Originally founded in 1972 as the Alpha Lambda Omicron Society, the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society was chartered in 1974. The organization has several goals: to honor student achievement in academics and campus leadership, to encourage other students to strive for similar achievement, to bring faculty and students together, and to inform the opinions of the campus community on local and university issues. There are five criteria for membership: exemplary character, excellence in scholarship, leadership and service on campus or in the community, genuine fellowship, and dedication to democratic ideals.