About the Circle

Since 2008 Hamline University has been proud to have an Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Circle on its campus. Our circle recognizes Junior and Senior students who have excelled in academics while being leaders of organizations, teams and programs on college campuses. Our members have interest in and participate in the five pillars of ODK, including Scholarship, Athletics, Campus/ Community Service, Social/Religious Activities, and Campus Government, Journalism, Speech and the Mass Media, and Creative and Performing Arts.
Our membership for the 2013-2014 academic year included 80 student members and various other faculty and staff members that come from a variety of areas of Hamline’s student life. Each year we induct students that represent the top 35% of each academic class and between 6-7 faculty or staff members. There is an application process that includes a written application and a personal interview with the members of the circle’s executive board. Upon acceptance into the society, we ask our members to attend monthly meetings and volunteer events. Our fall meetings focus on career development and our spring meetings focus on parts of each of the five ODK pillars including different speakers for each pillar and volunteer opportunities. We expect circle members attend the monthly meetings, or participate in the circle’s volunteer activities. The members can amass some of their expected commitments at outside volunteering, however at least fifty percent should be done within the circle.

Programs

Our signature volunteer events that we volunteer at include, Books for Africa, Special Olympics of Minnesota, the PACER organization, and Ronald McDonald House Charities. These are the organizations that we work with every year, but each year we volunteer at other organizations. A signature event that we have on campus is a LinkedIn photo shoot, where we offer students/staff/faculty the opportunity to get a free professional head shot done.

Honors and Awards

Our circle has won recognition from National Headquarters in the form of multiple Superior Circle awards, Clay grants for leadership programming on campus, and multiple members have received national ODK scholarships for graduate school.

2017 Presidential Circle of Excellence

2017 Maurice A. Clay Leadership Development Initiative Grant

2016 Presidential Circle of Excellence

2015 Superior Circle

2014 Superior Circle

2014 Maurice A. Clay Leadership Development Initiative Grant

2012 Superior Circle