David Boren is proud to see OU setting records. PAGE 6 Burns Hargis has a passion for creativity that cuts across disciplines at OSU. PAGE 6 Oklahoma City Chamber President Roy Williams and i2E CEO Tom Walker want to see more entrepreneurs. PAGE 10 A former Oklahoma Teacher of the Year and a Professor of the Year have made careers out of giving students a fair shake at life. PAGES 2 AND 8 Former first lady and educator Kim Henry as “Rosie the Riveter” in the World War II poster.
Transcript
David Boren isproud to see OUsetting records. PAGE 6
Burns Hargis hasa passion for creativity thatcuts across disciplines at OSU. PAGE 6
Oklahoma CityChamber President RoyWilliams and i2ECEO Tom Walkerwant to see more entrepreneurs. PAGE 10
A former OklahomaTeacher of the Yearand a Professor ofthe Year have madecareers out of givingstudents a fair shakeat life. PAGES 2 AND 8
Former first lady and educatorKim Henry as “Rosie the Riveter”in the World War II poster.
Who will be the vision-aries for a better educatedOklahoma?
According to the stateRegents for Higher Educa-tion, some 90 percent ofthe fastest growing jobs inthe global economy of the21st century will require acollege degree.
If our state is going tocompete for those kinds ofjobs, then it will take lead-
ership to give young Okla-homans educational expe-riences that are wider andmore meaningful than inthe past.
Fortunately, Oklahomahas shown it can be cre-ative and compete withother states through pro-grams that have benefittedthousands of youngsters.
One example is Okla-homa’s prekindergarten
program, widely regardedas the nation’s best.
No state has higher par-ticipation in pre-K for 4-year-olds than Oklahoma.
Pre-K is particularlyhelpful for small fries fromdisadvantaged homes whoget little or no educationalstimulation before they’reold enough to go to school.
Another example isOklahoma’s Promise. It
started in 1996 as theOklahoma Higher Learn-ing Access Program, asscholarships for low tomiddle-income students.
Over the past 15 yearsmore than 90,000 Okla-homans have enrolled inthe program.
The best part: Studentsparticipating as early astheir eighth-grade year didbetter in high school and
went to college at a higherrate.
Both pre-K and Okla-homa’s Promise startedwith little fanfare.
They were created byleaders who understandeducation is a process thatis deliberative and requiresgreat care and persistence.
Today these outstand-ing programs have en-riched student learning in
Oklahoma. Building onthese kinds of successeswill determine what op-portunities await our statethe rest of this century.
Educational programs showthat Oklahoma can compete
ED KELLEYEditor
2W SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
Don’t dare tell RobynHilger — former Okla-homa Teacher of the Yearand child advocate ex-traordinaire — that pover-ty in Oklahoma City is thereason students aren’t ex-celling in school.
“My experience hasbeen the complete oppo-site,” Hilger says. “Parentsare working two jobs andtaking night school be-cause they want more,they want more for theirfamily, they want more fortheir kids. Don’t put upbarriers or stigmatize low-socioeconomic kids.”
She has made a careerout of ensuring OklahomaCity Public School chil-dren get a fair shake at life,first in the band room,then as state Teacher of theYear, and for the past fouryears through a nonprofitfoundation that floods thedistrict with resources.
Hilger, 33, is one cogthat helps run the Founda-tion for Oklahoma CityPublic Schools, which ev-ery year donates hundredsof thousands of dollars incompetitive grants, class-rooms supplies and schol-arships to teachers, stu-dents and principals.
Working as a‘translator’
As a director of pro-grams, she gets to pairmembers of the publicwho want to assist the in-ner-city schools withteachers and principals inneed.
“I don’t know if it’s theverbiage,” she says, “but Iserve as a translator a lot.”
If a corporation wants tostart a mentor program,she explains the logisticsof the education system. Ifan administrator is puz-zled why the communityisn’t involved, she explainsthe corporate culture.
The outcome is public-private partnerships thatresult in playgrounds forchildren, classroom re-sources, top-level trainingprograms for teachers andfunding to send studentsto regional and nationalcompetitions.
“I never cease to beamazed by the generosityof Oklahoma City towardour city schools,” Hilgersaid.
“The 43,000 kids inOklahoma City PublicSchools are our communi-ty responsibility.”
Engaging the publicBut it wasn’t always that
way for Hilger. As a teach-er she didn’t realize therewas an outpouring of con-cern and support for thedistrict until she becameTeacher of the Year and itbecame her full-time jobto engage the public ineducation.
She said most teachersprobably aren’t aware ofwhat community supportis available, and most peo-ple in the communitydon’t know how to reachout to teachers who might
not have time to checkemail or return a phonecall for several days.
“I take all of the piecesand put them together so itworks on both ends.”
In May, Hilger receivedher master’s degree inschool administrationfrom the University ofCentral Oklahoma — apursuit she began because
she thought she wanted tobe a principal.
“My initial intent wasnot to be at the foundationfor more than five years,but I’ve found that it is aperfect fit for me,” Hilgersays. “It truly is a dreamjob to be able to spend myentire time at work totallyfocused on helping peo-ple.”
Teacher connects communities and schoolsBY MEGAN ROLLANDStaff [email protected]
Robyn Hilger, former state Teacher of the Year whohelps run the Foundation for Oklahoma City PublicSchools, is seen at Edgemere Elementary School,where she helped a group of concerned parents orga-nize and provide playground equipment for theschool. PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
Robyn Hilger, right, reacts with delight and surpriseas her name is announced as the 2005 OklahomaTeacher of the Year.
PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
I never cease to be amazed by thegenerosity of Oklahoma City towardour city schools. The 43,000 kids inOklahoma City Public Schools are ourcommunity responsibility.”
ROBYN HILGER, A FORMER OKLAHOMA TEACHER OFTHE YEAR WHO HELPS RUN THE FOUNDATION FOROKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ROBYN HILGER | CHILD ADVOCATE AND FORMER TEACHER OF THE YEAR
3WSUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011THE OKLAHOMAN NEWSOK.COM
4W SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
Matilda Butler may nothave as recognizable aname as Rosie the Riveter,but she’s spent the lastseveral years educatingothers about the famousWorld War II icon. She be-lieves living in Oklahomaas a teen helped form hereventual interest in a groupof women she calls “Ro-sie’s Daughters” — womenborn during the World WarII era — and their contri-butions to this country.
“I very much wasshaped by the 1960s inOklahoma. Oklahoma hashelped shaped me to be theperson I am now,” she said,speaking on the phonefrom her home in Oregon.
Butler runs rosies-daughters.com, a websitethat is everything Rosie,down to the red polka-dotbandanna. She and KendraBonnett have written abook, “Rosie’s Daughters:The ‘First Woman To’Generation Tells Its Story,”and they archive excerptsfrom the book, women’shistories and Rosie par-aphernalia, including the“limited edition” Rosiebandanna used in our pho-to shoot.
Butler said she inter-viewed a number of wom-en from Oklahoma for herbook. “I wanted to samplepeople, and I wanted tomake sure I didn’t justhave people from thecoasts.”
Butler lived in Okla-homa City until near theend of her high schoolyears. “I grew up on NW20th St. and went toNorthwest Classen,” sheexplained, adding that shewould have graduated in1960, however, she movedto Washington, D.C. in1958, where she finishedhigh school at National
Cathedral School. As a girl, she remembers
taking a “strong interestinventory,” a survey thatsuggested what fieldwould mesh with thechild’s interests.
“It came back and said Iwould be good as a forestranger,” she said, laughing.“Most unusual for a wom-an. It was the late ’50s and itwas a time when (women)still were on a straight tra-jectory. And if we veered offwe were unusual,” she said.
Butler said it was at her2000 class reunion inWashington that she be-gan to realize what a“unique generation ofwomen we were,” but itwas in Oklahoma she feltthat first sense of freedomas women.
“I have a number ofstrong memories aboutOklahoma. I rememberthinking that this was ayoung state, and (women)had a sense of independ-ence. ... I didn’t have to dothe things that womenwere always expected to
do. There was a sense ofnewness and freshnessand we could try things. IfI had been raised on theEast Coast I would nothave had that innerstrength that you can dosomething different.”
