Department  of Economics

Omicron Delta Epsilon Omicron Delta Epsilon was founded by Professor John R. Commons here at the University of Wisconsin in 1915. The intent was to encourage on an informal basis a closer academic relationship between exceptional students and faculty and thereby facilitate the exchange of information and views. The Wisconsin chapter was reactivated in 1971 to recognize student accomplishments in economics and to provide a vehicle for increasing student-faculty contacts.

Currently, Omicron Delta Epsilon has 535 chapters located in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Egypt, and France.

Potential members are selected based upon either overall GPA or the recommendation of a faculty member. To complete the requirements for membership, you must have had at least four courses in economics on the Madison campus with an average grade of 3.25. Membership applications are sent to potential members about mid-semester during the spring semester. There is a $30.00 initiation fee. In return you will receive a membership scroll and a one-year subscription to The American Economist, as well as a reduction of the subscription rates thereafter. Your initiation fee entitles you to lifetime membership in ODE; there are no annual membership fees. Through membership you also have access to several writing prizes such as the Irving Fisher and the Frank Taussig Awards, as well as a publishing forum in The American Economist.