Omicron Delta Epsilon

{{Short description|Honor society in economics}} {{Independent sources|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox Fraternity | name = Omicron Delta Epsilon | letters = {{lang|grc|ΟΔΕ}} | crest = Omicron_Delta_Epsilon_crest.png | image_size = 160px | founded = {{start date and age|1963|1|1}} | affiliation = ACHS | status = Active | birthplace = Harvard University and University of Wisconsin | type = Honor society | scope = International | member badge = 90px | affiliation2 = ASSA | emphasis = Economics | colors = {{color box|#4169E1}} Royal blue and {{color box|#D4AF37}} Gold | symbol = | publication = ''The American Economist'' | chapters = 550 active | members = 4,000 | lifetime = 200,000 | address = 19 South Summit Street, no. 9 | city = Fairhope | state = Alabama | ZIP code = 36533 | homepage = {{URL|http://www.omicrondeltaepsilon.org/}} | country = United States }} '''Omicron Delta Epsilon''' ('''{{lang|grc|ΟΔΕ}}''' or '''ODE''') is an international honor society in the field of economics, formed from the merger of Omicron Delta Gamma and Omicron Chi Epsilon in 1963. ODE is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. ODE has chartered more than 700 chapters worldwide. It publishes an academic journal ''The American Economist.''

== History ==

=== Predecessors === The first national honor society in economics, Omicron Delta Gamma, was formed on May 7, 1915, by the merger of Harvard University's Undergraduate Society of Economics with the University of Wisconsin's Order of Artus. Wisconsin's group was founded by Professor John R. Commons.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Omicron Delta Epsilon |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/economics/undergraduate/omicron.html |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Brandeis University |language=en}}</ref> Professor Frank W. Taussig founded the chapter at Harvard.<ref name=":1" /> The organization remained double named as the Omicron Delta Gamma and the Order of Artus through the merger.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=AklOAAAAMAAJ&q=%22order+of+artus%22+%22omicron+delta+gamma%22&dq=%22order+of+artus%22+%22omicron+delta+gamma Bulletin Creighton 1963]</ref>

Alan A. Brown was the founder and first president of Omicron Chi Epsilon in 1955, while a student at City College of New York.<ref name=":1" /> The first annual meeting of Omicron Chi Epsilon was held at Fordham University in New York City in the spring of 1958.

=== Omicron Delta Epsilon === Brown was the prime mover to facilitate a merger effective January 1, 1963 between Omicron Delta Gamma and Omicron Chi Epsilon, renamed Omicron Delta Epsilon – The National Honor Society in Economics.<ref name=Bairds17>{{Bairds17|pages=672-673}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=December 16, 2011 |title=Omicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society- Economics |url=http://www.achsnatl.org/society.asp?society=ode |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415032827/http://www.achsnatl.org/society.asp?society=ode |archive-date=2012-04-15 |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Association of College Honor Societies |via=web.archive.org}}</ref> Omicron Delta Gamma had strength in the Midwest and West, while Omicron Chi Epsilon had strength on the Eastern Seaboard and Texas. At the time of their merger, each had 28 active chapters.<ref>[https://omicrondeltaepsilon.org/history-of-ode/ history of ODE]</ref>

Omicron Delta Epsilon's purpose is to recognize academic achievement in economics and to increase connections between students and faculty of economics within and amongst colleges and university.<ref name=":0" />

Later, Brown replaced “National” with "International" in its non-Greek title and expanded the organization globally. The society's first president was Robert E. Hill of Kent State University.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Past Officers |url=https://www.omicrondeltaepsilon.org/pastofficers.html |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Omicron Delta Epsilon - The International Economics Honor Society}}</ref> Omicron Delta Epsilon joined the Association of College Honor Societies in 1965, had its membership lapse in 1973 and was readmitted in 1981.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":15">Gunther, William D. “[http://www.jstor.org/stable/43664745 The History of Omicron Delta Epsilon: The International Honor Society in Economics].” ''The American Economist,'' vol. 58, no. 2 (2013): 90-91. {{JSTOR|43664745}}</ref> By 2012, the society had 672 active chapters, 4,440 active members, and 89,500 initiates.<ref name=":0" />

Omicron Delta Epsilon has more than 200,000 total initiates.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chapters|url=https://omicrondeltaepsilon.org/chapters/|website=Omicron Delta Epsilon|access-date=2025-11-29}}</ref> A detailed history of ODE, written by the executive secretary-treasurer of the organization, William D. Gunther, was published in 2013 by ''The American Economist''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gunther |first1=William D |year=2013 |title=The History of Omicron Delta Epsilon: The International Honor Society in Economics |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/056943451305800202 |journal=The American Economist |volume=58 |issue=2 |pages=84–101 |doi=10.1177/056943451305800202 |s2cid=164412199|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Omicron Delta Epsilon's national headquarters is located in Fairhope, Alabama.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contact |url=https://www.omicrondeltaepsilon.org/contact.html |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Omicron Delta Epsilon - The International Economics Honor Society}}</ref> It is a member of the Allied Social Science Associations.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