Many of “Rosie’sDaughters” were the “firstwoman to” do something,Butler said, explaining thetitle of her book. Thosewomen were the role mod-els for the next generation,the boomers.
Butler notes this whenthe topic of Gov. Mary Fal-lin enters the conversa-tion. “I’m delighted thatyou brought up Mary Fallin— the first woman to beelected governor of Okla-homa. It is a perfect exam-ple showing that while Ro-sie’s Daughters flung widethe doors of employmentopportunity that Rosie hadunlocked, women todaycontinue to break throughthe remaining barriers.”
An Oklahoma girl grows upto become ‘Rosie’s daughter’
I rememberthinking thatthis was ayoung state,and (women)had a sense ofindependence.... I didn’t haveto do thethings thatwomen werealwaysexpected todo. There wasa sense ofnewness andfreshness andwe could trythings.”
MATILDA BUTLER
Community cohesionhas for eons been the con-duit through which cus-toms, wisdom and moresare passed from generationto generation.
But these days, it doesn’ttake an anthropologist tosee that cohesion has be-come fuzzy. It’s a weak link— especially in the middleschool years — that formerteacher and first lady KimHenry sees as a challengefor Oklahoma’s education-al system.
“The biggest thing thatdirectly influences class-room performance is pa-rental involvement. ... Andfor some reason, parents’involvement with theirkids’ schools tends to dropoff in middle school,”Henry said. “If you go to aparent-teacher conferencein elementary school,there’s a line outside. Inmiddle school and highschool parent-teacherconferences, the halls arelike a ghost town.”
When parents andteachers know each otherand work together, and thecommunity as a wholesupports its teachers, chil-dren reap the benefits.
“When I taught highschool, I never saw theparents I needed to see.Parents need to haveawareness that they needto stay involved,” she said.
Henry’s perspective isbased on unique qualifica-tions. Not only is she aneducator and wife of atwo-term governor, shealso grew up in Shawneewhere she was well ac-quainted with customs,wisdom and mores — thegathering of tribal eldersevery day at the coffeeshop, family feasts onSundays and the sharedwisdom that came fromher community at the FirstBaptist Church.
“Growing up, thechurch was everything.My whole life centeredaround its activities, thechoir, the youth group andgoing to Falls Creek in thesummertime. That’swhere you found yourfriends, in the church,”Henry said.
“It kept me from mak-ing bad choices. I reallycredit growing up (inShawnee) with that a lot. Iwas a good kid, but it allcomes from the family youfind in church.”
She married Brad Henryat First Baptist Church and
moved to Norman, wherehe was a law student. In1989, she found out shewas pregnant. The Henrysdecided it was time tomove home.
“Turned out, it was theright decision. We neededour home, our family, andthat included the churchhere,” Henry said in a 2007interview with The Okla-homan.
A love of children — andhistory — eventually ledHenry to become a teach-er. She taught history, gov-ernment and advancedplacement classes at
Shawnee High School foreight years before resign-ing to help in her hus-band’s gubernatorial cam-paign.
Henry’s is a journey thatgives her a unique view-point on education. Shehas seen the classroomclose up. She has seen thesystem from a statewideperspective. And she hasseen what strong relation-ships and a caring com-munity can do for a child.
So where as a state do webegin? For Henry, the an-swer is to focus thestrength and insight of
communities on criticalareas. Oklahoma has donemuch to buoy early child-hood development pro-grams, now it needs to fo-cus on middle school is-sues, she said.
“We’ve had a lot of re-form, but we haven’t reallyaddressed reform in mid-dle school years. If you talkto teachers there’s a fallingoff in middle school.That’s when they startstruggling in math andEnglish,” Henry said. “Weneed to think about creat-ing ways to address mathand English issues. I’d like
to see a comprehensivestudy of why these kids aredropping out.”
Henry also said sup-porting teachers can makeor break a student’s desireto do well in school.
“I think respecting theteachers and the systemand what they’re trying todo (is vital). A lot of timesteachers don’t get the re-spect they deserve. Wethink the bad ones are thenorm. They’re not. Wehave some phenomenalteachers in Oklahoma whoput their hearts and soulsinto it.”
Former first lady promotes involvement ON THE COVER
KIM HENRY AS “ROSIE THE RIVETER” IN THE POSTER BY J. HOWARD MILLERThe graphic arts poster of WWII-era “Rosie” wasone of the first we selected to reproduce in ourhomage to Americana imagery. The image of Rosiewas perfect — strong, brash and in your face — butnot so with the “real” Rosie, Geraldine Hoff Doyle.Doyle, who recently died in December at the age of86 in Michigan, was tall and slender, “a glamourgirl,” her daughter told The New York Times. Shedidn’t have muscular arms, her daughter said, andquit the job in the factory after two weeks, fearingshe would injure her hands and be unable to playher cello. When we decided we’d use this image forthe education cover because of its strong and posi-tive message, we asked Kim Henry to pose. True,she didn’t have dark hair, but Rosie is the embod-iment of all strong women, and Henry’s dedicationto Oklahoma’s youths is key. But could Henry,known as a natural beauty, pull off the “made-up”look of the World War II glamour girl in the poster?Henry emerged from the dressing room ready forher photo shoot in the iconic red polka-dot bandan-na, jeans, boots, — and a perfectly made-up face.Doyle would be proud.
Kim Henry holds an image of “Rosie the Riveter” recently at The Oklahomanin Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY DOUG HOKE, THE OKLAHOMAN
The biggest thing that directlyinfluences classroom performance isparental involvement. ... And for somereason, parents’ involvement with theirkids’ schools tends to drop off in middleschool.”
KIM HENRY
KIM HENRY | FORMER TEACHER AND FIRST LADY OF OKLAHOMA
5WSUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011THE OKLAHOMAN NEWSOK.COM
6W SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
STILLWATER — Okla-homa State UniversityPresident Burns Hargissays people make a livingby what they earn, butthey make a life by whatthey give.
It’s a message that Har-gis exemplifies, said CalvinAnthony, chairman of theBoard of Regents for theOklahoma Agriculturaland Mechanical Colleges— the board that governsOSU.
“He’s been an inspiringfigure for our entire com-munity,” Anthony said.
During his first threeyears as president of Okla-homa State, Hargis hasworked to increase enroll-ment and student reten-tion, foster creativity andraise more than $730 mil-lion.
OSU’s 18th president isthe second OSU graduateto serve as president of theuniversity. He earned anaccounting degree fromOklahoma State and a lawdegree from the Universityof Oklahoma. Hargis cameto OSU in 2008 after a legaland business career. Heand his wife, Ann, work asa team.
Whether the couple ishosting students for ham-burgers or Hargis is mak-ing a pitch for OSU’s $1 bil-lion fundraising campaign,his passion for the univer-sity is evident.
Oklahoma State is clos-ing in on the $1billion markin its Branding SuccessCampaign. Hargis said heis confident the universitywill get there.
“When we do, we’llprobably just start again,”he said.
Hargis said he loves be-ing surrounded by studentsbecause their energy andenthusiasm is inspiring.
One afternoon, Hargisnoticed a group of stu-dents outside his windowplaying a game he didn’trecognize. Curious, Hargiswent outside to watch.When the students recog-nized him and invited himto join their game of crick-et, he didn’t decline.
An advocate for creativ-ity and imagination, Har-gis has promoted entre-preneurial programs atOSU, including the start ofan Institute for Creativityand Innovation. He en-courages students, staffand faculty to devise cre-ative solutions, like a stu-dent recycling initiative toclean up cans and bottlesafter home football games.
Cares about students,university employees
Robert Sternberg, OSU’sprovost and senior vicepresident, said one of themain reasons he took thejob at Oklahoma State lastyear was so he could workwith Hargis. Sternberg,who has a background in
psychology, has studiedleadership. He said Hargispossesses the qualities of agreat leader, including cre-ativity, intelligence, wis-dom, analytical skills andpassion.
Hargis cares about hisstudents and employeesand takes a personal inter-est in their lives, Sternbergsaid.
“Easily he’s the bestperson I’ve ever workedfor,” he said. “You don’tfeel like you’re working forhim. You are, but he makespeople feel like they’reworking as part of a team.”
