Order of Omega's international headquarters is located in Downtown Arlington. Photo Credit: Kimberly Yee
The International Headquarters of Order of Omega, an organization whose mission for the past six decades has been to recognize and encourage outstanding leadership in fraternity and sorority communities, is located right here in The American Dream City.
Order of Omega, established in 1959 at the University of Miami and, has 574 chapters at colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. The headquarters has been located at 300 E. Border St. in Downtown, just blocks from the University of Texas at Arlington, since 2006. Prior to that, the headquarters was located on campus at UT Arlington.
"Order of Omega was established as a recognition honor society to acknowledge those students who stand out in their community for their leadership, service, and their academics," Executive Director Mardie Trask Sorensen said. "One long-term benefit is there is this wide network of other individuals who have belonged. If you are going for a job interview and somebody sees Order of Omega, they will know you excel academically, that you have leadership skills, that you are a servant leader and you've given back to the community."
Order of Omega, which initiates between 11,000 and 12,000 students a year, has initiated more than 400,000 members overall.
As part of its mission to support Greek student leaders, the organization awards more than $80,000 in scholarships and fellowships to undergraduate and graduate members each year. More than $1.2 million in scholarships and more than $200,000 in fellowships have been awarded over the organization's history.
One of the scholarships is named for Dr. Kent L. Gardner, whose service to the Order of Omega spans more than 45 years. The organization's scholarship and fellowship program was established in 1985 while Gardner, a former Vice President of Student Affairs at UTA, served as the Order of Omega's executive director from 1971 to 2013.
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