Oklahoma City University
Encyclopedia
Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban
, private university
historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church
. It is located in the midtown district of Oklahoma City
, Oklahoma
.
The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degree
s, graduate master's degree
s and doctoral degrees, organized into eight colleges and schools and one Methodist seminary. Students can major in more than 70 undergraduate majors, 17 graduate degrees, including a JD
, MBA and PhD
in Nursing, and an Adult Studies Program for working adults to earn a Bachelor of Science
or Bachelor of Arts
degree. The university has approximately 4,000 students, including 1,600 graduate students. OCU has a large student life network including athletics, honor societies, clubs and student organizations, and fraternities and sororities. OCU athletic teams are known as the Stars. The University competes as a member NAIA
within the Sooner Athletic Conference
. The official school and athletic colors are blue
and white
. Alumni and former students have gone on to prominent careers in government and law, business, education, sports, arts, and entertainment.
Epworth closed in 1911 after the school ran into financial difficulties. At the same time the church formed Oklahoma Methodist University in Guthrie, Oklahoma
. After a few year the school's trustees developed a plan to close the school in Guthrie and relocate to Oklahoma City
. The school opened in Oklahoma City as Oklahoma City College in 1922 from funding from the Methodist congregations, and some faculty from the defunct Fort Worth University. After the college opened it experienced rapid growth and changed its name to Oklahoma City University in 1924. Despite the success and growth of the university in the 1920s, OCU again fell on hard time during the Great Depression
.
creating new challenges for the university, especially the university's mounting debt and need for new facilities. The War created a decline in the student body, especially in males who left school to enlist in the military. By 1942 the student body was 75 percent female. This created a shortage of players and funds causing many of the athletic programs, such as the football team, to end operations. Following the war enrollment increased dramatically and the university began a period of rapid development through the remainder of the 1940s. In the 1950s OCU received accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The University then took control of the Oklahoma City College of Law and began a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
to elevate the academics and the quality of education. The Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel was dedicated in 1968 as part of a plan to expand OCU's spiritual life.
In the mid 1970s after nearly 25 years of steady growth the university again fell on hard times. In 1976 Methodist Bishop Paul Milhouse discussed the school's issues to the Annual Conference of Oklahoma Methodist churches in Tulsa
. After requesting that people direct their prayers and pledges to the University by 1980 the Methodist Church had raised more than $3 million. Jerald Walker, an OCU alumnus became president in 1979 and continued the university's growth stemming from the financial support from the Church. During his tenure as president facilities were improved, new academic programs were started and enrollment increased again. In 1981 it was announced that the university was out of debt and turned a profit for the first time since 1975. The university added the School of Religion and the nursing program during the 1980s.
, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
, became the university's 17th president in July 2010, succeeding Tom McDaniel.
. It is located near the on Oklahoma State Capitol
in central Oklahoma City, The Plaza District, the Paseo Arts District
, and the LGBT
district. Prominent campus buildings include the Gold Star Memorial Building (law library), Clara Jones Administration Building, Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel, Sarkeys Law Center, Edith Kinney Gaylord
Center (housing the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management), Kirkpatrick Fines Arts Building, Dulaney-Browne Library, McDaniel University Center, Meinders School of Business and Henry K. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. The 38 million dollar state-of-the-art 113000 sq ft (10,498 m²) Wanda L. Bass Music Center was opened in April, 2006. OCU opened a 52000 sq ft (4,831 m²) addition to the Kramer School of Nursing in January 2011, the addition quadruples the size of the nursing school. The Kerr-McGee
Centennial Plaza on the southeast corner of the campus was constructed in 2004 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of OCU. The plaza features a bronze statue honoring OCU's three Miss America
pageant winners. In the first decade of the 21st century, OCU completed more than $100 million in new campus construction.
Oklahoma United Methodist Hall (formerly Centennial Hall) is a coed facility for freshmen and upper-class students, and includes an underground parking structure. Banning Hall provides coed housing for freshmen and upper-class honors students. Smith Hall houses only men and Walker Hall, OCU’s only high-rise dorm at seven stories, offers housing for freshmen and upperclass women. Draper Hall is OCU's coed law and graduate hall, offering private rooms and an optional meal plan. There are two apartment complexes on campus available to upperclass students only. A small number of students live in the two fraternity houses located just off campus University Manor consists of one-bedroom units with single or double occupancy. Cokesbury Court offers residential hall-type living in separate apartment units.
. OCU is the only Oklahoma institution listed in the top tier of the master level university category by U.S. News and World Report Magazine's "America's Best Colleges" issue. It is currently ranked 23rd among Master's Universities in the West region.