Hargis said OklahomaState’s mission as a landgrant school is to serve thestate by developing greattalents. He said he is proudof the fact that freshmanenrollment this year wasthe highest it has beensince 1982 and this year’sfreshman class was theuniversity’s highest rank-ing class academically.
Next year’s class looks tobe strong, too, Hargis said.
“We need more collegegraduates and OSU wantsto do its part,” Hargis said.
BURNS HARGIS | PRESIDENT OF OSU
Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargisshakes hands with students as they leave Gallagher-Iba Arena in August 2010. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO
NORMAN — University ofOklahoma President DavidBoren hit a milestone thisyear: He became the sec-ond longest-serving OUpresident, behind GeorgeLynn Cross. He marked his16th anniversary by an-nouncing he planned toshoot for being the longestserving.
Boren, 70, said Cross,who was president for 25years, from 1943-68, washis mentor, his teacher andhis friend.
“I think he would ap-prove of me setting out tobreak his record,” he said.
Top rankingsSetting records is noth-
ing new for Boren. Under his leadership,
OU now ranks in the top 10in the country in attractingNational Merit Scholars,with a record 225 NationalMerit Scholars in thisyear’s freshman class — 29more than the previous OUrecord.
Since coming to OU, hehas helped start 20 newprograms, increased thenumber of endowed facul-ty chairs to more than 560from 100, overseen $1.9billion in constructionprojects and taken privatefundraising efforts to newheights, garnering morethan $1.9 billion in gifts andpledges since taking officein 1994.
Coming backMany were surprised
when Boren, a formerOklahoma governor,abandoned a still thrivingpolitical career as a U.S.senator to accept the OUpresidency.
To Boren, it was the jobof his dreams in the placehe loved best.
“Molly and I missedOklahoma. We wanted tocome home,” he said.
Boren believed he couldrender the most service toOklahoma by coming backto the university whereboth he and his wife hadobtained their law degrees.He wasted no time inproving his worth.
Together, the Borens lit-erally have transformedthe appearance of OU’sthree campuses, creatinggardens and parks and in-stalling sculptures, foun-tains and benches de-signed to create a sense ofcommunity.
Making a homeA condition of Boren’s
employment was the ren-ovation and return of BoydHouse as the official presi-dential residence.
Built in 1906 by OU’sfirst president, it had beenused for other purposes forthe past 27 years.
Boren wanted no housein suburbia, but rather ahome near campus, wherehe could walk to his officeand regularly mix andmingle with students ontheir way to class.
Another condition wasthat he be allowed to teach.He’s garnered an under-graduate teaching prize forthe introductory course inpolitical science he in-structs each semester.Through his efforts, he hascreated one of the premierHonors Colleges in thecountry.
Boren also has helpedexpand OU’s internationalexchange and studyabroad opportunities,making OU one of the topprograms in the nation,establishing an Interna-tional Programs Centerand a new College of Inter-national Studies, addingan undergraduate degreein Arabic and ChineseStudies and endowedchairs in seven new geo-graphic areas.
He has spearheaded ef-forts to revive old tradi-tions such as Sooner Year-book, Homecoming andOU’s nationalchampionship-winning
debate program.Under his leadership, a
rapidly growing ResearchCampus has resulted inrecord-setting fundingfor externally sponsoredresearch, spinoff busi-nesses and an increase inpatents.
Seen everywhereIn short, Boren’s
thumbprint is everywhereon Norman’s main cam-pus, as well as the HealthSciences Center campus inOklahoma City and theOU-Tulsa SchustermanCenter.
The job is not withoutchallenges.
Boren admits to frustra-tion over the need to in-crease tuition and fees tocompensate for state bud-
get cuts to higher educa-tion.
“Because of the eco-nomic recession, manag-ing the budget withoutsacrificing quality educa-tion for our students is aneven bigger challenge thanit was 10 years ago,” hesaid.
Despite the challenges,his level of energy and en-thusiasm for the job showno sign of slacking.
“I have about eight moreyears to go” to catch upwith Cross, he said.
And probably more thana few other records tobreak along the way.
University of Oklahoma President David Boren shakes hands with Julia Wynn,recipient of a scholarship bearing his name during the New Sooner Convocation atthe Lloyd Noble Center in August 2010. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
Because of the economic recession,managing the budget withoutsacrificing quality education for ourstudents is an even bigger challengethan it was 10 years ago.”
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESIDENT DAVID BOREN
ALSO ...
NURTURINGINNOVATION
The success ofOklahoma’s futuredepends on creativeideas, says Okla-homa State Uni-versity presidentBurns Hargis.
Hargis has been achampion for cre-ativity and innova-tion.
He often talksabout the impor-tance of creativityand asks peoplethroughout thestate to help fostercreativity.
At OklahomaState, Hargis hastried to bolster cre-ativity by solicitingideas and promotinginnovative programs.
In September, OSUopened an Institutefor Creativity andInnovation, which isdesigned to promotecreative thoughtsand solutions acrossdisciplines.
Creativity requiresa tolerance for newideas and a willing-ness to take risks,Hargis says.
Many creativeideas don’t work, butsometimes mistakescan lead to betterideas.
Everyone has cre-ativity, Hargis said,but sometimessociety dampensthat spirit.
He says peoplehave the power toaffect great changeby being creative.
STAFF REPORTS
Innovativebusinessmanguides OSU
Head of record-breakinguniversity has dream job
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8W SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
W. Stephen Damron, ananimal science professorat Oklahoma State Univer-sity, was selected as Okla-homa’s 2010 Professor ofthe Year. Damron hastaught for 29 years. Hiswife, Rebecca, is an assist-ant English professor atOSU and director of theOSU Writing Center. Theirdaughter, Aubryana, is afreshman at OSU majoringin hotel and restaurantmanagement and theirson, Joshua, is a juniormajoring in chemistry.
Q: What do you enjoyabout teaching?
A: I very much like theidea of taking what needs tobe learned and turning it in-to something people wantto learn. I like the contactwith people who are intransition to new phases oftheir lives. Students are ex-citing, a little frightened,and open to suggestions. Ilike feeling that I am of ser-vice to society by being ofservice to them.
Q: Why is the landgrant education systemso important to you?
A: I grew up on a farm inTennessee the oldest ofthree children. My fatherdied in a plane crash when Iwas 14, and my mother wasleft to raise us. She workedat public work to providefor us, and I ran the farm. Imanaged and worked onthe farm until I went tograduate school. For myB.S. degree, I lived at homeand attended the Universi-ty of Tennessee at Martin,which was five miles fromour home. I went to gradu-ate school at the Universityof Tennessee at Knoxvilleand earned both my M.S.and Ph.D. there. I am aproduct of the land grantsystem. I would not havebeen able to afford an edu-cation any other way. Inever forget that.
Somebody has to makethe world function, and Ithink people educated inthe land grant system areespecially suited to that. Ithink the land grant-edu-cated are very results-ori-ented. We think in possi-bilities but we focus onoutcomes. What we offeris a chance for people fromevery station in life to ac-quire the greatest leveler tothe playing field ever con-ceived — an education.Education gives people theopportunity to take theirskills, abilities, and poten-tial, and make them better,add to them, find a place touse them and get on withit. My students change theworld — literally.
Q: What do you do totry to inspire your stu-dents?
A: I am a lover of learn-ing and I want others to be,also. When I was in gradu-ate school, I took mineralnutrition from Dr. JaneSavage. Mineral nutritionhad never been one of myfavorite topics until then.Dr. Savage got a kick out ofmineral nutrition and shemade the room come alivewith excitement over thetopic by the simple wil-lingness to share her ownenthusiasm. It meant somuch to her that I felt likeit needed to mean more tome. It occurred to me thatnot only were the intrica-cies of the topic at handindeed interesting but sowas the entire topic ofmineral nutrition. I stilllove mineral nutrition.What a gift! I try to giveothers that same gift.
Q: What are some ofthe most memorable ex-periences of your career?
A: These are always re-lated to students and for-mer students. When I see aformer student that hasgone out into the worldand been successful anddone good things, or onethat has faced some greatchallenge with grace andstyle, or one who lives out-side of themselves by giv-ing back to the peoplearound them in significant
and laudable ways, I amthe happiest guy on theplanet. I am a sucker forhappy endings.
Q: What is your hopefor your students?
