The history of Omicron Delta Epsilon: the international honor society in economics.

Gunther, William D.

I. The Foundations Are Formed

The history of college honor societies is intimately connected to the history of college fraternities from which they evolved. The first college fraternity in the United States bearing a Greek-letter name was Phi Beta Kappa. It was founded on December 5, 1776 at the College of William and Mary "for social and literary purposes ..." (1).

Apparently the concept of a college "fraternity" was not widely accepted since it was another 36 years in 1812 before a second fraternity, Kappa Alpha, with similar objectives was founded. A third fraternity, Pi Beta Phi was founded in 1813, but it no longer exists. Even after almost a half-century had passed (1820s), Phi Beta Kappa only had five active chapters. The concept of college fraternities still had not yet gained much momentum. That soon changed however when another 28 fraternities were founded over the next half-century (1820-1870), including five in Virginia alone, the very backyard of Phi Beta Kappa. (2)

As academic specialties began to appear on college campuses, "honor" societies, based on a student's specialization, began to develop. The first such fraternity was Tan Beta Pi, an Engineering honor society founded in 1885. (3) A second discipline-based honor society soon followed in 1886 with the founding of Sigma Xi, honoring students in the field of Scientific Research. In 1897, Phi Kappa Phi was founded but it broadened its appeal by recognizing academic excellence in all fields. During the time of emerging discipline-based honor societies, Phi Beta Kappa, which had been founded much like a fraternity or debating club, was gradually evolving more toward an honor society and began to "... recognize and foster excellence in liberal learning at the undergraduate level." (4)

The development of honor societies of all types slowed to a trickle during the first decade of the 20th century, with only three new honor societies formed. However, the next two decades proved to be the golden age for honor societies with 15 new societies being founded between 1910 and 1919, and another 19 between 1920 and 1929. (5) It was during this period that an "economics society" was formed at the University of Wisconsin and would soon become an "honor" society.

The Founding of Artus (Omicron Delta Gamma) and John R. Commons

In 1913, a small group of students at the University of Wisconsin solicited the assistance of the Chairman of the Department of Economics (Professor Thomas Urdahl) in forming an "Economics Society." Their first meeting occurred on a Friday night, June 6, 1913. (6) At this meeting, a constitution was adopted, another eight members were "initiated," and the group voted to use the name "Order of Artus" for their organization. In the Preamble to the Constitution, it stated:

"We, the members of the Chapters of Artus, believing that a thorough understanding of the fundamental concepts of Economics on the part of of its citizens is an essential factor in the proper regulation of the affairs of a self-governing commonwealth; in order to secure a better economic intercourse through the education of the populace, to bring about a more perfect accord between the instructors and students in our institutions of higher learning and to derive the benefits flowing from the fraternal communion of a congenial group, do ordain and establish this constitution of the Order of Artus." (7)

It was obvious that Artus made the relationship between students and faculty an important vehicle for achieving its educational objectives.

At some point during the first two years, Artus also adopted the Greek-letter name of Omicron Delta Gamma for the organization. While there were elected officers of the Society (President, Secretary and Treasurer), "the presiding officer at each meeting alternated among the members of the Society in alphabetical order." (8)

It appears that nothing much occurred during the summer of 1913 with the development of Artus. In the fall, a second meeting of Artus occurred, and at that meeting members agreed to a schedule of bi-weekly meetings with presentations by faculty and local "prominent men" to be followed by "round table" discussions. This use of the term "round table" together with the name Artus (Arthur) hinted that this organization would draw on the legend of King Arthur (Artus).

A ritual was adopted in the spring of 1914 along with four new members initiated. That ritual, developed by Artus members John V. McCormich and Francis R. Vans, would significantly embrace the legend of King Arthur. (9) Early on, the organization of Artus was described as rather "loose" and there is no indication that during the first two meetings membership was in any way dependent on academic standards.

While early Artus records state that Professor Thomas Urdahl was involved with the initial formation of Artus, there is no further mention of his role with Artus. On the other hand, Wisconsin Professor John R. Commons played a significant role in the early organization and development of Artus. According to a pamphlet produced in 1930, "In each institution in which a chapter of Artus now exists the organization has benefitted from the devoted interest and service of faculty members, the names of some have been mentioned. To those should be added Professors John R. Commons and W. H. Kickhofer ..." (10) This pamphlet also reveals that John R. Commons was in fact the Grand Master of Artus (equivalent to "national president") at this time (1930).

At the time that Artus was being formed (1913), Professor John R. Commons had already established himself as a strong supporter of students of economics. He was known to directly involve his undergraduate and graduate students in doing research and allowed them to discover knowledge as a result of their efforts. Jack Barbash, writing on Common's induction in 1989 to the Labor Hall of Fame states "Although Commons might have been judged a failure as a public speaker, he was nevertheless a great teacher. He stirred students to think for themselves and find their own answers." (11)

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His popularity among students at the University of Wisconsin is clearly evidenced by the fact that in his first ten years on the faculty, Commons had already supervised no fewer than five dissertations. (12) By the time he retired in 1933, he had chaired or co-chaired a total of 44 dissertations, more than any other professor in the department. Urdahl, by comparison, left Wisconsin for Swarthmore University in 1918, did not supervise any dissertations during his nine years (1910-1918) on the Wisconsin faculty, and had a reputation of not getting along with faculty or students. (13)

The list of national officers in 1930 reveals that most were faculty members. In addition to Commons who was Grand Master of Artus, the Grand Master of the Round Table was S. L. Miller, who received his Ph.D. at Wisconsin in 1920. The Grand Master of the Rolls and Chancellor of the Exchequer was A. J. Altmeyer who received his Ph.D. from Wisconsin in 1931. Three Counselors were also faculty members: H. F. Boettler (Professor at Washington University), Ira B. Cross (professor at the University of California-Berkley), and William H. Kiekhofer (professor at the University of Wisconsin). Kiekhofer, Miller and Altmeyer all received their doctorates from the University of Wisconsin (14) while Cross received both a B.A. and M.A. from Wisconsin, and earned his Ph.D. at Stanford. (15) One can easily conclude that the University of Wisconsin was the mother of Artus, and sustained it during its adolescent years.