OCU is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
. In addition the nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music
, montessori education program accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, and the law school accredited by the American Bar Association
.
programs in nursing, and the Adult Studies Program for working adults to earn a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree. The school also offers numerous pre-professional degrees, one such degree track is the Oxford Plan; successful participants qualify for preferred admission to the School of Law and participants with an LSAT score of 155 or higher and an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher are guaranteed admission to the School of Law. In 2009 OCU launched its first doctoral programs in the university's history. OCU offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice and the Ph.D. in Nursing through the Kramer School of Nursing.
OCU also provides opportunities for further education with service learning components across the curriculum; a University Honors Program; OCULEADS, a freshman scholarship and leadership development program; a partnership with The Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program (OSLEP), an intercollegiate, interdisciplinary program; a Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature; and numerous study abroad programs.
or TUFE, in Tianjin
China. The GW-MBA Program was one of the first programs of its kind in the country and has graduated over 700 students since it's inception. As a joint program it has been recognized for excellence by the Degree Committee of the State Council and the Chinese Government. While started, primarily, as a program for Chinese students, in 2006 OCU inducted the first international class consisting of Chinese & American students. The following year saw the addition of Korean students and by 2008 the student body consisted of participants from the US, China, Korea, Italy and Canada.
, renowned professor of voice; composer Dr Edward Knight
; Marvel Williamson
; Fritz Kiersch
, the director of the film Children of the Corn, and Paul William Milhouse
, Bishop in Residence, 1980–91.
Oklahoma City University athletes participate in the NAIA
and Sooner Athletic Conference
. Both men's and women's teams are nicknamed the Stars, formerly known as the Chiefs from 1944 until 1999 and the Methodists from 1904 until 1944. Under McDaniel the number of athletic teams doubled to 22. OCU is represented by "Starsky" the Ram; "Starsky" is inspired by the celestial lore surrounding the creation of OCU. OCU currently competes in baseball
, men's and women's basketball
, collegiate cheerleading
and pom, men's and women's rowing
, men's and women's wrestling
, men's and women's golf
, men's and women's soccer
, softball
and women's volleyball
. OCU teams have won 38 National Championships since 1988. A member of the NCAA up until 1984-1985, OCU made the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
tournament 11 times and the National Invitation Tournament
twice as an independent. In 1984-1985 OCU won the Midwestern City Conference
baseball championship and made NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
tournament before moving to the NAIA the next year. Its tradition spans the glory days of legendary coaches Abe Lemons
, Paul Hansen, and Doyle Parrack
to the most recent 2010 National Championships in Women's wrestling. OCU has been ranked in the top 10 in the NACD Director's Cup rankings from 1997 through 2010, including a top finish in 2001-02. More than 300,000 people attend athletic or other events hosted by OCU Athletics each year including more than 50,000 who attend the OCU Head of the Oklahoma Regatta
, the largest rowing
event of its kind in the region.
, Nobel prize winner Elie Wiesel
, author Kurt Vonnegut
, playwright Edward Albee
, researcher Jane Goodall
, Rabbi
Harold Kushner
, Sister
Helen Prejean
, educator and author Jonathan Kozol
, Poets Laureate
Ted Kooser
and Billy Collins
, civil rights attorney Morris Dees
, journalists Helen Thomas
and George Will
, U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
, environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and politician Karen Hughes
.
A Wellness Program and Outdoor Adventures Program provide numerous opportunities for student activity such as pilates
, yoga
, traditional aerobics classes and self-defense, as well as hiking
, bicycling, camping
, horseback riding and sailing
. A resource center and gear checkout are provided on campus. Intramural sports are a popular activity, with over 35 different sports available in league and tournament play and both coed and single gender teams. Students have access to a full size exercise facility, the Aduddel Center, located next to Centennial Hall.
The university's high number of international students add to a culture of diversity. Many of the international students are seeking graduate degrees. The university has a reciprocal program with a university in Singapore; professors and students teach and study in Singapore and vice versa. The Office of Multicultural Affairs maintains organizations such as: Black Student Association, Hispanic Student Association, Native American Society, and the Asian American Student Association. The office also maintains foreign student associations such as the Indian Student Association, Korean Student Association, Chinese Student Association.
The student body is represented by the Student Government Association, or SGA (formerly Student Senate). The OCU SGA consists of the Executive Branch, which includes the president and his staff and manages SGA; the Student Senate, which allots monies to student organizations and hears legislation; the Student Activities Committee, which oversees Homecoming and special events; the Judicial Branch, which deal with student disciplinary issues. The elections for SGA are held in April with special elections for freshman in the fall.
Oklahoma City University has nearly 60 active student organizations. Focuses of these organizations range from ethnic to political, religious to special interests. Organizations often have office space inside the Student Government Association Office in the Union. The list below is only a selection of campus organizations.
The Oklahoma City University Film Institute offers the campus and Oklahoma City community the opportunity to view eight to ten classic international films per year. Written materials on the theme and films is available at each screening and the screenings are followed by a discussion of the film. The film series has been presented each year since 1982.
, Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Phi
, Gamma Phi Beta
) sororities; Kappa Sigma
, Lambda Chi Alpha
, Phi Gamma Delta
fraternities. OCU is also home to many other non-traditional Greek organizations such as two National Interfraternity Music Council
organizations, Sigma Alpha Iota
and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
; One local Christian fraternity, Delta Alpha Chi; and Kappa Phi, a national Christian women's organization. OCU also has numerous professional fraternities and sororities such as Phi Alpha Delta
, and the original chapter of Beta Beta Beta.
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
, private university
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
. It is located in the midtown district of Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s, graduate master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s and doctoral degrees, organized into eight colleges and schools and one Methodist seminary. Students can major in more than 70 undergraduate majors, 17 graduate degrees, including a JD
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
, MBA and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Nursing, and an Adult Studies Program for working adults to earn a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
or Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree. The university has approximately 4,000 students, including 1,600 graduate students. OCU has a large student life network including athletics, honor societies, clubs and student organizations, and fraternities and sororities. OCU athletic teams are known as the Stars. The University competes as a member NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
within the Sooner Athletic Conference
Sooner Athletic Conference
The Sooner Athletic Conference is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . Its 12 member institutions are located in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas....
. The official school and athletic colors are blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
and white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
. Alumni and former students have gone on to prominent careers in government and law, business, education, sports, arts, and entertainment.
History
Early history
Oklahoma City University began as Epworth University by local developer Anton Classen in the early 1900s. Classen was looking to begin a Methodist university on conjunction with other development projects he worked on. Construction of the school began in 1902 and it opened in 1904 with 100 students. Anton Classen was heavily involved with development of early Oklahoma City and advanced the idea of a Methodist university in Oklahoma and helped spark the ideas of the Methodist Church to establish a Methodist university in Oklahoma. Construction began in 1902 and classes started in 1904 with enrollment growing by almost 100 students during that first year.Epworth closed in 1911 after the school ran into financial difficulties. At the same time the church formed Oklahoma Methodist University in Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
. After a few year the school's trustees developed a plan to close the school in Guthrie and relocate to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
. The school opened in Oklahoma City as Oklahoma City College in 1922 from funding from the Methodist congregations, and some faculty from the defunct Fort Worth University. After the college opened it experienced rapid growth and changed its name to Oklahoma City University in 1924. Despite the success and growth of the university in the 1920s, OCU again fell on hard time during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
Post war era
Dr. Cluster Smith became president of Oklahoma City University after the Great Depression. At the same time the United States entered World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
creating new challenges for the university, especially the university's mounting debt and need for new facilities. The War created a decline in the student body, especially in males who left school to enlist in the military. By 1942 the student body was 75 percent female. This created a shortage of players and funds causing many of the athletic programs, such as the football team, to end operations. Following the war enrollment increased dramatically and the university began a period of rapid development through the remainder of the 1940s. In the 1950s OCU received accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The University then took control of the Oklahoma City College of Law and began a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
to elevate the academics and the quality of education. The Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel was dedicated in 1968 as part of a plan to expand OCU's spiritual life.
In the mid 1970s after nearly 25 years of steady growth the university again fell on hard times. In 1976 Methodist Bishop Paul Milhouse discussed the school's issues to the Annual Conference of Oklahoma Methodist churches in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. After requesting that people direct their prayers and pledges to the University by 1980 the Methodist Church had raised more than $3 million. Jerald Walker, an OCU alumnus became president in 1979 and continued the university's growth stemming from the financial support from the Church. During his tenure as president facilities were improved, new academic programs were started and enrollment increased again. In 1981 it was announced that the university was out of debt and turned a profit for the first time since 1975. The university added the School of Religion and the nursing program during the 1980s.
Recent history
In the 1990s the university upgraded and renovated campus facilities. Stephen Jennings became president in 1998 and began focusing on the university's centennial celebration and position the university for the future. Under Jennings the athletic name was changed from the Chiefs to the Stars and the university expanded student life, including the Distinguished Speakers Series. Tom McDaniel became president in 2001 and drastically altered the look of the OCU campus from an influx of donations new additions to the campus included The Ann Lacy Visitor and Admissions Center, the Norick Art Center, the Edith Kinney Gaylord Center, the Wanda L. Bass School of Music, Meinders School of Business, and a new residence hall. Robert Harlan HenryRobert Harlan Henry
See also Robert Henry Robert Harlan Henry is a former U.S. judge and politician from Oklahoma, and President of Oklahoma City University since July, 2010.-Biography:...
, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Colorado* District of Kansas...
, became the university's 17th president in July 2010, succeeding Tom McDaniel.
Campus
The 104 acre (0.42087344 km²) campus lies immediately west of the Asia DistrictAsia District
Oklahoma City's Asia District, also known as the Asian District, is the center of Asian culture and International cuisine and commerce in the state of Oklahoma...