A: I want them to be hap-py and healthy and success-ful. I know that soundstrite, but sometimes thesimplest wishes are thebest. Beyond that, I wantthem to be honest and up-right citizens. I hope thatthey will do good things for
others — contribute to thegreater good while theytend to their own affairs. Iwant them to give back tosociety.
I want them to rememberthe people that have helpedthem, and in gratitude, Iwant them to help others.
And, I want to know howthey turn out.
I love getting calls andletters and emails from for-mer students.
Q: What are some of
your hobbies and inter-ests?
A: I really like livestockshows and rodeos. Myfamily surprised me withtickets to a rodeo for mybirthday this year, and itwas fantastic. I like vegeta-ble gardening, reading ...mystery and suspensenovels, traveling — espe-cially to places I have neverbeen before — and tendingto the chores on our smallfarm. I actually think thatmowing pastures is fun.
Professor of the Year loves learning
W. Stephen Damron, an animal science professor at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, was selected as the 2010 Oklahoma Professorof the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Somebody has to make the worldfunction and I think people educatedin the land grant system areespecially suited to that. I think the land grant-educated are very results-oriented. We think in possibilities butwe focus on outcomes.”
W. STEPHEN DAMRON, OSU ANIMAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR
W. STEPHEN DAMRON | OKLAHOMA’S PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 9WOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
MOORE — Every otherWednesday eight MooreWest Junior High Schoolstudents take a bus to anearby Mexican cafe.
They don’t go to eatlunch, but to learn aboutworking in a restaurant.
The students, ranging inage from 12 to 17, are in Jan-is Walkingstick’s specialeducation class. Walking-stick, 56, first developedoutside vocational trainingopportunities for her stu-dents in 2009.
“The federal govern-ment pushes for transi-tional training at age 14,”she said. “But it’s prettyunusual for junior highs tostart this type of training.”
Walkingstick ap-proached Kory Allen, co-owner of Alfredo’s Mexi-can Cafe, about partneringwith the school by allow-ing her students to observethe employees on the job.
“But the owner said,‘Why don’t we let themwork side-by-side?’ ”Walkingstick said. “In thebeginning it was a toughtransition for the students,but it’s old news now.”
Eighth-grader JulyanCunningham, 16, said shewas nervous to work at therestaurant at first, but shehas adjusted.
The students help the
restaurant at 2713 S Inter-state 35 Service Road pre-pare for lunch. Jobs includetaking chairs off tables,wiping tables and menus,setting out pre-wrappedsilverware, dusting shelvesand filling butter bowls.
Walkingstick’s passionfor her students is appar-ent, Allen said.
“That’s a great act tohelp them and empowerthem to have a job in someway and to eventually beon their own and inde-pendent,” he said. “She’sawesome.”
The greatest impact theprogram has had on thestudents is teaching themto work together, saidPrincipal Michaele Benn.
“So many children willmove to group homes, andif they have that skill goingin — not only getting alongindividually in the world,but with other people inthe world — it will be sohelpful,” Benn said.
Walkingstick also ar-ranged a training opportu-nity for students this yearwith a local Mazzio’s. Thestudents fold pizza boxesfor the restaurant a few daysa week. A bus drops offloads every two weeks at theschool, Walkingstick said.
Outside vocationaltraining for students won’tstop here.
Walkingstick said shewants to expand the pro-gram next year by findingfunding to provide a full-
time bus on school proper-ty and partnering with ad-ditional businesses.
“All of the work we do isvolunteer-based,” shesaid. “You have to reallysolicit your program topartner with these busi-nesses. That’s really whatit’s all about.”
Walkingstick is a pio-neer who isn’t afraid tothink outside the box, saidApril Daniels, her co-teacher. “She’s neverafraid to get no for an an-swer,” Daniels said.
Teacher prepares students for workby having students prepare for lunch
Moore West Junior High School special education students Sam Sweeten and Will Scott fill butter trays as they work on their vocational training at Alfredo’s MexicanCafe in Moore. PHOTOS BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN
Janis Walkingstick talks with her special education students from Moore WestJunior High School after they finish their vocational training at Alfredo’s MexicanCafe in Moore.
JANIS WALKINGSTICK | MOORE WEST JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER
MooreWest JuniorHigh Schoolspecial edu-cation stu-dent Chel-sea Salcidocleansboosterseats as sheworks onher voca-tional train-ing at Alfre-do’s Mex-ican Cafe inMoore.
10W SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
A new partnership be-tween the Greater Okla-homa City Chamber andan organization that bringsinnovations to enterpriseaims to grow and streng-then entrepreneurial ef-forts in the state.
Effective March 1, thechamber has loaned an ex-ecutive, Josh O’Brien, toi2E to concentrate on en-trepreneurial developmentover the next two years.
“We want to providemore in-depth services toentrepreneurs to makethem stronger,” said i2ECEO Tom Walker. Thoseservices, he said, may in-clude helping startupsbuild stronger businessplans by providingexecutives-in-residenceto management teams thatmay number only a fewpeople.
Organized sourcesChamber President Roy
Williams also hopes tobuild more organizedsources of private capitalin Oklahoma, from angelinvestors and others.
“Pooling capital is crit-ical when we don’t have alot,” Williams said.
Funding sources for en-trepreneurs typically startat credit cards or familyand friends, he said, andprogress to angel capital,seed money from organi-zations such as i2E, ven-ture capital and finally toconventional capital or, forcompanies brought public,an initial public offering.
A different strategyRecognizing 95 percent
of Oklahoma businessesemploy 100 or fewer, thechamber two years ago be-gan incorporating entre-preneurial developmentinto its strategy, Williamssaid.
As chairman of the i2Eboard, Williams soonlearned i2E had parallelgoals, which led him and
Walker to create the alli-ance versus having over-lapping programs.
Funded 60 percent bythe state, i2E over the past13 years has helped morethan 500 companies state-wide raise more than $400million in private equitycapital.
Getting grantsThe organization re-
cently landed one of twomillion-dollar three-year
grants from the FederalEconomic DevelopmentAgency (EDA), which re-quired a $1 million matchthat was supplied throughOklahoma City’s econom-ic development authority,Oklahoma Medical Re-search Foundation, theOklahoma BusinessRoundtable and i2E.
The EDA hopes i2E willbuild a program that canbe replicated, Williamssaid.
Chamber, i2E create alliance for entrepreneursBY PAULA BURKESBusiness [email protected]
Roy Williams, president and CEO of Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, and Tom Walker, president and CEO of i2E, pose in the newly reno-vated offices of i2E in Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park. PHOTO BY STEVE GOOCH, THE OKLAHOMAN
We want to provide more in-depthservices to entrepreneurs to makethem stronger.”
I2E CEO TOM WALKER
GREATER OKLAHOMA CITY CHAMBER PRESIDENT ROY WILLIAMS AND I2E CEO TOM WALKER
BACKGROUND
ROY WILLIAMSRoy Williams became the president
and chief executive officer of theGreater Oklahoma City Chamber onJan. 1, 2004 after first serving a two-year stint as executive vice presidentof economic development.
Under his leadership the chamberwaged successful campaigns for a$121 million makeover of the Okla-homa City Arena and construction ofa practice arena for the NBA Thunder,MAPS 3, and wooed major employersincluding Boeing’s C-130 maintenance
program.Before his arrival in Oklahoma City,
Williams held executive leadershippositions with chambers of commerceand economic development orga-nizations in Texas, Arizona, Ohio andOklahoma. His resume includes posi-tions with the Texas governor’s office,the Texas Department of Commerce,the Greater Phoenix Economic Council,the Greater Columbus Chamber ofCommerce, and the Oklahoma Depart-ment of Commerce.
STEVE LACKMEYER, BUSINESS WRITER
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 11WOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
When Robert Frantzpicked up his dog from thekennel after a recentweek’s vacation, the ownertold him they’d have tosquare up on his bill laterbecause their computersystem had crashed.
He knew just the personwho could fix it, Frantzsaid, referring her that ve-ry Saturday morning to in-formation technology (IT)expert Sean Fenton, whowas on the job the nextday.
