When I walked into O∆K’s headquarters this morning, I was greeted by a butterfly. It may be a moth; regardless, it was beautiful. It was sitting on a table inside stretching its wings when I arrived. Although Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today to indicate six more weeks of winter, as I let the butterfly out of the building, it was a great reminder that the newness of spring was coming.
The last day of January also purported the newness in the life of Omicron Delta Kappa. Foundation Treasurer Rich Pirrotta installed the St. Norbert College Circle on Saturday, January 31st. Shelly Mumma, Christi Burrill and Logan Jadin, as well as the 23 other charter members, championed the effort to bring Omicron Delta Kappa to St. Norbert. Dr. Thomas Kunkel, the president of SNC, is an initiate of the Sigma Circle at the University of Maryland, College Park. The establishment of the St. Norbert College Circle brings the number of active O∆K circles to 293.
Over the weekend, members of the national headquarters staff also had the opportunity to witness multiple new beginnings of friendship, enhanced circle operations and greater self-understanding through StrengthsQuest education at the first two 2015 drive-in workshops. Our thanks goes out to our contacts at East Carolina University and the University of Pittsburgh.
Juliana Jalal, circle president and a member of O∆K’s Student Advisory Board, and Krista Wilhelm, faculty advisor, along with the members of the ECU Circle were great hosts in Greenville. More than 35 students and faculty officers attended the program representing circles from ECU, Elon, Guilford and UNC-Wilmington.
In slightly colder climes at the University of Pittsburgh, Ty Houy, circle president, and Angela Miller McGraw, faculty advisor, assisted staff in welcoming 20 registrants to the beautiful Cathedral of Learning on Pitt’s campus. In spite of a little snow and ice, individuals from the University of Akron, Chatham University and Grove City College traveled to join the members of the Pitt circle to share new ideas and best practices.
This coming weekend has three more drive-in workshops scheduled at Albany, Georgia, and Stephen F. Austin. It is great to be able to look forward to another weekend of new beginnings, connections and understanding.