. It is located near the on Oklahoma State Capitol
Oklahoma State Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature, and the meeting place of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. The present structure includes a dome that was...
in central Oklahoma City, The Plaza District, the Paseo Arts District
Paseo Arts District
The Paseo Arts District was built in 1929 as the first commercial shopping district north of Downtown Oklahoma City by Oklahoman G.A. Nichols .Paseo has undergone transformations; currently, the Paseo is enjoying a renaissance since the 1980s...
, and the LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
district. Prominent campus buildings include the Gold Star Memorial Building (law library), Clara Jones Administration Building, Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel, Sarkeys Law Center, Edith Kinney Gaylord
Edith Kinney Gaylord
Edith Kinney Gaylord , also referred to as Edith Gaylord Harper, was born March 5, 1916 in Oklahoma City to parents Inez and E. K. Gaylord. Her father was editor and publisher of The Oklahoman and The Oklahoma City Times...
Center (housing the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management), Kirkpatrick Fines Arts Building, Dulaney-Browne Library, McDaniel University Center, Meinders School of Business and Henry K. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. The 38 million dollar state-of-the-art 113000 sq ft (10,498 m²) Wanda L. Bass Music Center was opened in April, 2006. OCU opened a 52000 sq ft (4,831 m²) addition to the Kramer School of Nursing in January 2011, the addition quadruples the size of the nursing school. The Kerr-McGee
Kerr-McGee
The Kerr-McGee Corporation, founded in 1929, was an energy company involved in the exploration and production of oil and gas. On June 23, 2006, Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corporation agreed to acquire Kerr-McGee in an all-cash transaction totaling $16.5 billion plus the assumption of $2.6...
Centennial Plaza on the southeast corner of the campus was constructed in 2004 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of OCU. The plaza features a bronze statue honoring OCU's three Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant winners. In the first decade of the 21st century, OCU completed more than $100 million in new campus construction.
Housing
Housing options on the campus of Oklahoma City University include single-gender and coed dormitories, and apartments. There are also various off-campus ranging from boarding houses and flats in the Asia District and 39th Street, to apartment complexes and rental houses in Uptown and the Plaza District.Oklahoma United Methodist Hall (formerly Centennial Hall) is a coed facility for freshmen and upper-class students, and includes an underground parking structure. Banning Hall provides coed housing for freshmen and upper-class honors students. Smith Hall houses only men and Walker Hall, OCU’s only high-rise dorm at seven stories, offers housing for freshmen and upperclass women. Draper Hall is OCU's coed law and graduate hall, offering private rooms and an optional meal plan. There are two apartment complexes on campus available to upperclass students only. A small number of students live in the two fraternity houses located just off campus University Manor consists of one-bedroom units with single or double occupancy. Cokesbury Court offers residential hall-type living in separate apartment units.
Campus safety
OCU maintains a full-time on-campus police force in order to ensure a safe campus. In addition to normal duties and patrols, OCUPD are available to escort any student after dark. In addition 18 emergency call stations are strategically scattered throughout the campus providing immediate access to campus security.Academics
The university is classified as a Master’s college and university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher EducationCarnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is a framework for classifying, or grouping, colleges and universities in the United States. The primary purpose of the framework is for educational research and analysis, where it is often important to identify groups of roughly...
. OCU is the only Oklahoma institution listed in the top tier of the master level university category by U.S. News and World Report Magazine's "America's Best Colleges" issue. It is currently ranked 23rd among Master's Universities in the West region.
OCU is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
. In addition the nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music
National Association of Schools of Music
The National Association of Schools of Music is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music...
, montessori education program accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, and the law school accredited by the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
.
Colleges and schools
- Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management
- Kramer School of Nursing
- Meinders School of BusinessMeinders School of BusinessThe Meinders School of Business is the business school for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students at the Oklahoma City University. The Meinders School of Business is a college at Oklahoma City University. It offers traditional undergraduate and graduate degrees in most business...
- School of Theatre
- Oklahoma City University School of LawOklahoma City University School of LawOklahoma City University School of Law, also known as OCU Law, is one of the professional graduate schools of Oklahoma City University. OCU Law is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and was founded in 1907...
- Petree College of Arts & Sciences
- Wanda L. Bass School of MusicWanda L. Bass School of MusicThe Wanda L Bass School of Music is a College at Oklahoma City University. It offers several degrees including; a BM, MM, and a BA in several areas of Music...
- Wimberly School of Religion and Graduate Theological Center
Degree programs
OCU offers more than 70 undergraduate majors; 17 graduate degrees, including a law degree and the M.B.A.), two Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
programs in nursing, and the Adult Studies Program for working adults to earn a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree. The school also offers numerous pre-professional degrees, one such degree track is the Oxford Plan; successful participants qualify for preferred admission to the School of Law and participants with an LSAT score of 155 or higher and an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher are guaranteed admission to the School of Law. In 2009 OCU launched its first doctoral programs in the university's history. OCU offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice and the Ph.D. in Nursing through the Kramer School of Nursing.
