UK's ODK Announces Maurice A. Clay Award Winners
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 12, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society established the Maurice A. Clay Awards over 30 years ago to recognize the outstanding graduating senior in each academic college at the University of Kentucky. Winners are selected by the college’s dean or a dean's representative and are expected to be exceptional leaders who have provided service to their college while maintaining a strong academic record.
Omicron Delta Kappa recognizes superior scholarship, leadership and exemplary character. The Maurice A. Clay Awards are one way in which the ODK National Leadership Society can bestow on graduating seniors a “Mark of High Distinction.”
"Dr. Maurice A. Clay was an educator and professor at the University of Kentucky for more than 60 years," said C. Lynn Hiler, ODK Circle coordinator and program coordinator for UK's Chellgren Center. "He was the epitome of service leadership, while assuming little recognition for himself. We hope that each recipient will exemplify these characteristics in future endeavors."
The 2021 recipients are:
Emma Heimlich, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
Jillian Chamberlain, College of Arts and Sciences
Matthew Susemichel, Gatton College of Business and Economics
Trace Williams, College of Communication and Information
Daniel Langford, College of Design, School of Architecture
Haydon Gaines, College of Design, School of Interiors
Taylor E. Brown, College of Education
Rosemary Alden, College of Engineering
Jada Phillips, College of Health Sciences
Lily Silverstein, College of Nursing
Abbi Peck, College of Public Health
Mary Elizabeth Smith, College of Social Work
"Due to the limitations on in-person gatherings, a ceremony was not held this year, but we celebrate this awesome group of students nonetheless," Hiler said. "Please tune into the Chellgren Center social media to help celebrate these outstanding students even more by sharing our ODK – MAC posts."
Omicron Delta Kappa is supported on campus by the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence within the Office of the Provost. For more information on membership, contact chellgrencenter@uky.edu.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.