With a new faculty advisor on board, URI’s ODK leadership hopes to build off this year’s momentum and continue growing in 2026 and beyond<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Jan. 8, 2026 \u2013\u00a0The University of Rhode Island\u2019s circle of the Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Leadership Honor Society inducted 21 new members in 2025, representing another year-over-year increase in membership as the university\u2019s circle continues to grow under the guidance of the Center for Student Leadership Development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Established in 1914 at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, ODK is the national leadership honor society for college students in the United States, recognizing superior leadership, exemplary character, and high academic achievement across various campus life pillars like academics, athletics, service, and arts. More than 280 universities and colleges in the United States have active ODK circles (also known as local chapters); URI\u2019s circle has been active since 2000 with more than 200 students, administrators, faculty, and staff members recognized for their leadership and service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year\u2019s inductees are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is an exciting time for URI\u2019s circle, according to Alison Jackson Frasier, assistant director of the Center for Student Leadership Development and URI\u2019s ODK circle assistant, following the hiring of new CSLD coordinator Victoria Andrade-Fonseca, who will serve as the circle\u2019s faculty advisor and treasurer. \u201cWe are just really beginning a resurgence of ODK at URI with the hiring of Victoria,\u201d Jackson Frasier said. \u201cWe look forward to having a much more active circle and connecting more with alumni moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cODK recognizes leaders who excel academically, lead in their field of study, and who make a significant contribution to their university and their community through their leadership,\u201d Andrade-Fonseca said. \u201cThis fall 2025 cohort is truly outstanding. They have excelled in fundraising and community service. This group includes Eagle Scouts, [Academic Enhancement Center] tutors and Leadership Institute peer leaders, fraternity and sorority leaders, academic coaches, employees and supervisors, volunteers with Teens for Teens and RhodyThon participants, engaged classroom learners, lovers of history, teaching assistants, and even a current URI employee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How does one join ODK? Students must first be a sophomore or higher and fall within the top 35 percent of their class academically. Those who meet the eligibility requirements must apply at the beginning of the fall semester and show significant leadership in at least one of the five pillars of ODK: academics and research, athletics, service to campus and community, communications, or creative and performing arts. URI\u2019s circle officers, which includes circle president Leetal Young, a current graduate student; circle coordinator Melissa Camba-Kelsay, associate director of the CSLD; student vice president Kayla Owens; Andrade-Fonseca, and Jackson Frasier, review all applications to decide who\u2019ll be inducted at the annual ceremony in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joining ODK, Jackson Frasier said, provides short- and long-term benefits for students and vast networking opportunities beyond their time at URI. Success for ODK members means access to financial aid for graduate school \u2013 scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 \u2013 leadership training and career opportunities, plus recognition for academic excellence and community impact. Programs like the National Leadership Conference, Charlie Life and Leadership Academy, and the Stone Ethical Leadership Challenge offer continuous leadership growth and members are honored for outstanding leadership in various campus life areas, including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cODK is a nationally recognized organization and the oldest leadership honors society in the United States,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is also an opportunity for discounts on things like insurance, travel, and other things. As we work to rebuild our circle, there will be other opportunities for service, personal and professional development, and connection within the community. We very much look forward to seeing what ODK can become at URI now that we have a staff member to grow the program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
###<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael Parente, director of communications and marketing in the URI Division of Student Affairs, wrote this news release.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With a new faculty advisor on board, URI’s ODK leadership hopes to build off this year’s momentum and continue growing in 2026 and beyond KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Jan. 8, 2026 \u2013\u00a0The University of Rhode Island\u2019s circle of the Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Leadership Honor Society inducted 21 new members in 2025, representing another year-over-year increase […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5297,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-3583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5297"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3583"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3584,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583\/revisions\/3584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/student-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}