OCU also provides opportunities for further education with service learning components across the curriculum; a University Honors Program; OCULEADS, a freshman scholarship and leadership development program; a partnership with The Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program (OSLEP), an intercollegiate, interdisciplinary program; a Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature; and numerous study abroad programs.
Great Wall MBA Program
In 1986 OCU instituted the Great Wall MBA Program in conjunction with Tianjin University of Finance & EconomicsTianjin University of Finance & Economics
Tianjin University of Finance and Economics is a university in Tianjin, China.Tianjin University of Finance and Economics was founded in 1958, is one of the earliest universities offering applied economics and business administration in P.R.China...
or TUFE, in Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
China. The GW-MBA Program was one of the first programs of its kind in the country and has graduated over 700 students since it's inception. As a joint program it has been recognized for excellence by the Degree Committee of the State Council and the Chinese Government. While started, primarily, as a program for Chinese students, in 2006 OCU inducted the first international class consisting of Chinese & American students. The following year saw the addition of Korean students and by 2008 the student body consisted of participants from the US, China, Korea, Italy and Canada.
Faculty
More than 78 percent of OCU faculty members hold terminal degrees in their fields. All classes are taught by professors, and not graduate assistants. Student to faculty ratio is 13:1 and the average class size is 16 for freshmen and 12 for upperclassmen. Notable faculty include: Florence BirdwellFlorence Birdwell
Florence Gillam Birdwell is an American educator, musician, and singer, who has taught musical theater and opera singing to thousands of voice students over a six-decade career, continuing today as professor of voice at the Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University.Born in Arizona, Birdwell...
, renowned professor of voice; composer Dr Edward Knight
Edward Knight (composer)
Edward Knight is an American composer. His work eschews easy classification, moving freely between jazz, theatrical and concert worlds.-Background:...
; Marvel Williamson
Marvel Williamson
Dr. Marvel Williamson is currently Dean of the Kramer School of Nursing at Oklahoma City University.-Academia:...
; Fritz Kiersch
Fritz Kiersch
Fritz Kiersch, real name George Keith Kiersch is an American filmmaker, writer and producer. He is best known for directing the horror classic, Children of the Corn and Tuff Turf.- Director :...
, the director of the film Children of the Corn, and Paul William Milhouse
Paul William Milhouse
Paul William Milhouse was an American Bishop of the Evangelical United Brethren Church , elected in 1960. When he died at the age of 94 he was the last surviving U.M. Bishop elected by the E.U.B...
, Bishop in Residence, 1980–91.
Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
and Sooner Athletic Conference
Sooner Athletic Conference
The Sooner Athletic Conference is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . Its 12 member institutions are located in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas....
. Both men's and women's teams are nicknamed the Stars, formerly known as the Chiefs from 1944 until 1999 and the Methodists from 1904 until 1944. Under McDaniel the number of athletic teams doubled to 22. OCU is represented by "Starsky" the Ram; "Starsky" is inspired by the celestial lore surrounding the creation of OCU. OCU currently competes in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, collegiate cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
and pom, men's and women's rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, men's and women's wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, men's and women's golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, men's and women's soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
and women's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. OCU teams have won 38 National Championships since 1988. A member of the NCAA up until 1984-1985, OCU made the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
tournament 11 times and the National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
twice as an independent. In 1984-1985 OCU won the Midwestern City Conference
Horizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....
baseball championship and made NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
The NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament is held each year from May through June and features 64 college baseball teams in the United States, culminating in the College World Series....
tournament before moving to the NAIA the next year. Its tradition spans the glory days of legendary coaches Abe Lemons
Abe Lemons
Abe Lemons was one of the most successful head basketball coaches in Oklahoma history.Lemons grew up in the town of Walters, Oklahoma. He served in World War II in the Pacific and often referred to the pressures of his war experience to put sports pressures into perspective...
, Paul Hansen, and Doyle Parrack
Doyle Parrack
Doyle Parrack was an American basketball player and coach.Parrck was born in Cotton County, Oklahoma, and played basketball at Oklahoma A&M University, where he won an NCAA Championship in 1945. He played one season of professional for the Chicago Stags of the NBA, then became a coach at Oklahoma...
to the most recent 2010 National Championships in Women's wrestling. OCU has been ranked in the top 10 in the NACD Director's Cup rankings from 1997 through 2010, including a top finish in 2001-02. More than 300,000 people attend athletic or other events hosted by OCU Athletics each year including more than 50,000 who attend the OCU Head of the Oklahoma Regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
, the largest rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
event of its kind in the region.