== Symbols == The membership badge of Omicron Delta Epsilon is gold key, bearing the society's Greek letters, arranged diagonally.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} The society banner stands vertically, is blue in color, and contains its emblem like the membership pin.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} Members may wear royal blue and gold honor cords at graduation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Royal Blue and Gold Graduation Cords |url=https://www.honorcordsource.com/products/royal-blue-and-gold-graduation-cords?currency=USD&stkn=cc1ea74612a1&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhvK8BhDfARIsABsPy4iHQQlI6qdAX2_RikHhlNxD67DFtGo8VinH1eqJ-mpSfjoZpErMLUoaAjEKEALw_wcB |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Honor Cord Source |language=en}}</ref>

== Membership == New members consist of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as college and university faculty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Omicron Delta Epsilon {{!}} Economics Department |url=https://econ.unc.edu/undergraduate/omicron-delta-epsilon/ |access-date=2020-07-16 |website=econ.unc.edu}}</ref> Undergraduate members must have completed at least twelve hours of economics, with a B average in economics and overall, and rank in the upper third of their class.<ref name=":0" />

== Activities ==

Omicron Delta Epsilon's executive board officers are elected at a biennial convention.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Home|url=https://omicrondeltaepsilon.org/|website=Omicron Delta Epsilon|access-date=2025-11-29}}</ref> Conventions are held in conjunction with the annual convention of the American Economics Association, of which ODE is an institutional member.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} ODE sponsors student and faculty paper presentations held in conjunction with this annual convention.<ref name=":3" />

The academic journal of ODE is ''The American Economist'', published twice each year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The American Economist |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/home/aex |access-date=2020-07-16 |website=SAGE Journals |language=en}}</ref> It sponsors professional meetings and presents annual research awards, particularly the Frank W. Taussig Undergraduate Article Award.<ref name=":0" />

Every two years, ODE chooses an outstanding economist to speak at its biennial meeting and presents them with the John R. Commons Award in recognition of academic achievements and for service both to the economics profession and to Omicron Delta Epsilon.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Grimes|first=Paul W.|date=2014-09-22|title=The John R. Commons Award|url=https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-387651547/the-john-r-commons-award|journal=American Economist|volume=59|issue=2|pages=118|issn=0569-4345|archive-date=2020-07-16|access-date=2020-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716191642/https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-387651547/the-john-r-commons-award|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mankiw |first=N. Gregory |date=January 2020 |title=The Past and Future of Econ 101: The John R. Commons Award Lecture |url=http://www.nber.org/papers/w26702 |journal=The American Economist |series= |volume=66 |issue=1 |pages=9–17 |doi=10.3386/w26702 |s2cid=213085383 |via=National Bureau of Economic Research|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Chapters == {{Main|List of Omicron Delta Epsilon chapters}} As of 2024, Omicron Delta Epsilon Society has chartered 727 chapters in Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Kazakhstan, Mexico, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.omicrondeltaepsilon.org/aboutus.html |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Omicron Delta Epsilon - The International Honor Society for Economics}}</ref>

==Notable members== The following are some of the notable members of Omicron Delta Epsilon. * Scott Bales – former Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court * Thomas Borcherding – professor of economics at Claremont Graduate University * Alan A. Brown – professor of economics and founder of Omicron Chi Epsilon and Omicron Delta Epsilon<ref name=":1" /> * Barry Brucker – Mayor of Beverly Hills * Dave Casper – professional football player * Woody R. Clermont – lawyer and County Court Judge in Broward County, Florida * John R. Commons – institutional economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison; founder of Omicron Delta Gamma<ref name=":1" /> * Fred Fraenkel – investment professional and was a vice chair of Cowen Inc. * André-Philippe Futa – assistant professor at the National University of Zaire and politician in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Joey Issa – businessman * James M. Loree – president and chief executive officer of Stanley Black & Decker * Robert Lucas Jr. – economist at the University of Chicago who received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1995 * Roger C. Poole – United States Army general and academic * Scott J. Silverman – Circuit Court Judge, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida * Robert Solow – professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1987 * Michael Szenberg – professor emeritus and chairman of the Finance and Economics Department at Lubin School of Business in Pace University<ref name=":2" /> * F. W. Taussig – economics professor at Harvard University and chair of the United States Tariff Commission<ref name=":1" /> *Togba-Nah Tipoteh – founder and president of the Movement for Justice in Africa *Toshihisa Toyoda – Professor Emeritus at Kobe University and Hiroshima Shudo University

==References== {{Reflist}}{{Association of College Honor Societies}}

Category:Association of College Honor Societies Category:Honor societies Category:Student organizations established in 1955 Category:1955 establishments in New York City