Frantz and Fenton haveadjacent offices at TheOklahoma City CoworkingCollaborative, or knownfamiliarly as “Coco” bythem and the some 70 oth-er people who office thereat 723 N Hudson in Okla-homa City’s Midtown Vil-lage — reborn with nearbyrestaurants and bars, a yo-ga studio and more.
Derrick Parkhurstleased the 7,500-square-foot space two years ago,painting the walls in brightoranges, greens and blues,and adding several moderndesks to its 4,000-square-foot open area, a kitche-nette and windowed wallsthat separate a privateboardroom and nine exec-utive suites.
The shared work space— with free Wi-Fi, coffeeand a dedicated parking lot— is meant as an alterna-tive to doing business in acoffee shop packed withstrangers, Parkhurst said.
“Here, we bring peopletogether who are workingin similar businesses,” hesaid. “We may, for exam-ple, connect a Web devel-oper with a Web designer.They’re in separate busi-nesses, but they need eachother.”
Most are in their 30s andhave technology in com-mon, though Frantz, 47, isa patent agent who pri-marily serves clients inAustin, Texas, and Cam-bridge, Mass., and anothermember, Sarah Atlee, is anacrylic painter who usesher suite as her studio.
In addition to managingCoco, Parkhurst runs twoother businesses from thespace — developing socialmedia software for diabet-ics and other patient pop-ulations and producingtraining and other videosfor businesses. Othermembers develop applica-tions for iPhones.
In all, some 70 entre-preneurs use the Coco,which is available throughmemberships that start at$30 a month for up to threehours a day and rise to$200 a month for a re-served desk in a wall-lessoffice and $600 a monthfor a private suite. Thecentral meeting roomspace also is available tomembers; one demonstra-tion launch for Java con-tractors drew 200 attend-ees.
“I like the energy here,”Frantz said. “It buoys yourspirit to make a referral orwhen you hear someonegot a contract.”
Said Fenton, “You’repretty much guaranteed tohave a fascinating conver-sation with just about any-one you talk to.”
Fenton plans to partnerwith other small IT firmsto better serve his custom-ers. “I wouldn’t have con-sidered it,” he said, “if notfor Coco.”
DERRICK PARKHURST | OWNER OF ‘COCO,’ EXTOLS THE BENEFITS OF OPEN-AIR ALTERNATIVES TO THE OFFICE OR COFFEE SHOP
Derrick Parkhurst, founder of OKC Coworking Collaborative, sits recently in the board room available to members of OKC Coworking Collab-orative in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN
Shared work space is bringingentrepreneurs together at ‘Coco’BY PAULA BURKESBusiness [email protected]
ONLINE
www.okccoco.com
Here, we bringpeopletogether.”
DERRICKPARKHURST
12W SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
JoAnn W. Haysbert,president of LangstonUniversity, brought a lot offirsts with her when arriv-ing in 2006 from HamptonUniversity. She is the uni-versity’s first female presi-dent, and shortly after shearrived she instituted a 10-year strategic plan, thefirst of its kind at Lang-ston. Five years into hertenure, she reflects on thework she has done and thework she has left to do.
Q: When it comes toeducation, what is thedefinition of a visionary?
A: A visionary is a per-son who sees people andcircumstances not neces-sarily in the state in whichthey currently exist butrather in the manner inwhich they can becomeonce their greatest poten-tial is fulfilled. In some re-gards, a visionary can besynonymous with adreamer. You must be ableto look forward and see adream and direct or put inplace the steps to makethat dream a reality. Forexample, if you can’t seethe possibility of preparingstudents for a globalworld, then you’ll never beable to do it.
Q: You’ve been presi-dent of Langston Univer-sity for five years. Whydid you agree to headLangston?
A: This was an opportu-nity for me to bring my ex-perience, skills and talentsto students that were inanother part of the coun-try. Most importantly, itwas and still is an opportu-nity for me to touch the fu-ture. When I accepted thisposition, I accepted it withthe full understanding thatit would be a prodigiousresponsibility given thefact that I am the first Afri-can-American femalepresident of Langston andthe first in the great stateof Oklahoma. It also camewith immense humilitybecause of the challenges Iknew that I would face asthe first woman president,but I wanted to do it be-cause I believed that Icould make a difference.
Q: What is your overallvision for the university?
A: One of the first initia-tives I implemented was toengage the community ofscholars in the creation ofa joint vision that wouldserve as the foundation ofour efforts to advance theinstitution. That said, our
vision is to become a moreacademically advanced,research-competitive, andstudent-centered regionalcampus that spawns inno-vation, generates newtechnologies and ideas,and produces talentedgraduates for the globalmarketplace of tomorrow.
Q: You’ve instituted a10-year strategic plan forLangston. You’re at thehalfway point. What wasthe goal, and are you ontrack to reach it?
A: My guiding mantra,which was introducedduring my inauguration, isto move the institutionfrom excellence to great-ness — which can best beattained when we com-plete our ambitious 10-year strategic plan that ispremised on eight strate-gic objectives. They are:academic excellence, stu-dent development, team-work and trust, faculty en-hancement, financialstrength, state-of-the arttechnology, public rela-tions, and enhanced phys-ical infrastructure. Yes, weare on track to reach it. As amatter of fact, we are morethan halfway through sev-en of our objectives and onthe eighth one, informa-tion technology, we aremore than 90 percentcomplete.
Q: Langston is Okla-homa’s only HistoricallyBlack College or Universi-ty. You also worked atHampton, another HBCU.Why are HBCUs stillneeded today?
A: HBCUs are neededtoday primarily becausemore than most institu-tions of higher education,they have proven to be ef-fective in educating thosestudents who are under-served and disadvantaged.It’s the type of institutionthat has a proven record ofsuccess for taking studentswhere they are and moving
them to where they shouldbe. In our institutions,most of our students comewith socioeconomic bar-riers, be they financial,health, family hardships oreducational obstacles. TheHBCU, by virtue of itsmission and nurturing na-ture, is a second-chanceopportunity.
That is not to be con-fused with the idea thatour students can’t per-form. These are studentswho lack access, not apti-tude. For them, college is achoice that reflects theiridentity — it is a statementabout how they see them-selves, who they are now,and who they will become.They are drawn to theHBCU because they seereflections of themselvespowerfully displayed inthese environments. It iswhere they meet strongrole models and mentorsand see themselves as cen-tral to the educationalenterprise.
Q: State and local offi-cials and communityleaders joined you re-cently to announce thecompletion of the repav-ing of old State Highway33 and the initial pavingof sidewalks along the“Miracle Mile” in Lang-ston. What other thingswould you like to see hap-pen to the city of Lang-ston that would benefitthe university?
A: First and foremost,our ultimate goal is to dowhat is perhaps unprece-dented anywhere else inthe nation, and that is for auniversity to take the leadin creating a college town.We have already completedphase one of this projectwith the completion ofMiracle Mile.
Phase two includes theexpansion of City Hall anda newly integrated townpark that will include asoftball field that will be
used by our softball team.We are looking at bringingin those goods and servicesthat will attract not onlythe residents but our com-munity of scholars, as well— businesses such as a dry-cleaners, a bank, a grocerystore, a carwash and eater-ies. Additionally, we aredefinitely interested in de-veloping our local commu-nity through the buildingand ownership of homes.In so doing, we will not on-ly increase our population,but also expand our taxbase, which will ultimatelyresult in the upgrading ofour town services, and per-haps even lead to the build-ing of a charter school forour children.
Q: Last year at the uni-versity’s scholarship ga-la, you said you accom-plished your greatestgoal: to get your actorbrother-in-law, DennisHaysbert, to come toLangston. Do you hope toget more celebrities tovisit Langston students?
A: Absolutely. In fact, I
think our greatest challengefor the gala committee andthe institution is to answerthe question, “who are wegoing to get now?” And, weare working on that, and
the public can expect to seea celebrity entertainer and acelebrity host that they arefamiliar with each and ev-ery year at the LangstonUniversity gala.
JOANN W. HAYSBERT | PRESIDENT OF LANGSTON UNIVERSITY
Langston University president JoAnn W. Haysbert with actor and brother-in-lawDennis Haysbert at the 2010 Scholarship Gala.