Campus life
Opportunities for cultural enrichment and entertainment on the OCU campus include concerts, play performances, operas, films, sporting events, and seminars by world-renowned speakers and business leaders. Guest speakers at OCU have included Archbishop Desmond TutuDesmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
, Nobel prize winner Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
, author Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
, playwright Edward Albee
Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
, researcher Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
, Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Harold Kushner
Harold Kushner
Rabbi Harold Samuel Kushner is a prominent American rabbi aligned with the progressive wing of Conservative Judaism, and a popular author.- Education :...
, Sister
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille aka Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Bourg is a Roman Catholic congregation of women.Its forebearer, the The Congregation of Sisters of Saint Joseph was started in Le Puy, France by the Jesuit Jean Paul Médaille and accepted by the bishop, Mgr....
Helen Prejean
Helen Prejean
Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., is a Roman Catholic religious sister, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, who has become a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.-Death row ministry:...
, educator and author Jonathan Kozol
Jonathan Kozol
Jonathan Kozol is a non-fiction writer, educator, and activist, best known for his books on public education in the United States. Kozol graduated from Noble and Greenough School in 1954, and Harvard University summa cum laude in 1958 with a degree in English Literature. He was awarded a Rhodes...
, Poets Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
Ted Kooser
Ted Kooser
Ted Kooser is an American poet. He served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004 to 2006.-Early Life:...
and Billy Collins
Billy Collins
Billy Collins is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York and is the Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Winter Park Institute, Florida...
, civil rights attorney Morris Dees
Morris Dees
Morris Seligman Dees, Jr. is the co-founder and chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center , and a former direct mail marketeer for book publishing. Along with his law partner, Joseph J...
, journalists Helen Thomas
Helen Thomas
Helen Thomas is an American author and former news service reporter, member of the White House Press Corps and opinion columnist. She worked for the United Press and post-1958 successor United Press International for 57 years, first as a correspondent, and later as White House bureau manager...
and George Will
George Will
George Frederick Will is an American newspaper columnist, journalist, and author. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winner best known for his conservative commentary on politics...
, U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
, environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and politician Karen Hughes
Karen Hughes
Karen Parfitt Hughes is the Global Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller. She served as the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State with the rank of ambassador. She resides in Austin, Texas.-Early life:Born in Paris, France, she is the daughter...
.
A Wellness Program and Outdoor Adventures Program provide numerous opportunities for student activity such as pilates
Pilates
Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
, yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, traditional aerobics classes and self-defense, as well as hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, bicycling, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, horseback riding and sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
. A resource center and gear checkout are provided on campus. Intramural sports are a popular activity, with over 35 different sports available in league and tournament play and both coed and single gender teams. Students have access to a full size exercise facility, the Aduddel Center, located next to Centennial Hall.
The university's high number of international students add to a culture of diversity. Many of the international students are seeking graduate degrees. The university has a reciprocal program with a university in Singapore; professors and students teach and study in Singapore and vice versa. The Office of Multicultural Affairs maintains organizations such as: Black Student Association, Hispanic Student Association, Native American Society, and the Asian American Student Association. The office also maintains foreign student associations such as the Indian Student Association, Korean Student Association, Chinese Student Association.
The student body is represented by the Student Government Association, or SGA (formerly Student Senate). The OCU SGA consists of the Executive Branch, which includes the president and his staff and manages SGA; the Student Senate, which allots monies to student organizations and hears legislation; the Student Activities Committee, which oversees Homecoming and special events; the Judicial Branch, which deal with student disciplinary issues. The elections for SGA are held in April with special elections for freshman in the fall.
Oklahoma City University has nearly 60 active student organizations. Focuses of these organizations range from ethnic to political, religious to special interests. Organizations often have office space inside the Student Government Association Office in the Union. The list below is only a selection of campus organizations.
The Oklahoma City University Film Institute offers the campus and Oklahoma City community the opportunity to view eight to ten classic international films per year. Written materials on the theme and films is available at each screening and the screenings are followed by a discussion of the film. The film series has been presented each year since 1982.
Traditions
OCU is a school full of traditions, the largest being Homecoming in the fall. Homecoming, which is a week long celebration, includes philanthropy events, concerts, floats and sporting events. More solemn traditions include Matriculation, where students are officially welcomed to OCU, freshman begin in the Administration Building where they touch a gold star they will again rub at commencement. Light the Campus is popular OCU event that community is invited to join in. The two part event includes fun activities for young children, food and singing; the next part of the event is a processional to the chapel for a formal service and the official lighting of the Christmas decorations and the Advent candle.Newspapers, magazines and other media
The Campus is the official student newspaper of Oklahoma City University, published weekly on Wednesdays, and updated more often at the Campus Online. It has served the students since 1907, and has won numerous awards. It is produced by Student Publications, a part of the school's mass communications department. The Constellation is the award-winning yearbook produced by Student Publications. The Mass Communications department also operates OCU Channel 22, which airs to on campus residents through Cox Cable; programming consists of volunteer newscasts, and material from broadcast courses. Students may also submit original art, photography, poetry and essays to the University's literary journal The Scarab and research to the undergraduate research journal Stellar.Greek life
Oklahoma City University's Greek life system constitutes approximately 20 percent of the undergraduate student population. Both of the IFC fraternities have small houses, however most members live in traditional on-campus housing. The university is home to various fraternities and sororities including Alpha Chi OmegaAlpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
, Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...
