Omicron Delta Kappa membership drive is now open
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 2, 2026) — Applications are now open for membership in Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society. Eligible applicants include sophomores, juniors and seniors (based on credit hours) enrolled in a degree‑granting program, as well as graduate and professional students.
Omicron Delta Kappa recognizes and encourages superior leadership and exemplary character across the five pillars of campus life: academics and research, athletics, service to campus and community, communications, and creative and performing arts. Founded in 1914, the society honors and develops leaders through scholarships, workshops, career development resources and a lifelong network of members.
The Nu Circle at the University of Kentucky was established in 1925. Local members engage in service across campus and the community, co-sponsor the Great Teacher Award with the UK Alumni Association, and present the Jerry D. Claiborne Scholarship and Maurice A. Clay Awards. The Nu Circle also supports members’ professional development and leadership opportunities.
Learn more about the benefits of joining the society at https://odk.org/prospective. Consider attending an information session to meet current members and officers, 6 p.m. Monday, March 2, via Zoom. Register at https://uky.zoom.us/j/84282882188.
Begin your application here: https://odk.org/members/apply-for-membership/. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 9.
Applications will be reviewed, and eligible applicants will receive an invitation to join via email. If selected, save the date — 4 p.m. Sunday, April 12 — for the initiation ceremony. Accepted members will also receive additional details regarding payment of the $94 national initiation fee and $15 local dues. More information about Omicron Delta Kappa membership fees can be found at https://odk.org/membership-fees/.
The 2025-26 Nu Circle executive board includes: Katelyn Huffaker, president; Drew White, past president; Jessica Kidd, membership; and Payton Verespej, social media coordinator. Isabel Escobar, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering and Chellgren Endowed Chair is the faculty advisor and C. Lynn Hiler, chief administrative officer for the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence, is the staff advisor, and Nu Circle coordinator and treasurer.
For more information contact the Nu Circle leadership at odkattheuky@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.