Langston leader reflects on five years in position
W. Roger Webb an-nounced his plans to retirefrom the University ofCentral Oklahoma in Janu-ary, after 14 years as presi-dent, but he still has strongideas about UCO’s future.Webb led an era of changeat the university, oversee-ing new initiatives such asthe Academy of Contem-porary Music at UCO, theonly industry-based musiceducation program of itskind in the country; the es-tablishment of the UCOForensic Science Institute;and the opening of theUCO Jazz Lab, among oth-er programs. His earlyyears in law enforcementhelped him in his role as anational voice on campussafety, preparedness andviolence prevention.
Q: What is your overallvision for the university?
A: I have been blessedwith the honor of servingas president of the Univer-sity of Central Oklahomafor the past 14 years. Asmany of your readersknow, a couple of monthsago my wife, Jeanie, and Itogether decided that it istime for me to step down,which I plan to do on July 1.When I first came to Cen-
tral, I viewed my most im-portant work as helpingthe university to see itself,as if for the first time, andthereby become open tothe constantly changingvision of itself, which isneeded for any universityto pursue its mission. It’sthe capacity of those Iwork with at this greatuniversity to be creative,innovative and nimble asthe world around uschanges that has allowedCentral to grow and pros-per as an institution ofpurpose and vision.
Q: What accomplish-ments at UCO are youmost proud of?
A: All of the major goalswe have reached at Central— and there have beenmany — have been accom-plished by many, manypeople. Some would pointto new buildings or pro-grams, or to growth in en-rollment or the opportuni-ty-rich environment wehave created for our stu-dents. I am proud of all ofthese things. But I think Ilook with most pride to thefact that because of thetireless efforts of our facul-ty and staff, now more thanever, our students takemore pride in their degreefrom Central, confidentthey have made a smart in-
vestment in their future.Because of the personal re-lationships they’ve devel-oped with our faculty andstaff, our graduates leave prepared to becomeproductive, creative, ethi-cal and engaged citizensand leaders in theircommunities.
Q: When it comes toeducation, what is thedefinition of a visionary?
A: I’ve had the greatprivilege of working with ateam at Central who eachday define what it meansto be visionary. In them, Isee the courage to pushCentral beyond being acommuter school to be-coming a metropolitanuniversity, serving a di-verse, growing communi-ty. I see the innovation tocreatively use our re-sources to advance nomatter what the economicclimate.
And, most importantly,I see in them a passion toserve our students througha transformative experi-ence that helps themachieve their goals.
Q: What does Okla-homa’s higher educationsystem need to be moresuccessful?
A: Distinction — in thesense of differentiation —is what we must achieve to
survive and flourish. Wemust strive to distinguishourselves first in how weview higher education:What it is, what it shouldbe and how it should beprovided to our students.
Higher education ingeneral must adapt to newways of delivery. Technol-ogy will have a huge influ-ence. If we continue to dothe same things in the sameenvironment, maybe evenadding more processes,programs and buildings inthe traditional sense, justas we have done for the past100 years, we will likely failin our responsibility to thecommunity we serve.
Because we live in an eraof demand, which is grow-ing faster than our re-sources, we must pursueour mission with clarityand efficiency.
We accept the challengeof using our precious hu-man and financial re-sources wisely. We mustbe more flexible and inno-vative, less bureaucraticand sluggish. We mustpursue rather than avoid,the amazing opportunitiespresented by technology.And we must recognizethat our mission to teachand prepare involves edu-cation in its broadestsense.
W. ROGER WEBB | OUTGOING PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
Webb has helped UCO through growth
University of Central Oklahoma President RogerWebb speaks during the graduation ceremonies atthe Edmond college in this photo from 2009.
PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES
FROM STAFF REPORTS
We are definitelyinterested indeveloping our localcommunity throughthe building andownership of homes.”
JOANN W. HAYSBERT
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 13WOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
1. OklahomaPanhandle StateUniversity• Goodwell • Type of institution:Four-year university • Emphasis: Agricultureand education • Contact: High Schooland Community Rela-tions, (580) 349-1310 or(800) 664- 6778, ext.1310, www.opsu.edu
2. NorthwesternOklahoma StateUniversity• Alva; branches in Enidand Woodward• Type of institution:Four-year university• Emphasis: Liberal artsand sciences, Master ofEducation and Master ofCounseling Psychology • Contact: Office ofRecruitment, (580) 327-8546, www.nwosu.edu
3. Northern OklahomaCollege• Tonkawa; branches inEnid, Stillwater • Type of institution:Two-year college• Emphasis: Associatedegrees in art, scienceand applied science • Contact: Coordinator,High School & CollegeRelations, Tonkawa, (580)628-6668, or Enid, (580)548-2353, or associatevice president of Still-water Campus, 744-2246,www.north-ok.edu
4. Oklahoma StateUniversity• Stillwater• Type of institution:Four-year comprehensiveresearch university • Emphasis: Agriculture,arts and sciences, busi-ness administration, edu-cation, engineering, ar-chitecture and technol-ogy, human environ-mental sciences,veterinary medicine • Contact: OSU Office ofUndergraduate Admis-sions, 744-5358 or (800)233-5019, ext. 1,www.okstate.edu
5. University Center atPonca City• Ponca City • Type of institution:Two-year, four-year andcomprehensive university,degree programs deliveredthrough distance educa-tion • Emphasis: Course workfor associate, bachelor’s,master’s and doctoralprograms in a variety orsubjects from multipleinstitutions• Contact: (580) 762-2856, www.ucponcacity.com
6. OklahomaWesleyan University• Bartlesville • Type of institution:Four-year university• Emphasis: Liberal arts • Contact: EnrollmentServices, (918) 335-6219,www.okwu.edu
7. NortheasternOklahoma A&MCollege• Miami; branches inGrove, Vinita and Jay • Type of institution:Two-year college • Emphasis: General edu-
8. Rogers StateUniversity• Claremore; branches inBartlesville and Pryor • Type of institution:Four-year university• Emphasis: Businessadministration, businessinformation technology,liberal arts, social andbehavioral sciences, ap-plied technology, nursing,game development• Contact: RSU Clare-more, (918) 343-7777;RSU Bartlesville, (918)338-8000; RSU Pryor,(918) 825-6117,www.rsu.edu
9. Northeastern StateUniversity• Tahlequah; branches inBroken Arrow and Musk-ogee • Type of institution:Four-year University• Emphasis: Business,technology, social sci-ences, math, sciences,optometry, education,language and the arts • Contact: director ofOffice of High School andCollege Relations, (918)458-2130 or (800) 722-9614, www.nsuok.edu
11. Bacone College• Muskogee • Type of institution:Four-year college • Emphasis: Professionalprograms and liberal arts• Contact: Office of Ad-missions, (918) 781-7353or (918) 683-4581,www.bacone.edu
12. Western OklahomaState College• Altus • Type of institution:Two-year college• Emphasis: Technicaleducation and academictransfer programs• Contact: Office of Ad-missions, (580) 477-2000, www.wosc.edu
14. CameronUniversity• Lawton; branch in Dun-can• Type of institution:Four-year university• Emphasis: Business,education/behavioral
sciences, graduate stud-ies, liberal arts and sci-ence/technology • Contact: (580) 581-2289or (888) 454-7600,www.cameron.edu
15. University ofScience and Arts ofOklahoma• Chickasha • Type of institution:Four-year university• Emphasis: Liberal arts• Contact: 574-1357 or(800) 933-8726, www.usao.edu
16. Ardmore HigherEducation Center• Ardmore • Type of institution:Off-campus consortiumof colleges and universi-ties• Emphasis: General edu-cation, business, educa-tion and liberal arts • Contact: (580) 223-1441,www.ahec.osrhe.edu
17. Seminole StateCollege• Seminole• Type of institution:Two-year college• Emphasis: Two-year
undergraduate college • Contact: 382-9950,www.sscok.edu
18. East CentralUniversity• Ada • Type of institution:Four-year university• Emphasis: Liberal artsand sciences • Contact: (877) 310-5628or (580) 559-5628,www.ecok.edu
19. Murray StateCollege• Tishomingo • Type of institution:Two-year college• Emphasis: Transferprograms and technical/occupational programs• Contact: (800) 342-0698, ext. 155,www.mscok.edu
20. SoutheasternOklahoma StateUniversity• Durant • Type of institution:Four-year university• Emphasis: Business,liberal arts and sciences,teacher education andaviation sciences
• Contact: (580) 745-2060 or (800) 435-1327,www.sosu.edu
21. Connors StateCollege• Warner; branch inMuskogee • Type of institution:Two-year college • Emphasis: Generalstudies, occupational,transfer• Contact: (918) 463-2931,www.connorsstate.edu
22. Eastern OklahomaState College• Wilburton; branches inMcAlester, Idabel, andAntlers • Type of institution:Two-year college • Emphasis: Liberal arts • Contact: (918) 465-1811,www.eosc.edu
23. Carl Albert StateCollege• Poteau; branches inSallisaw and Idabel • Type of institution:Two-year college
24. SoutheasternOklahoma StateUniversity —McCurtain CountyCampus• Idabel • Type of institution:Branch campus• Emphasis: Lifelonglearning • Contact: (580) 286-9431or (580) 584-3932,www.se.edu/mccurtain/
25. Wayland BaptistUniversity• Altus• Type of institution:Four-year university• Emphasis: Business,occupational education • Contact: (580) 481-5243
For a list of OklahomaCity and Tulsa metro-area schools, seePage 14.
