John H. Herbst is the 2022 recipient John D. Morgan Award for Lifetime Service to Omicron Delta Kappa.
Herbst was initiated into the University of Kentucky’s Nu Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa in 1985. He served as the faculty secretary and circle coordinator of the circle from 1991-2019. From 2006-10, Herbst was a regional director for O∆K. He was national convention chair in 2002, when the Society’s conference was held in Lexington, Kentucky. Herbst has also been a member of the General Council and a faculty province director. He has also served as parliamentarian for the 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018 conventions. Herbst is currently National Parliamentarian Emeritus and Trustee Emeritus.
A recipient of both the Eldridge W. Roark, Jr. Meritorious Service Award and the Cheryl M. Hogle Distinguished Service Award, Herbst chaired the Society’s National Public Relations Committee and the National Awards Committee. He was a member of the National Advisory Council from 2010-16. The University of Kentucky Circle Endowed O∆K Scholarship has been named in his honor.
At the University of Kentucky (UK), Herbst served as the executive director of the Student Center from 1997 until his retirement in 2019. Previously, he was the director of student activities at UK. Herbst has been recognized nationally as both the Outstanding Student Government Advisor (2000) and the Outstanding Student Activities Director (1985), and he has also served on the national Board of Directors of the National Association for Campus Activities. In addition to his responsibilities as director of the student center, Herbst also served as the University Commencement Committee Chairman and was on the university’s SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation Team. He has also been a University Student Affairs Crisis Response Team member and is FEMA certified as a Campus-Community Emergency Response Team Trainer.
Omicron Delta Kappa Society, the National Leadership Honor Society, was founded in Lexington, Virginia, on December 3, 1914. A group of 15 students and faculty members established the Society to recognize and encourage leadership at the collegiate level. The founders established the ODK Idea-the concept that individuals representing all phases of collegiate life should collaborate with faculty and others to support the campus and community. O∆K’s mission is to honor and develop leaders; encourage collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and alumni; and promote ODK’s leadership values of collaboration, inclusivity, integrity, scholarship, and service on college and university campuses throughout North America. The Society’s national headquarters are located in Lexington, Virginia.
