Colleagues,
 With this report we come to end
of the academic year on the campuses where we domiciled. It has been a year of progress, historic change and a lot of energy. The Society continues to
be blessed with many loyal and dedicated volunteers and staff. The Boards have
authorized the purchase of a historic building on the campus of Washington and
Lee University where we were founded in 1914. We leave behind a strong legacy
from our years in the Commonwealth of Kentucky at both the University of
Kentucky and Transylvania University. We are indebted to so many who
have made our stay in the Bluegrass State so memorable.
As I approach the end of my
first year as Executive Director, I am grateful for this opportunity to serve
this venerable organization. I especially want to thank Dr. Jack Morgan, my
predecessor who has been invaluable with his wise counsel. And finally to those
staff who will remain in Lexington, KY, I thank you for your loyalty and service
to Omicron Delta Kappa.
I look forward to greeting many
of you in Houston from June 24-27 at the National Convention and Summit.
Sincerely, |
Leader of the Year
Joanna Calabrese
from the University of Maryland College Park has been selected as the 2010
General Russell E. Dougherty National Leader of the Year. Joanna has exhibited
an inspiring devotion to the ideals of Omicron Delta Kappa. While at UMCP,
Joanna served as the historian for her OΔK Circle and in a number of leadership
positions several different areas of campus life. Her devotion to environmental
issues inspired her to co-found Clean Energy for UMD to help mobilize student
to advocate for clean energy solutions. Joanna majored in Environmental Science
and Policy and plans to pursue a Master's in Public Policy or Public
Administration, and ultimately hopes to work in public service as a policy
advocate for environmental and energy-related issues. Because of her success as
a student and her outstanding leadership abilities, Joanna received a National
Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Fellowship, the UMCP Gebel Scholarship, and
the Morris K. Udall National Scholarship for Environmental Leadership.
Congratulations to Joanna for her selection as the Leader of the Year. She will
receive a $4000 scholarship to help her pursue graduate education.
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Welcome to New Circles
Three new Circles were installed in the past few
weeks: Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton on April 28th; Middle Tennessee
State University in Murfreesboro on April 30th; and Morrisville State College in
New York on May 4th. In
addition, Circles were chartered at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers
on February 5th, 2010 and Georgian Court University in Lakewood, NJ on
November 15, 2009, for a total of five new Circles during the academic year. Congratulations and welcome to our newest Circles and their members! We offer a sincere thank you to all those who were involved in chartering these new Circles. Currently 306 campuses host
OΔK Circles.
As a result of our
new strategies and successful programs, our membership has continued to
increase. We are excited to provide opportunities to over 8% more
members than
last year at this time.
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We won't disappear on you
As is already widely known, ODK's national
headquarters is moving back to the place of its founding in Lexington,
Virginia. The agreement
to purchase the train station on the campus of
Washington and Lee University for the national headquarters has been
signed.
After over thirty years in the Commonwealth of Kentucky the Society
returns to its
founding site of 1914. The physical move of the
office will occur during the week of July 26-30. Operations are expected to resume in Virginia
on Monday, August 2nd. During
the transition, limited email communication will be possible, and telephone
calls should be made to the toll-free number: 1-877-ODK-NHDQ (1-877-635-6437). More
details about the new address of the office and new telephone numbers will be
forthcoming. Patience and understanding will be appreciated as we take this
important step in the Society's history.
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Foundation Scholarship Deadline Approaching
O∆K Foundation Scholarship Awards with a stipend of at least $1,000
each
will be awarded in August, 2010. Each of the 20 winners will be
designated an O∆K Scholar. The 20 awards are made by authorization of
the Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation.
The deadline for the O∆K Foundation Scholarship is June 10, 2010. Applications for a foundation scholarship can be submitted using the online form. We will also accept hard copies of forms if postmarked before the deadline. The online form allows applicants to upload the required documents.
Please visit the ODK Foundation Scholarship page on our website or email Director of Communications and Programs Tracy Elleard at tracy@odk.org for more information.
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Dan Beeman Named
Centennial Committee Chair
 After several years
under the great leadership of former
National President Cheryl Hogle, the Centennial Committee is entering
its next
phase of planning with the appointment of former OΔK Foundation
President Dan
Beeman as the Chair. Dan, a 1970
initiate of the University of South Florida, has over 25 years of
experience in
the field of organizational development and he is the owner of Seminars
at Seaâ, a
management development/customer recognition company that uses sailing as
a
vehicle for teaching team building and management. Dan received his
Ph.D. from Florida State
University in university administration.
Dan has been a key player in the history of the Society,
serving as the Circle President at the University of South Florida,
Student
Province Director, and National Vice President prior to his service to
the
Foundation. Dan's vast experience with
the Society makes him uniquely poised to reflect on the history of the
Society
while also preparing it for a new century of leadership.
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Convention Countdown!
The countdown to the 2010 Leadership Summit and
Convention continues. The registration deadline is June 3rd, 2010. For more information please
visit the Leadership Summit and Convention page on our website and register to attend using our online registration form. If you have any questions please call ODK at 1-877-635-6437 or email convention@odk.org. |
We
need your
Photos & Video
Do you have great photos and/or video of OΔK related events
or members? Well start organizing them. In the near future OΔK is going
to start pushing our media in a new direction and we want you to be a
part of it. We will need properly labeled, high-quality images and video
of anything OΔK is a part of. So get them ready and then stay tuned for
information on where to submit.
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National Headquarters
Staff Changes
Along with the move to
Virginia, several staff changes are taking place. Office Manager Barb Snyder will end her
nearly seven years of service on May 18th. Karen Vizi (karen@odk.org)
is handling her duties until the move.
Joe Gearhart (joe@odk.org) will be ODK's new Financial Services
Manager. Joe is a CPA and brings a breadth of experience to the position. His
home is in Buena Vista, Virginia, which is six miles from Lexington.
Tracy Elleard (tracy@odk.org) begins work as Director of
Communications and Programs on May 17th. A
2006 graduate of Auburn University with a Bachelor of Arts in communication,
she most recently was a Membership Recruitment Consultant with Alpha Omicron Pi
International Headquarters.
Daisy Bacas Taylor (daisy@odk.org)
begins training for the newly created position of Membership Coordinator on
June 1st. She is a native of the
Philippines and received her B.A. in economics from Xavier University de Ateneo
in Cagayan de Oro.
Bobby Ann Stanton (bobby@odk.org),
formerly the director of the Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation based in
Nashville,
Tennessee, has been named Director of Development and Alumni Services
for OΔK.
She began her new responsibilities on February 15.
For more information about any of our National Headquarters staff members, be sure to visit the staff profile page on our website.
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Board Meeting in Lexington
On May 2-3, the
leadership of the Society and Foundation Boards met for two days in Lexington,
KY to discuss transitioning to new Boards. Topics included moving the national
headquarters to W&L in Lexington, VA; governance; the convention and next year's
budget.
The strategic
plan "The Road to a Century of Leadership", was discussed. The steering
committee for the plan meets quarterly to discuss the progress of the plan and
its initiatives.
A revised
Centennial Committee is being formed and a new chair has been selected as plans
continue for a celebration of the 100th anniversary of ODK in
December, 2014.
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