, Gamma Phi Beta
Gamma Phi Beta
Gamma Phi Beta is an international sorority that was founded on November 11, 1874, at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The term "sorority," meaning sisterhood, was coined for Gamma Phi Beta by Dr. Frank Smalley, a professor at Syracuse University.The four founders are Helen M. Dodge,...
) sororities; Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
, Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
, Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
fraternities. OCU is also home to many other non-traditional Greek organizations such as two National Interfraternity Music Council
National Interfraternity Music Council
The National Interfraternity Music Council is composed of the national or international presidents of seven music fraternities and meets annually to discuss matters of mutual interest.-Member Organizations:...
organizations, Sigma Alpha Iota
Sigma Alpha Iota
Sigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity for Women. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public...
and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
; One local Christian fraternity, Delta Alpha Chi; and Kappa Phi, a national Christian women's organization. OCU also has numerous professional fraternities and sororities such as Phi Alpha Delta
Phi Alpha Delta
ΦAΔ , or P.A.D., is the largest co-ed professional law fraternity in the United States of America. Phi Alpha Delta has members who are university students, law school students, lawyers, judges, senators, and even presidents. It was founded in 1902 and today has over 300,000 initiated members...
, and the original chapter of Beta Beta Beta.
Arts, entertainment and letters
- Sarah CoburnSarah CoburnSarah Coburn is an American operatic soprano.-Biography:Sarah Coburn was born in Petersburg, Virginia on August 4, 1977. She graduated from Oklahoma State University and received a Master of Music degree from Oklahoma City University, studying under Larry Wade Keller...
'84 - Operatic SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
for the Metropolitan OperaMetropolitan OperaThe Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
of New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... - Kristin ChenowethKristin ChenowethKristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
'90 - Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning actress, known for her roles in WickedWicked (musical)Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, The West Wing and Pushing DaisiesPushing DaisiesPushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations... - Chris HarrisonChris HarrisonChristopher Bryan "Chris" Harrison is an American television host, perhaps best known for his role as host of the ABC reality television dating show The Bachelor since 2002 and its spin-offs The Bachelorette since 2003 and Bachelor Pad in 2010...
'93 - TV personality, host of The Bachelor - Rana HusseiniRana HusseiniRana Husseini is an award-winning journalist and human rights activist who, from her home base in Jordan, has been instrumental in bringing the issue of honour crimes against women to public attention and for securing changes to the law in Jordan to bring stronger penalties for crimes of these...
'90 BA, '93 MLA-Award-winning journalist and human rights activist - Jane Jayroe '68 - Miss AmericaMiss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
of 1967 - Marquita Lister '85 - Operatic sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
for the Houston Grand OperaHouston Grand OperaHouston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell... - Stacey LoganStacey (Loach) LoganStacey Logan graduated from Oklahoma City University 1985 and has been in several Broadway shows, including Sweet Smell, Crazy for You, Beauty and the Beast, Hal Prince's revival of Candide, Big, and High Society. She also has been seen in shows at the famous Paper Mill Playhouse and on...
'85 - Broadway actress most famous for her role in Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (musical)Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical... - William Harjo LoneFightWilliam Harjo LoneFightDr. William Harjo LoneFight, , is President and CEO of American Native Services, a consulting firm in Bismarck, North Dakota.An alumnus of Dartmouth College, Oklahoma City University, and Stanford University, LoneFight has served on the Board of Directors of the American Indian College Fund,...
'91 - noted Native American author and expert in the revitalization of Native American Languages and Cultural Traditions - Chris MerrittChris MerrittChris Merritt is an opera singer. He studied piano, singing, dance and drama at Oklahoma City University where he made his first stage appearance in Jacques Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann in a university production. At age 21, he was accepted into the summer season Apprentice Program for...
'74 - operatic tenor - Leona MitchellLeona MitchellLeona Mitchell , is an African-American and Chickasaw operatic soprano and an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee....
'70 - operatic sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
for the Metropolitan OperaMetropolitan OperaThe Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
of New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Music Hall of FameOklahoma Music Hall of FameThe Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, located in Muskogee, Oklahoma, honors Oklahoma musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The induction ceremony and concert is held each year in Muskogee...
inductee - Cathy O'DonnellCathy O'DonnellCathy O'Donnell was an American actress, best known for her many roles in film-noir movies.-Early life:She was born Ann Steely in Siluria, Alabama...