When Commons first arrived at Wisconsin, he began to meet with students on Friday nights for discussions of current economic issues, and for them to report on their own research experiences. These meetings and the students who attended them were known by Commons as his "Friday Niters." Regarding his "Friday Niters," Commons states that "... they have been meeting regularly, first at various restaurants, later at my home on Friday night, for a lap supper and two hours of talk. If they have done anything or are doing anything other than studying, they are called on to tell about it." (16)

It seems highly likely that the Friday night student meetings initiated by Commons served as meetings of the Order of Anus, although Commons himself makes no mention of Artus in his autobiography. Consider Commons' reflections on his assessment of his relationship with his students:

"To me the beauty I get is the sight of my students, beginning as raw youth, gradually developing, out of their own energy and pertinacity, into leaders, scientists, authors, professors, doing important work, whether for labor, capitalists, governments, or succeeding generations of students. I live in them." (17) John R. Commons was a dedicated professor, and he obviously was committed to the ideals on which the Order of Artus was founded.

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Harvard's "Undergraduate Society of Economics" and Frank W. Taussig

In 1914, while exploring the possibility of establishing new chapters of Artus at other universities, the Wisconsin students discovered that Harvard had a "flourishing Economics Club." (18) The Harvard club was founded by students in December of 1913, about six months after Artus was founded at Wisconsin. Faculty support for this club was mixed but Professor Frank W. Taussig, a well-known and respected economist at the time, was instrumental in this initial organization.

Taussig was a past president of the American Economic Association (1904-1905) and Editor of the prestigious Quarterly Review of Economics, and his support would have been an important signal that such activities were indeed valuable. Taussig received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1883, made full professor by 1892, was elected president of the American Economic Association in 1904-05, and wrote his two-volume Principles of Economics in 1911. Gottfried Haberler, a noted economist in his own right, stated that:

"Through his numerous students and disciples and through his Principles of Economics, the leading economic text for a long time, Taussig had a stronger influence than any other American economist of his time on several generations ..." (19)

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No records have been found to indicate the degree of involvement Taussig had with the Economics Club at Harvard following its inception, but his initial endorsement was probably the major reason that it existed at all.

From the beginning, there was some controversy at Harvard over the requirements for membership in the Economics Club, with some supporters favoring an "open" club while others preferred a more selective process for members. When they failed to agree on a common approach, the Harvard club split into two clubs with one group adopting an "honor society" format while the other group adopted an open club format.

For reasons unclear, the honor society group failed, leaving the Undergraduate Society of Economics to continue. (20)

Given the controversy regarding the "selective" or "elitist" nature of honor societies at Harvard it is ironic that on May 7, 1915 Harvard's Undergraduate Society of Economics agreed to merge with the Economics Society of Wisconsin to form the "National Order of Artus" (Omicron Delta Gamma), an honor society! (21) The use of the term "National' in the title of the organization was most likely used to differentiate this new organization from the Wisconsin chapter of Artus founded in 1913.

The First Merger: The National Order of Artus

One of the first steps in the establishment of any new organization is the drafting of a constitution. A complete copy of the Constitution for Artus has not been located but it seems likely that at least a beginning of one had been established at Wisconsin before the merger. A portion of the Constitution, the Preamble, was contained in a report dated 1922. This Preamble was to be memorized by pledges:

   We, the members of the Chapters of Artus,
   believing that a thorough understanding of
   the fundamental concepts of Economics on
   the part of its citizens in an essential factor in
   the proper regulation of the affairs of a self
   governing commonwealth; in order to secure
   a better economic intercourse through the education
   of the populace, to bring about a more
   perfect accord between the instructors and
   students in our institutions of higher learning
   and to derive the benefits flowing from the
   fraternal communion of a congenial group, to
   ordain and establish this constitution of the
   order of Artus." (22)

Organizationally, the "supreme" or national governing body consisted of the Grand Chapter of Artus, which included the Grand Triangle: Grand Master of the Round Table, Grand Master of the Rolls, and Grand Chancellor of the Exchequer. At the chapter level, a similar organizational structure existed with the Triangle (Master of the Round Table, Master of the Rolls, and a Chancellor of the Exchequer). At both the "supreme" and local or chapter level, there were also elected Grand Counsellors. (23)

The degree to which Artus aligned itself with the legend of King Arthur is clearly evident, not only in the names of these offices, but more directly in the pledging ceremony. Here is the statement prepared by the Master of the Round Table at Beloit College in 1925:

"The Master of the Round Table was Professor L. V. Ballard, and he states that "Artus is the historical remnant of a very ancient and venerable order. The local unit of this order has unanimously elected you to membership in this descendent of King Author's Knights of the Round Table."

