[275]CREATION OF MTSU OMICRON DELTA KAPPA CHAPTER IN PROGRESS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 27, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

CREATION OF MTSU OMICRON DELTA KAPPA CHAPTER IN PROGRESS
Interested Students Sought for Membership in 94-Year-Old College Honors Society

(MURFREESBORO) – Students interested in joining Omicron Delta Kappa, one of the most esteemed leadership honor societies in the country, are invited to a “leaders circle” meeting at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. “It has an ancient lineage,” says Dr. John R. Vile, Dean of the University Honors College and an ODK member. “A lot of institutions that have Phi Beta Kappa also have this organization. In these difficult economic times, it’s prudent to be selective about the number of honors societies a student chooses to join.” Omicron Delta Kappa was founded in 1914 at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., by 15 student and faculty leaders. ODK has initiated more than 300,000 members since its inception. To become a member of ODK at MTSU, one must have at least a 3.25 GPA, which is higher than the national society requires. One also must be a junior, senior or graduate student at the time of initiation. Sophomores are welcome at the “leaders circle” meeting. In addition to scholarship, ODK acknowledges achievement in four areas—athletics; campus/community service, social/religious activities, and campus government; journalism, speech and the mass media; and creative and performing arts. The Society emphasizes the whole individual as a member of the campus community and the society as a whole.
“We’re doing our best to contact all the departments and schools to solicit students from all areas,” says Georgia Dennis, University Honors College Event Coordinator. After the students form a leadership circle of prospective charter members, a chapter application is made to the national organization. The next step would be an on-site visit from representatives of the national headquarters. Vile says the goal is initiation of the chapter this fall. Application forms for interested individuals will be available at the meeting and in the University Honors College main office, which is Room 205. For more information, contact Laura Clippard at 615-898-5464 or lclippar@mtsu.edu. To learn more about Omicron Delta Kappa, go to the national Web site at www.odk.org.

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