Oklahoma CityTulsa
Oklahoma colleges and universities
ONLINE
To read more on state colleges anduniversities and get the latest news, goto NewsOK.com.NEWSOK.COM/OKLAHOMA-COLLEGES-AND-UNIVERSITIES
Downtown CollegeConsortium• Oklahoma City • Type of institution: Consorti-um of two-year and regionalinstitutions• Emphasis: General studies• Contact: 232-3382,www.downtowncollege.com
Oklahoma State University— Oklahoma City• Type of institution: Two-yeartechnical branch• Emphasis: Associate of sci-ence, associate in applied sci-ence and certificate programs• Contact: 945-9150 or (800)560-4099, www.osuokc.edu
DeVry University• Oklahoma City • Type of institution: Four-yearuniversity, bachelor’s and graduate programs• Emphasis: Technologicalfields and business • Contact: 767-9516, www.devry.edu/locations/campuses/loc_oklahomacity.jsp
Platt College• Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Lawton, Moore • Type of institution: Privatecollege. Vocational programs• Emphasis: Health, culinary,nursing, information technology• Contact: 749-2433 or(918) 622-1240, www.plattcolleges.edu
Langston University• Langston — Branches inOklahoma City and Tulsa • Type of institution: Four-yearuniversity• Emphasis: Liberal arts• Contact: 466-2980, www.lunet.edu
Southwestern College• Midwest City • Type of institution: Privatecollege. Bachelor’s degree com-pletion and master’s degreeprograms • Adult programs, online andonground programs • Emphasis: Graduate, under-graduate, and certificate pro-grams, business, leadership,management, security, ministry• Contact: 733-3301 or (866)342-3301, www.southwestern
college.org
Oklahoma City CommunityCollege• Oklahoma City • Type of institution: Two-yearcollege • Emphasis: Transfer and tech-nical/occupational• Contact: Recruitment andAdmissions, 682-7580,www.occc.edu
Redlands CommunityCollege• El Reno • Type of institution: Two-yearcollege • Emphasis: General, transferand technical • Contact: 262-2552 or (866)415-6367, www.redlandscc.edu
University of Oklahoma• Norman • Type of institution: Compre-hensive four-year research uni-versity• Emphasis: Comprehensive • Contact: 325-2151 or (800)234-6868, www.go2.ou.edu
OU Health Sciences Center• Oklahoma City and Tulsa• Type of institution: Profes-sional, graduate and upper levelundergraduate• Emphasis: Medicine and
health careers• Contact: HSC student ser-vices, 271-2416, www.ouhsc.edu
Hillsdale Free Will BaptistCollege• Moore • Type of institution: Christianinstitution providing courses ofstudy leading to associate orbachelor’s degrees and masterof arts and ministry degrees • Emphasis: Arts and sciences,Christian vocational studies• Contact: Admissions, 912-9007 or 912-9000,www.hc.edu
Mid-America ChristianUniversity• Oklahoma City• Type of institution: Four-yearuniversity • Emphasis: Ministry and liber-al arts • Contact: Office of Admis-sions, 691-3800,www.macu.edu
Oklahoma ChristianUniversity• Oklahoma City • Type of institution: Four-yearuniversity • Emphasis: Liberal arts • Contact: Oklahoma ChristianUniversity Admissions, 425-
5050 or (800) 877- 5010, www. oc.edu
Oklahoma City University• Oklahoma City • Type of institution: Four-yearuniversity• Emphasis: Comprehensive;liberal arts core curriculum • Contact: Admissions, 208-5340 or (800) 633-7242,www.okcu.edu
Saint Paul School ofTheology at Oklahoma CityUniversityI Oklahoma City • Type of institution: Graduate • Emphasis: Theological educa-tion• Contact: 208-5757,www.spst.edu
Southern NazareneUniversity• Bethany; branch in Tulsa • Type of institution: Four-yearuniversity• Emphasis: Liberal arts • Contact: 491-6324 or (800)648-9899, www.snu.edu
Southwestern ChristianUniversity• Bethany • Type of institution: Four-yearcollege
• Emphasis: Liberal arts • Contact: Admissions Office,789-7661, ext. 3420,www.swcu.edu
Embry-Riddle AeronauticalUniversity• Oklahoma City, Altus, VanceAir Force Base • Type of institution: Classroomand distance learning center• Emphasis: Aeronautics, edu-cation, technology, manage-ment, operations, safety, hu-man factors • Contact: Admissions, Okla-homa City, 739-0397; Altus,(580) 481-5991; Vance, (580)213-7320, www.erau.edu
University of Phoenix• Oklahoma City, Norman andTulsa • Type of institution: Fast trackdegree program • Emphasis: Bachelor’s, mas-ter’s and doctoral; professionalcertificates • Contact: Admissions, 842-8007 or (918) 622-4877www.phoenix.edu
Oklahoma BaptistUniversity• Shawnee • Type of institution:Four-year university • Emphasis: Liberal arts • Contact: Admissionsoffice, 878-2033 or (800)654-3285, www.ok-bu.edu/admissions
Rose State College• Midwest City • Type of institution:Two-year college • Emphasis: Associate inarts, science or appliedscience and one-yearcertificates • Contact: Prospectivestudent services, 733-7372, www.rose.edu
University of CentralOklahoma• Edmond • Type of institution:Four-year university andmaster’s programs • Emphasis: Arts, mediaand design, businessadministration, educa-tion, liberal arts, mathe-matics and science, grad-uate studies and research • Contact: UCO Prospec-tive Student Services/Scholarships, 974-2727,www.ucok.edu
St. Gregory’sUniversity• Shawnee• Type of institution:Four-year university• Emphasis: Liberal arts • Contact: Office of Ad-missions, 878-5444 or(888) 784-7347,www.stgregorys.edu
Oklahoma StateUniversity — Tulsa• Type of institution: OSUbranch offering undergrad-uate and graduate degrees • Emphasis: business,engineering, liberal arts,education, aviation, earlychildhood development,elementary education,journalism and broad-casting, health and humanperformance. computerscience • Contact: (918) 594-8355or (918) 594-8000,www.osu-tulsa.okstate.edu
Tulsa CommunityCollege• Type of institution:Two-year college• Emphasis: Programsdesigned to transfer andwork force developmentprograms • Contact: (918) 595-7834,www.tulsacc.edu
Spartan College ofAeronautics andTechnology• Type of institution:Technical college offeringdiplomas and associate ofapplied science degreesand bachelor’s degree. • Emphasis: Aviation andrelated technical training• Contact: (800) 331-1204,www.spartan.edu
University of Tulsa• Type of institution: Four-year comprehensiveuniversity• Emphasis: Preprofessional and professionalpreparation • Contact: (918) 631-2307 or (800) 331-3050,www.utulsa.edu
Oral Roberts University• Type of institution: Four-year university• Emphasis: Liberal arts • Contact: (918) 495-6518 or (800) 678-8876,www.oru.edu
Phillips Theological Seminary• Type of institution: Graduate • Emphasis: Theological education • Contact: (918) 610-8303, www.ptstulsa.edu
Oklahoma City-area colleges and universities14W SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
Tulsa-area colleges and universities
The Case Athletic Complex overlooking SkellyField at the University of Tulsa.
OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO
PHOTO BY STEVE GOOCH, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER,THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 15WOUTLOOK VISIONARIES | EDUCATION & CAREERS
Since the advent of theDonald W. Reynolds Gov-ernor’s Cup six years ago,the collegiate businessplan competition hasawarded nearly $900,000in cash, and $250,000 ofin-kind commercializa-tion services.
About $30,000 inscholarships and $80,000in paid fellowships havebeen earned by some of themore than 800 studentswho have tested their en-trepreneurial skills.
More than 26 campusesacross the state have par-ticipated, and schools havebuilt entrepreneurshipclasses around the compe-tition as they seek to selectthe best participants. Theevent also has helped es-tablish relationships
across those schools’ dis-ciplines such as market-ing, business, engineeringand finance.
The competition hashelped create and boostmore than 220 innovativeideas.
Perhaps most impres-sively, the Governor’s Cupevent has launched morethan 15 entrepreneurialOklahoma companies.
Among the diverse en-terprises that emergedfrom the competition arePreDent, which is devel-oping a treatment to pre-vent periodontal disease insmall animals, and Xplo-safe of Stillwater, whichproduces a nanotechnolo-gy-based ink that changescolor after detecting cer-tain explosives.
Fitness Fulfillmentmakes a mobile traineremploying digital technol-ogy to guide consumers
through personalized ex-ercise routines and thentracks their workout histo-ry for them.
Innovative Solutionsproposes to commercializea patent-pending intrave-nous IV and syringe to cre-ate a solution to a long-standing problem of sys-tems that expose healthcare workers to blood-borne illnesses and pa-tients to infection.
In addition, Governor’sCup alumni have gone onto take leadership posi-tions in ongoing business-es such as Amethyst Re-search Inc. in Ardmore,Mintiva in Oklahoma Cityand Impact Technologiesin Tulsa.
This year’s competitionincludes more innovativeideas, including the use ofhuman hair to strengthenconcrete in areas such asHaiti that lack other
strengthening materials;health care concepts thatinclude both therapeuticsand devices to assist bothhealth care providers andpatients; technology to re-duce the time orthodonticpatients must wear bracesby speeding up the processof realigning teeth; a wa-ter-softening product thatprevents the release of saltinto groundwater; and en-ergy proposals, some ofwhich focus on aspects ofwind energy while anotherproposes enhanced meth-ods using nanotechnologyto bring oil up from maturefields.
The competition is un-derwritten by the DonaldW. Reynolds Foundation,along with support fromother local sources. It ismanaged by i2E, the not-for-profit corporation thatmentors many of thestate’s technology-based
startup companies.Two new awards are be-
ing presented at this year’scompetition. The OG&EPositive Energy Award is a$5,000 award to the teamwhose business plan pro-poses the best use of ener-gy generation or energystorage, delivery or otherinnovative uses of energy.That team’s faculty adviseralso will be awarded$2,000.
The Al Tuttle BusinessIncubation Award pro-vides one graduate-levelteam business incubationspace and services free forone year.
This year’s winners willadvance to the Tri-Statecompetition in Las Vegasto compete against theircounterparts in Arkansasand Nevada in mid-May.Oklahoma teams havebrought home $90,000from that event — half the
prize money that has beenawarded.
i2E President and CEOTom Walker said the com-petition is designed to rec-ognize and advance Okla-homa’s next generation ofentrepreneurs.
“It’s an exciting time fortechnology-based eco-nomic development as wewitness the emergence offuture business leadersthrough this competition,”Walker said.
Blaine Pinard, a University of Oklahoma student, pitches his team’s ideas during the Innovation Awards portion of the 2009 Governor’s Cupat the Bricktown Coca-Cola Event Center in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE
Governor’s Cup rewards innovation
AT A GLANCEStudent-assistedstartups that haveemerged from theDonald W. Rey-nolds Governor’sCup:I Digital NativeLearning, NormanI EZ Vein, OklahomaCityI Hexakit, OklahomaCityI Innovative Solu-tions, Oklahoma CityI LiveClassTech-.com, Oklahoma CityI Medtrieval, Okla-homa CityI Nantiox, OklahomaCityI Secure Analytics,StillwaterI Synthesized NanoCoatings, NormanI Xplosafe, Still-waterI Zero Point Solu-tions, Tulsa
Oklahoma City Univer-sity Law School DeanLawrence K. Hellman isworking tirelessly to openthe Oklahoma InnocenceClinic this fall.
He’s helped law schoolfaculty identify and hire anew director for the clinic,and in June he will retire asdean of the law school so hecan turn most of his energyto fundraising for the clinic.
The Innocence Clinic,one of 50 in the nation, willwork to identify and over-turn wrongful convictionsin the state. It is part of thenational Innocence Pro-ject, a nonprofit litigationand public policy organi-zation dedicated to exon-erating wrongfully con-victed people throughDNA testing and reform-ing the criminal justicesystem to prevent futureinjustice.
“This is something ev-eryone can feel good aboutgetting behind,” Hellmansaid. “No one wants an in-nocent person to be in pris-on. That includes prosecu-tors and defenders alike.
Oklahoma, with 18wrongful convictions, isamong the top 10 states inthe nation in knownwrongful convictions ofinnocent people, MadelinedeLone, executive directorof the New York-based In-nocence Project, said dur-ing a recent visit to Okla-homa City.
She said those wrong-fully convicted spent anaverage of 13 years in pris-on, with some incarcerat-ed as long as 32 years.
Hellman said it’s beendocumented that 2.3 per-cent of the 7,534 peoplewho were convicted andsentenced to death in theU.S. between 1973 and
2004 subsequently havebeen found to be innocent.That figure is just for deathpenalty cases. If the samemath were to apply to non-capital cases, he said, thatwould mean 53,000 of the2.3 million people current-ly in prison in the U.S. areactually innocent.
New directorIn March, the law school
announced Tiffany Mur-phy had been hired as di-rector of the state clinic.Murphy previously was le-gal director for the Mid-western Innocence Projectin Kansas City, and a fac-ulty member of the Uni-versity of Missouri at Kan-sas City and the Universityof Missouri at Columbia.
Hellman first met Mur-phy in 2008 when he wasin the beginning stages ofplanning for an InnocenceClinic at OCU.
“I was very impressedwith her,” he said.
Hellman said Murphycomes with both trial andpost-conviction experi-ence, having representeddeath row inmates in anumber of states. She alsohas clinical teaching expe-rience, has organized aclinic and established acase-intake system, andhas raised funds.
“It will give us a hugeadvantage in getting our
program started and up tospeed very quickly to haveher,” Hellman said.
Building a foundationHellman himself has
been instrumental in rais-ing more than $1.5 millionto open and sustain theclinic for its first five years,but fundraising is a never-ending job, he said.
“We want to not onlysustain it indefinitely butalso build it into a robustproject that will be able toaccommodate more stu-dents and free more inno-cent people,” he said.
In addition, Hellmanhas joined the recentlyformed Oklahoma JusticeCommission, chaired byformer state AttorneyGeneral Drew Edmond-son. The group’s firstmeeting was in February.
Hellman said while itwill be the mission of theclinic to look backward atrighting wrongful convic-tions, it will be the job ofthe justice commission tolook forward to make rec-ommendations on how thecriminal justice system canbe improved to reduce thelikelihood that the kinds ofmistakes made in the pastwill be made in the future.
OCU’s Law School istaking enrollments fromstudents this spring for theclinic. Enrollment is limit-ed to eight students per se-mester and is only forthird-year law students,Hellman said. “I expectthere will be many morestudents applying for theclinic than there is roomfor,” Hellman said.
“Just about every pros-pective student that I’vetalked to has mentionedthe Innocence Clinicamong the reasons they arereally hopeful they get ad-mitted to OCU,” he said.
CONTRIBUTING: STAFF WRITERDIANA BALDWIN
Dean is fighting to overturnstate’s wrongful convictionsBY TRICIA PEMBERTONStaff [email protected]
Lawrence K. Hellman
LAWRENCE K. HELLMAN | OCU LAW SCHOOL DEAN
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