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At the time that the National Order of Artus was established in 1915, the organization adopted a new criteria for membership: "... attainment in the field of major interest." (24) The ritual adopted by this group also drew on names and concepts from the legend of King Arthur (Artus). Candidates were sworn to "eternal secrecy" before the ritual began. There were three altars used in the ritual: the altar of production, the altar of valuation, and the altar of distribution, all of which were placed on a "round table." After a series of explanations regarding each of these alters, the "Master of the Round Table" would address the members and relate the story of King Author:

"Brothers, our fraternity is patterned after the Artus-hoffen of the medieval German cities. These societies were commercial city societies. The members were the rich merchants and public spirited men of the cities. The societies met frequently to deliberate on the economic and commercial welfare of the city. At the meeting there was a small image of St. George slaying the dragon on the table. St. George was the patron saint of the society. This society was a branch of the Knights of the Round Table". (25)

The story continued with an injured King Arthur asking a Knight to toss his bejeweled sword, the "Excalibur," into the sea. Twice reluctant to dispose of such a beautiful sword and being admonished by the King, the Knight threw the sword into the sea as far as he could on the third attempt. At that point the legend continues, "And an arm and a hand came above the water and caught the sword and brandished it thrice and then the sword with the hand vanished into the water." (26) The symbolism that this contained for Artus was that the "old order changeth, making way for new". The society's Key depicts this part of the King Arthur story by illustrating an arm holding a sword coming out of the sea. The pledge ceremony ended with the members exchanging the society's grip with the new members. The precise nature of the grip is not described in the ritual statement and today its form is unknown.

Growth of the new National Order of Artus was initially very slow. One chapter was added later in 1915 (Washington University), another in 1916 (Denver University), and another in 1917 (University of Iowa). World War I put the growth of Artus on hold and no additional chapters were added until 1921 when Vanderbilt (Tennessee) and the University of California (Berkeley) were added to the rolls. Beloit College (Wisconsin) was added in 1922 and DePaul University (Illinois) was added in 1927. (27) By 1930, there were still only eight active chapters of Artus with the Harvard chapter disappearing due to "local conditions". (28) One assumes that "local conditions" referred to a continuing tension between the "exclusiveness" of an honor society and the desire for the openness of an economics club.

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Between 1930 and 1962, little is known about the growth of Artus. However we do know that of the eight active chapters that existed in 1930, only two (Washington University and the University of Iowa) survived as active chapters to 1962. (29) An additional five chapters were added in the 1930s, two in the 1940s, 16 in the 1950s and three in the 1960s. A total of 28 active chapters existed as of December 31, 1962. Reflecting the geographic focus of Artus, 60.7 percent of active chapters in 1962 were in the West or Midwest. Another 21 percent were in the South (five) with 21.4 percent (six) in the Northeast. As of December 31, 1962 Artus had a total of 28 "active" chapters. Not included in the list was either the founding chapter at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) or the Harvard chapter.

II. The Creation of a New Society: Alan A. Brown and Omicron Chi Epsilon

The Order of Artus was largely, though not exclusively, focused on the Midwest and West (none of eight active chapters in 1930 were on the East Coast). It is possible that this apparent regionalism of Artus led to the movement to create a new economics honor society on the east coast in December of 1955. This movement was initiated by Alan A. Brown, an undergraduate student at the City College of New York. (30) The Alpha Chapter was formed in January of 1956 with Manhattan College joining later in the same year. Three more chapters were formed in 1957, all of them in the New York metropolitan area.

Growth then proceeded at a modest pace with five chapters added in 1958, including a chapter at Harvard. Harvard's presence on the list is a little strange given their initial reluctance to be associated with the "elitist" nature of honor societies and the fact that they dropped out of Artus sometime before 1930. Alan A. Brown was by 1958 a graduate student at Harvard and most probably was instrumental in bringing Harvard "into the fold."

An additional five chapters were added in 1959, with two of them located outside of the East Coast (the University of Texas and the University of Houston). The next year (1960) saw two more chapters added, both from the East Coast. The year 1961 was the most active year in the life of Omicron Chi Epsilon with seven new chapters added, four of which included schools from outside the east coast (Southern Methodist, University of Oklahoma, Tulane University and West Virginia's Bethany College). Four more chapters were added in 1962, the last year of existence for Omicron Chi Epsilon. These chapters were at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Illinois' Bradley University, Tennessee's Fisk University and Texas' St. Mary's University. By the end of 1962, Omicron Chi Epsilon consisted of 28 chapters, the same number as Artus, with 10 of them outside of the East Coast. (31)

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It appears that officers of Omicron Chi Epsilon, notably Alan A. Brown, initiated the contact with the National Order of Artus (Omicron Delta Gamma) regarding the possibility of a merger. (32) Whether by design or accident, these two societies tended to operate in distinct geographic markets with only one duplication: New York University. Artus chartered a chapter at NYU in 1952 while Omicron Chi Epsilon chartered a chapter in 1960. Both societies apparently saw advantages to a merger and in late 1962, both groups voted to effect the merger as of January 1, 1963. (33)

III. The Second Merger and the Creation of Omicron Delta Epsilon

During the merger discussions, the officers of both Omicron Chi Epsilon and the National Order of Artus agreed to use the Constitution of Omicron Chi Epsilon as a starting point for the new society. At that point, any "ritual" associated with initiation to the honor society was dropped. Since a copy of the Artus constitution had not been located, it was difficult to know exactly what, if any, portions of the Artus constitution survived into the new society. We know, however, that changes agreed to by both societies included the creation of a Board of Trustees, and the separation of the Secretary-Treasurer office into two positions: Executive-Secretary and Treasurer. (34)

A feature of the merger, which some have suggested contributed to the initial success of the new society, was naming individuals from both existing societies to the new Executive Committee. The Executive Committee included the elective positions of Chairman of the Board, President, Executive-Secretary and Treasurer. It was agreed by both societies to begin with a slate of appointed officers and to hold elections within one year (January 1, 1964).

