to offer an established Graduate, Alumnae, and Professional Program, Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. began receiving numerous inquiries from interested women. As more women were initiated at this level, and as undergraduate members graduated,