Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society, recognizes and encourages superior leadership and exemplary character. O∆K encourages collaboration among members across the five phases celebrated by O∆K: scholarship, athletics, service, communications, and arts. Founded in 1914 at Washington and Lee University, O∆K honors and develops leaders through scholarships, workshops, career opportunities, leadership resources, and a lifelong connection to other members.
The Iota Circle of O∆K, the 8th Circle of the Society, was founded at The University of Alabama on February 21, 1924. New members are inducted into the Iota Circle every spring as part of the Honors Day Tapping Ceremony on the Mound, a tradition at UA since the early 1900s. A formal initiation into O∆K and the Iota Circle is held at the end of the spring semester.
Membership in O∆K is a mark of the highest distinction and honor, with an emphasis placed on the development of the whole person, both as a member of the college community and as a contributor to a better society. Membership in O∆K is granted to those who demonstrate leadership achievements in one of five phases of campus life: (1) Athletics, (2) Campus or Community Service, Social and Religious Activities, and Campus Government, (3) Creative and Performing Arts, (4) Journalism, Speech and Mass Media, or (5) Scholarship. Undergraduate students who are juniors or seniors and rank in the upper 35 percent of their class, Graduate students, Faculty and Staff, or Alumni, who graduated more than five years ago, are invited to apply for membership.
Class & Standing required: Junior (rising senior), Senior (current), Graduate, and Law
Rank required: Upper 35 percent of student body
Selection timeline: Spring
For more information, please visit the Omicron Delta Kappa website.