The appointed Chairman of the Board of the new society would be Alan A. Brown, founder of Omicron Chi Epsilon. (At the time of the merger, Brown was a doctoral student at Harvard.) The President would be Dr. Robert Hill, Dean of the College of Business at Kent State University and faculty advisor to the Artus chapter at Kent State. The Executive-Secretary would be David Barkin, a graduate student at Yale and member of Omicron Chi Epsilon. The Treasurer would be would be Dr. E. Bryant Phillips from the University of Southern California and a member of the Artus chapter at USC. Officers drawn from Artus were faculty members while officers drawn from Omicron Chi Epsilon were graduate students. This same slate of officers was elected by the members in the fall of 1963 for terms of two years beginning 1964.

While no formal agreement can be located, it appears that existing chapters became ODE chapters and existing faculty advisors continued their role in the new society.

The name of the new society would draw from the Greek-letter names of the existing societies: Omicron from both groups, Delta from Omicron Delta Gamma (Artus) and Epsilon from Omicron Chi Epsilon. As of January 1, 1963, both Omicron Chi Epsilon and the National Order of Artus (Omicron Delta Gamma) ceased to exist.

At the time of the merger, both the National Order of Artus and Omicron Chi Epsilon had an equal number of chapters (28). However, since each had a chapter at New York University, Omicron Delta Epsilon began its life with a total of 57 chapters. These chapters represented a total of 25 different states at the time of the merger. Perhaps because of the greater visibility of the larger society, chapter growth was almost instantaneous. In the first year of existence, Omicron Delta Epsilon added a total of 15 new chapters (a 26 percent increase) bringing the new total to 72 chapters in 31 different states. (35)

Growth continued for the new society, and by 1969, chapter strength had risen to a total of 177 chapters. (36) Growth in the number of new chapters continued for the next several decades although at a slower rate (Figure 2). By the end of 2012, a total of 672 chapters had been established ranking ODE as one of the largest honor societies in the Association of College Honor Societies. (37) By all accounts, the merger of Artus and Omicron Chi Epsilon had been a remarkable success.

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International Chapters

Six months after the merger, President Robert Hill spoke glowingly of the rapid growth of chapters, citing 15 new chapters during that period. He further noted that "... I can report with pride that we expect to become international in character during the current year as a result of installations of chapters in one or more nations of the Western Hemisphere. Furthermore, expansion to the continent of Europe also seem imminent within the near future." (38)

President Hill's predictions were indeed true and at one point there were active chapters in Australia (3), Canada (4), Egypt (1), France (1), Kazakhstan (1), Mexico (2), Scotland (1), South Africa (3) and the United Arab Emirates (1). This international expansion led to the creation of an "International Advisory Board," initially chaired by Professor Egon Neuberger from State University of New York at Stony Brook.

As proud as President Hill was of the internationalization effort, the fact was that at its peak, the total of 17 international chapters represented only about 2.5 percent of all chapters, and less than that in terms of annual membership.

Most of these international chapters were the result of personal relationships or contacts with officers of Omicron Delta Epsilon. However, the lack of interest in the concept of "honor societies" among international students resulted in chapters not being sustainable. Today, only two of the 17 international chapters remain active (United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan).

The use of a separate "international Advisory Board" was abandoned by the International Executive Board and the question of international chapters is handled by the Board of Trustees and Executive Board.

This experience is not unlike that of other honor societies. The difficulties of "internationalizing" honor societies has been discussed over the years at annual meetings of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS). While interest in increasing the number of foreign chapters remains among many honor societies, including ODE, it does not appear likely that it will be a significant source of honor society growth in the foreseeable future.

Past Presidents and their Links to Pre-Merger Societies

Since the merger in 1963, there have been 20 different presidents representing 12 different states and two different countries (U.S. and Canada). Three different presidents have come from each of three states (California, Ohio and New York), and two different presidents from Virginia. Using U.S. Census Bureau definitions, the distribution of U.S. past-presidents by geographic regions is as follows: Northeast (3), South (7), Midwest (5), and West (4). (39) Only three presidents however, have come from the ranks of either the National Order of Artus or Omicron Chi Epsilon.

The first president of ODE (1963-1965) was Robert E. Hill, Dean of the College of Business at Kent State University. He was the Faculty Advisor of the Kent State Chapter of the Order of Artus, a chapter which was only installed in 1962!

Professor Ervin K. Zingier (University of Houston) was the second president of ODE and he was a faculty advisor for the Houston Chapter of Omicron Chi Epsilon. In 1963, he became a member of the Board of Trustees, and President in 1965. He served six years (three two-year terms) as President. Professor E. Bryant Phillips (University of Southern California), was the third president of ODE, and was affiliated with the USC chapter of Artus before the merger. It is not clear from the records if he was the faculty advisor.

Alan A. Brown was at the University of Southern California at the time of the merger, and became Chairman of the Board of Trustees in 1963. Later when he was at the University of Windsor in Canada, he became the seventh president of ODE (1982-1983).

Professor Alex Kondonassis, University of Oklahoma became the eleventh president of ODE (1990-1991). Before the merger, he was the faculty advisor of the Omicron Chi Epsilon chapter at the University of Oklahoma.

It is not believed that any other national president or other national officer had any prior affiliation with either Artus or Omicron Chi Epsilon.

The Evolution of the Society's Journal: The American Economist

One of the distinctive characteristics of Omicron Delta Epsilon is the publishing of an academic journal, The American Economist. The origins of this journal began with Omicron Chi Epsilon in 1956 when the first issue of the Journal of Omicron Chi Epsilon was published. Based on the earliest issued located (Vol. II, No. 1), the first volume was 8 inches by 5 3/8 inches, was a pale green in color, and was developed to provide a publishing outlet for student members.

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In just two years, both the size (10 7/8 inches by 6 7/8 inches) color (soft peach) had changed, but the name remained the Journal of Omicron Chi Epsilon.

Just prior to the merger, Omicron Chi Epsilon changed the name of the journal to the current name, The American Economist. The size again changed to 7 1/2 inches x 10 3/4 inches, and the color became soft red. Speculation suggests that the adoption of red as the color could be related to the fact that the premier journal in economics, The American Economic Review, was, and still is, also red in color. One final change occurred in 1997 when the journal was reduced slightly in size to 7 inches x 10 inches, and the color became bright red. The color and size have remained the same since that time.

As of the date of the merger (1963), the Journal began to publish a list all of the chapters along with the names of the Faculty Advisors and Chapter Presidents. Today, only the names of the Chapters and their faculty advisors are printed, and only in the Spring issue.

An additional feature launched with the first issue was the inclusion of topical reading lists from prominent professors at leading graduate programs. These lists became very popular among students who were studying for qualifying exams at their respective universities. Certainly, these lists also provided insights to professors at other universities on what was being taught elsewhere. The December 1962 issue, for example, contained reading lists in "Price Theory" from Professors Jacob Mincer (Columbia), Wassily Leontief (Harvard), William Baumol (Princeton) and William Fellner/James Tobin (Yale).

The first editor of The American Economist was Geza de Feketekuty who was a Ph.D. student at Princeton at the time. He served from 1963-1965. Professor Daniel E. Diamond from New York University served as editor during the period of 1966-1967. Professor John D. Guilfoil, also of New York University then served from 1968 to 1974. Thus, the editorship changed hands three times in a little more than one decade.

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In 1974, Professor Michael Szenberg, then at Long Island University, became the journal's editor and brought stability to the position. By 1983, Professor Szenberg relocated to Pace University in New York City, which became the journal's home for the next three decades. Professor Szenberg served as editor-in-chief of The American Economist for a total of 37 years--a longevity record unlikely to be broken.

During Professor Szenberg's time at the helm, the journal would see two format changes: the elimination of the reading lists (1982) and the slight reduction in size (1997) noted earlier. Both changes were made, according to Dr. Szenberg, in order to achieve cost savings and to keep the subscription rates at relatively low levels. Perhaps most importantly, Editor Szenberg consistently published an eclectic array of interesting articles from virtually every school of thought and subfield within the discipline. His editorial discretion raised the academic profile of The American Economist through the publication of articles written by leading economists, including several past and future Nobel laureates.

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In the Fall of 2011, Professor Paul W. Grimes, then at Mississippi State University, succeeded Professor Szenberg as editor. The following year, Professor Grimes and the journal relocated to Pittsburg State University in Kansas where the journal is housed today.

The American Economist is now a widely recognized academic journal with a subscription list of approximately 6,500 readers. The journal is widely indexed and is one of the economics titles selected for inclusion in the prestigious electronic JSTOR archive.

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The Society's Key

The Key for Omicron Chi Epsilon was a very simple design consisting of a grid with a positively sloping trend line. Three Greek letters, O, X, E were placed on the Key signifying Omicron Chi Epsilon. The Artus key, as noted earlier, contained the arm and sword coming out of the water. On the reverse, large Greek letters for Omicron Delta Gamma, the Greek name for Artus, were shown along with the member's first initial and last name. Since the merger eliminated all references to the legend of King Arthur, the Artus key contained little that could be carried over into the new society.

The design of the Key for Omicron Delta Epsilon relied primarily on the key from Omicron Chi Epsilon. The grid and trend lines were dropped to produce a plain background with the letters O, D and E placed diagonally from left to right. The words "Honor Society" are placed across the top with "Economics" placed across the bottom. Normally, the student's initials, along with the university's initials and date of initiation are inscribed on the back.

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The Central Office

Like any membership organization, there are certain important services that must be efficiently provided if the organization is to grow. In the early years, both Artus and Omicron Chi Epsilon were able to provide these services with volunteer members. However after the merger things would soon require a new approach.

When the merger occurred, Professor E. Bryant Phillips of the University of Southern California became the Executive Secretary-Treasurer. He was assisted in his duties by his wife, "Vi" Phillips. Together they maintained the mailing list for the American Economist, and processed all new member applications and issued certificates. As an interesting antidote of the times, their "mailing list" for the journal consisted of a box of 3 inch x 5 inch cards, one for each member, and each containing two labels for the two complementary issue of the journal that was (and still is) part of membership.

When there were no more labels, it was time to issue an invoice to renew their subscription! When E. Bryant Phillips was elected President in 1972, the Central Office duties were assumed by Alan Brown, who was at the University of Windsor, Canada. By this time, the duties of the Central Office had grown significantly, and now required almost two full-time paid staff to meet peak demands. However, even with two paid staff members the administrative and financial difficulties associated with a Central Office in a country different from where most members resided became a significant burden. Within four years the Board began to seek a new location.

In the fall of 1976, the Central Office in Canada began the process of transferring records to Professor William Gunther at the University of Alabama as he assumed the position of Executive Secretary-Treasurer. One of the first tasks faced by the new office was finding a way to process an ever growing number of membership applications in an efficient way within a very limited budget.

The solution was to begin to automate the membership application process as much as possible and with the development of lower priced computers at the time, that solution was becoming affordable. This transformation was made possible by the assistance provided by Professor Gunther's wife, Irene, who was a computer science instructor at the University of Alabama. As a result of this shift to technology, the Central Office was able to operate with a staff of only one fulltime person.

After 22 years at the University of Alabama, the Central Office moved in 1998 to the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) when Professor Gunther accepted a position there as Dean. The office remained at USM until 2009 when it moved to its current location at the University of Houston-Victoria with Professor Farhang Niroomand as Executive Secretary-Treasurer.

The John R. Commons, Irving Fisher and Frank W. Taussig Awards

In 1967, the Executive Board of ODE asked Professor Egon Neuberger, State University of New York at Stony Brook, to develop two different competitions for student members: one for undergraduate students (Taussig) and one for graduate students (Fisher). Initially, the winners of the undergraduate competitions would have their submission submitted for publication in The American Economist, while graduate submissions would be published as monographs by a commercial publisher. The initial titles of these competitions were the "Irving Fisher Graduate Monograph Award" and the "Frank W. Tausig Undergraduate Article Award." In more recent years, the Fisher competition has become an article completion, rather than monograph.

The earliest recorded suggestions for naming these awards appears in a letter dated September 6, 1967 from Ervin Zingler, then President of ODE to Egon Neuberger. (40) Zinger refers to an item on the agenda for the 1967 Board of Trustees meeting and says "... it would be my suggestion that either John R. Commons or Frank Taussig, our two patron saints, should have the prize named after them." At this point, it appears he is referring to naming both the undergraduate and graduate competitions after the same person.

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In a letter dated November 24, 1967, Zingler states "As to the economist to honor, presumably no one objects to Irving Fisher, or we could use his name on one series and Taussig or someone else for the undergraduate series." (41) When the Executive Board met in December of that year, they approved Zingler's recommendations that the graduate monograph award be named after Irving Fisher, and the undergraduate article award be named for Frank W. Taussig.

While it is clear that both Taussig and Commons played important roles in the early development of what was to eventually become ODE, evidence of Fisher's role is less clear. However, Fisher was widely recognized as having written, according to Paul Samuelson, "the greatest dissertation ever written." (42) Since the Monograph competition was indeed expected to be submissions of dissertation work, it is very possible that the suggestion of Fisher's name to be attached to the award came from Paul Samuelson, who was a member of the first final selection board for the prize.

The deadline each year for submissions to the undergraduate and graduate competition is August 1. At that point, the International Executive Board of ODE will determine if entries are of sufficient quality to be submitted to a "Fisher/Taussig Selection Board." The first selection board was put together by Egon Neuberger, with the assistance of Ervin Zingier, and consisted of Kenneth Arrow, Milton Friedman, Paul Samuelson and Kenneth Boulding. Three of these four men were current or past presidents of the American Economic Association (Boulding, Friedman and Samuelson), a testimony to the support ODE was receiving from the economics profession. Three of these individuals would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Economic Science (Samuelson, 1970; Arrow, 1972; and Friedman, 1976).

In 1965, ODE initiated the John R. Commons Award in memory of one of the early "founders" and supporters of the Order of Artus/Omicron Delta Epsilon. This award is presented biennially "... to an outstanding economist in recognition of achievements and for service both to the economics profession and to Omicron Delta Epsilon." (43) There have been a total of 25 awards made since 1963.

Of the total of 25 Commons recipients, seven Commons winners also received the Nobel Prize in Economic Science. Four of the seven Nobel winners (Gary Becker, Milton Friedman, Douglas North and Robert Solow) received the Commons award before being named Nobel winners. A complete list of Commons winners can be found on the ODE webpage.

Winners of the John R. Commons award are expected to present an original paper at the biennial convention of ODE, held in connection with the ASSA/AEA meetings. Their presentation is then published in The American Economist.

Distinguished Officers in the Last Fifty Years

Since 1963, there have been many dedicated volunteers who have served ODE with distinction, thus singling out a few for special mention is a very difficult task. The individuals listed here however are distinguished not only by the breadth of their service, but by the length of their service.

National officers of ODE are typically elected following a relatively long association with ODE as faculty advisors, Vice-Presidents and/or committee chairs. Elected offices are for a two year term. The Executive Secretary-Treasurer and Editor of the American Economist are appointed by the Executive Board. This unofficial process of moving individuals up through the organization produces officers who typically have significant experience with the issues facing ODE. Presidents, for example, typically serve two-years as President-Elect first, and typically have served other positions before President-Elect. Individuals holding the President-Elect position must still be elected to the position of President. This process usually results in a minimum service of 6 years but many serve much longer.

Ervin K. Zingier, second president of ODE, served three consecutive terms as President after initially serving as a member of the Board of Trustees. In addition, he would have served another four years on the Board of Trustees for a total of 12 years, not counting his time as a faculty advisor at the University of Houston.

E. Bryant Phillips, third president, served as the society's first Executive Secretary-Treasurer for eight years before becoming national president in 1972. With his service on the Board of Trustees after his presidency, he served a total of 14 years.

Charles F. Phillips, Jr. of Washington and Lee University served as the society's 5th and 6th president, as well as the 16th president. He is tied with Ervin K. Zingler in serving three terms as president. Phillips, however, also served in every other position within ODE except for Executive Secretary-Treasurer over his 41 years of service to ODE. For his service, the Board of Trustees named Phillips President Emeritus in 2007. (44)

Professor Alan A. Brown, University of Windsor, founder of Omicron Chi Epsilon and by all accounts the force behind the merger that created Omicron Delta Epsilon, served as the 7th President of ODE. In addition, he served as Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chair of the International Advisory Board, Executive Secretary Treasurer, and member of the Board of Trustees member during his 41 years of service to ODE. (45)

Professor Egon Neuberger, State University of New York at Stony Brook, was involved almost from the beginning with ODE. His association began with Alan Brown, who were both graduates of Harvard. When Alan Brown was preparing to move to the University of Southern California in 1963, a mutual friend suggested he contact Egon Neuberger, who was working for the Rand Corporation at the time. Alan Brown must have recruited Egon Neuberger to the growing number of faculty devoted to growing this newly formed honor society.

We know that as early as 1966, Neuberger, who by that time had joined the faculty at SUNY-Stony Brook, began working diligently to create the Fisher and Taussig awards and to assemble a prestigious group of economists to serve as reviewers. He then served as Chairman of these competitions for many years. He also created and served as Chair of the International Advisory Board, an effort to involve economists from outside the U.S in the affairs of ODE. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for many years as well. His service to ODE exceeded 30 years

Professor Michael Szenberg, currently at Pace University, served as Editor of The American Economist from 1973 to 2011 (38 years). He was the 1971 winner of ODE's Irving Fisher Monograph Award. In 2012 the Board of Trustees created the "Michael Szenberg Best Annual Article" for published work in The American Economist. Professor Szenberg was recently named the John R. Commons Award winner for 2013 and was named Editor Emeritus of The American Economist.

Professor William Gunther, University of Alabama served first as Vice-President for Regional Coordination (1972-1976) and then as Executive Secretary-Treasurer from 1977 to 2007, or a total of 35 years. Professor Gunther was named Executive Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus for his many years of service.

The stability that these individuals provided to ODE over the years was an important part of the success ODE enjoyed as a respected honor society not only by the economics profession, but among the group of specialized honor societies in the United States.

External Validations: The Association of College Honor Societies

The rapid rise of the numbers and types of honor societies in the early 20th century often resulted in some duplication as well as wide variations in the standards for admission. Responding to the need for some form of standardization, six existing honor societies (Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Omega Alpha, and Order of the Coif) agreed to meet in October 1925 to discuss this issue. These discussions led to the creation of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) in December of 1926. Charter membership was limited to the six initial societies. (46)

The organizers struggled with creating a constitution, and developing definitions and standards for honor society membership. Growth in ACHS was initially slow as the organization developed and refined definitions for society membership. By 1938, there were still only 10 honor societies that were members of ACHS. However, by 1963 there were over 50 honor societies with membership in ACHS. In 2012, membership stands at 66 societies.

At no point between 1826 and 1963 did either the National Order of Artus (Omicron Delta Gamma) or Omicron Delta Epsilon become a member of ACHS.

Either in late 1964 or early 1965, the officers of ODE, under the leadership of Dean Robert Hill, understood that it was important to join the family of recognized and respected honor societies. In 1965 after reviewing ODE's admission standards, constitution and bylaws, the Society was admitted to ACHS. For reasons that are unclear today, membership was allowed to lapse in 1973. This time period would coincide with the relocation of the Central Office from the University of Southern California to University of Windsor (Canada). The disruption caused by this move probably resulted in correspondence between ACHS and the Central Office being misplaced. There is no record of dissatisfaction with ACHS or its policies in the ODE records.

In 1981, ODE requested permission to return to ACHS and was granted full membership once again. Since that time, ODE has been a full member and supporter of the guidelines for honor societies established by the Association of College Honor Societies.

External Validations: Cooperation with ASSA/AEA

To provide additional services to members of ODE, negotiations with the Allied Social Sciences Association/American Economic Association (ASSA/ AEA) resulted in ODE becoming a member of the Association in 1967. (47) The ASSA is a group of more than 50 different organizations that are recognized by the American Economic Association as having a direct connection to economics. Many of the members of the ASSA are specialty areas within economics (e.g., the Econometric Society and the Economic History Association).

As part of membership in the ASSA, ODE was initially granted one graduate student session at the annual ASSA meetings for presentation of research papers. These sessions were jointly sponsored by the American Economic Association (noted on the program as "AEA/ODE"). The President-Elect of ODE was typically responsible for soliciting papers and managing the session. Student participants are required to be members of ODE, with three students selected as presenters, and three students selected as discussants. Travel reimbursement of up to $500 per student is now provided, although in the early days of the program students were expected to cover their own expenses.

Sometime later, ASSA/AEA granted ODE a second session which was dedicated to Faculty Advisors. Three or four presenters are selected from submissions as well as three or four discussants. Currently, faculty advisors are eligible for a travel reimbursement of up to $1,000 to attend the meetings.

Presenting papers at national meetings provides an important professional opportunity for both faculty advisors and graduate students. Students are able to exhibit not only their research skills, but their teaching stills as well to prospective employers at these annual meetings. The year 2012 marked the 46th anniversary of ODE participation with the ASSA/AEA. In the past, student sessions have also been held at a variety of regional economic associations including the Southern Economic Association, the Western Economic Association and the Midwest Economic Association.

The Future

Membership in specialized honor societies like Omicron Delta Epsilon is significantly affected by the dedication of the faculty advisor, the popularity of the major, and by overall college enrollment. Of these three factors, the role of the faculty advisor is paramount, and is more likely to sustain a chapter over the long run than any other single factor. ODE has been extremely fortunate over the years to attract a group of faculty advisors who have been dedicated to the success of their students and to the role of ODE in their development. It is from this group that ODE has always drawn its future officers.

Demographic swings and the relative popularity of economics as a major are important factors in the future of ODE, but they are not as immediate in their impact as the role of the faculty advisor. With a strong cadre of faculty advisors, ODE is well positioned to continue to play an important role in the intellectual development of students of economics.

Notes

(1.) Jack L. Anson and Robert F. Marchesani, Jr., Editors, Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (Indianapolis: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc., 1991). pp. 1-10.

(2.) Ibid., pp. I-10-I-12.

(3.) Ibid., p. I-20.

(4.) Ibid., p. VI-129.

(5.) Societies and dates of founding are from a listing of members of the Association of College Honor Societies in Anson, Ibid, pp. VI-1-VI-116 A total of 57 honor societies are listed in this source along with an additional 14 "other" honor societies who are not members of ACHS.

(6.) Maurice J. Kopelwitz, "Report of the Grand Master of the Rolls," 1st Biennial Conference, Madison, Wis., May 13, 1922 (Typewritten), p.1.

(7.) Ibid., p. 4.

(8.) Ibid., p. 1.

(9.) John V. McCormich (Grand Master of the Roundtable) in collaboration with Francis H. Evans (Grand Chancellor of the Exchequer), "Ritual of the Order of Artus," 1916. (Typed copy).

(10.) The Order of Artus (Omicron Delta Gamma), History and Purpose, Issued by The Grand Chapter of Artus, December 1930. This printed document was apparently given to prospects for membership. No author is identified.

(11.) Jack Barbash, "John R. Commons: Pioneer of Labor Economics," Monthly Labor Review, May 1989, pp. 47.

(12.) Robert J. Lampman, Economists at Wisconsin: 1892-1992 (Madison: Department of Economics, 1993), pp. 306-309.

(13.) Urdahl left the University of Wisconsin in 1918 and joined the faculty at Swarthmore. He reportedly had "interpersonal skill" problems and even John R. Commons reported that Urdahl "bitter towards certain individuals ..." It seems unlikely that he would have of been much assistance to students in developing Artus after the initial meeting. After seven years at Swarthmore, he was fired in part because of the inability to get along with faculty and students. See Joshua Hausman, "One Hundred Years of Economics at Swarthmore," at www.swarthmore.edu/documents/academics/economics/econhistory.pdf.

(14.) Robert J. Lampman, pp. 261-264.

(15.) Ira B. Cross, Biographical History. See Social Networks and Archival Context Project, http://socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu.

(16.) John R. Commons, Myself (Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1963). p. 5. (First published by the McMillian Company, 1934.)

(17.) Ibid, p. 4.

(18.) Maurice J. Kopelwitz, p.2

(19.) Gottfried Haberler, "Supplementary Bibliography of Frank W. Taussig," International Ency clopedia of the Social Sciences, 1968. Online at www.encyclopedia.com.

(20.) Maurice J. Kopelwitz, p. 2.

(21.) Ibid., p. 4.

(22.) Ibid., p. 4.

(23.) Ibid., p. 1.

(24.) Ibid., p. 1.

(25.) John V. McCormich and Frances H. Evans, "Ritual of the Order of Artus, November 1916." Typewritten copy. (Records suggest the ritual was adopted in the early Spring of 1914 but not put into print until 1916. See "A History of Artus," op. cit., p. 1)

(26.) John V. McCormich, p7.

(27.) In 2005, Alan A. Brown provided the author with detailed information on the merger of Omicron Chi Epsilon and the National Order of Artus. Letter dated April 11, 2005.

(28.) The Order of Artus (Omicron Delta Gamma), History and Purpose, p 3.

(29.) Alan Brown, "Report of the National President," Journal of Omicron Chi Epsilon, Vol. II, No. 1, May 1959, p. 36.

(30.) Ibid.

(31.) Alan Brown's letter to author, April 11, 2005.

(32.) Joe Humphrey, "Alan Brown and the Origins of Omicron Delta Epsilon--A Remembrance," The American Economist, Vol. 55, No. 2, Fall, 2010, p. 4.

(33.) Alan Brown, April 11, 2005.

(34.) Interestingly, years later the two positions were again combined to create the office of Executive Secretary-reasurer.

(35.) Alan Brown, April 11, 2005.

(36.) Data on Chapter Growth provided by the Central Office, Omicron Delta Epsilon.

(37.) Association of College Honor Societies, www.achsnatl.org. Data compiled from information reported on that site.

(38.) See President's Report, Journal of Omicron Delta Epsilon, Vol. VII, No. 1, June 1963, p. 82.

(39.) Data on past presidents from www.omicrondeltaepsilon.org.

(40.) Central Office, Omicron Delta Epsilon, Correspondence of Egon Neurberger.

(41.) Ibid.

(42.) "Commorating Irving Fisher," 50th Anniversary of Fisber's Death, Istanbul, Turkey, August 20, 1997. www.ifcommittee.org

(43.) www.omicrondeltaepsilon.org.

(44.) Professor Phillips passed away in 2012 and a tribute to Phillips with details of his service to ODE appeared in the Spring 2013 issue of The American Economist.

(45.) Professor Brown passed away in 2008 and a tribute to Alan Brown and his service appeared in the Fall 2010 issue of The American Economist.

(46.) Maurice L. Moore, "Historical Information," Association of College Honor Societies, www.achsnatl.org.

(47.) As of 2012, there were 55 associations in related disciplines affiliated with the American Economic Association, including Omicron Delta Epsilon. Together they are known as the Allied Social Science Association. www.webaea.org.

William D. Gunther *

Executive Secretary Treasurer Emeritus Omicron Delta Epsilon

* Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Alabama. Email: wdg@mypchouse.com