'45 - actress most famous for her roles in Wonder ManWonder ManWonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
, They Live by NightThey Live by NightThey Live by Night is a film noir, based on Edward Anderson's Depression era novel Thieves Like Us. The film was directed by Nicholas Ray and starred Farley Granger as "Bowie" Bowers and Cathy O'Donnell as "Keechie" Mobley...
and Detective Story - Kelli O'HaraKelli O'HaraKelli O'Hara is an American actress, singer, and songwriter.O'Hara has been nominated for three Tony Awards: for her performance as Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza; for her performance as Babe Williams in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of The Pajama Game, where she starred...
'98 - Three-time Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominated actress - Susan Powell '84 - Miss AmericaMiss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
of 1981 - Hiram Sasser '99 - Legal/Business Journalist for the Wall Street Journal 2002–Present
- Shawntel SmithShawntel SmithShawntel Smith is an American beauty pageant contestant, who was Miss America in 1996. She was born in Muldrow, Oklahoma.-External links:*...
'00 - Miss AmericaMiss AmericaThe Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
of 1996 - Gerald SteichenGerald SteichenGerald Steichen is an American music conductor, pianist and stage actor.Steichen is one of the most versatile young conductors presently active. He holds music degrees from Oklahoma City University and from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles...
'86 - New York City OperaNew York City OperaThe New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
conductor for CatsCats (musical)Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
and The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,... - Lara TeeterLara TeeterLara Teeter is an American dancer, actor, singer, theatre director and college professor.Born in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Teeter earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklahoma City University. He made his Broadway debut in the short-lived 1980 musical Happy New Year, followed by another flop, the...
'76 - Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominated actor, theatre director, professor - Mason WilliamsMason WilliamsMason Williams is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his guitar instrumental "Classical Gas". He is also a comedy writer, known for his writing on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live...
'58 - Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
and Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning composer, writer; creator of Classical GasClassical Gas"Classical Gas" is an instrumental musical piece composed and originally performed by Mason Williams. Originally released in 1968 on the album The Mason Williams Phonograph Record, it has been re-recorded and re-released numerous times since by Williams...
Business and academia
- Andrew K. Benton '79 JD - President and CEOChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Pepperdine UniversityPepperdine UniversityPepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of... - Mark Y. A. Davies '88 - Dean of the Petree College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma City University, Co-Founder of Oikos, Inc.
- Craig GroeschelCraig GroeschelCraig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, a church with fourteen locations in five states. He is married with six children and lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, where LifeChurch.tv is based....
'91 - founder and senor pastor of LifeChurch.tvLifeChurch.tvLifeChurch.tv is an American evangelical multi-site church with multiple locations in five states. Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv.... - Nona M. Lee '95 JD - Vice President and general counsel of the Arizona DiamondbacksArizona DiamondbacksThe Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
Sports
- John BarfieldJohn BarfieldJohn David Barfield is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during three seasons at the Major League level for the Texas Rangers. He was drafted by the Rangers in the 11th round of the 1986 amateur draft...
- former MLB pitcher for the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have... - Susie BerningSusie BerningSusie Maxwell Berning is an American professional golfer.She was born Susie Maxwell in Pasadena, California. She was the first woman to receive a golf scholarship from Oklahoma City University, where she competed on the men's team and she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.She was 1964 Rookie...
- professional golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er on the LPGALPGAThe LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
tour with 4 major wins, and 12 total wins - Joseph Bisenius '04 - MLB pitcher for the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
- Dino DelevskiDino DelevskiDino Dilevski is a Macedonian indoor soccer player. He currently plays in the NISL in the United States.Delevski is noted for playing with the Wichita Wings of the NPSL II and the Kansas City Comets...
- former professional soccer player for Kansas City CometsKansas City CometsThe Kansas City Comets were a professional indoor soccer team based for most of its existence in Kansas City, Missouri. They played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979–1991, when they folded... - Gary GrayGary Gray (basketball)Gary Gray is a former American basketball player who played guard in the National Basketball Association. Gray was drafted in the third round of the 1967 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals and played that season with the team. He was later selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1968 NBA Expansion...
- former NBA guard for the Cincinnati RoyalsSacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association... - Curtis HaywoodCurtis HaywoodCurtis Haywood is an American basketball player. For the 2007/08 season, he played with the Venezuelan team Trotamundos de Carabobo....
- NBA basketball player for the Toronto RaptorsToronto RaptorsThe Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion... - Kody Kaiser '07 - MLB outfielder for the Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
- Abe LemonsAbe LemonsAbe Lemons was one of the most successful head basketball coaches in Oklahoma history.Lemons grew up in the town of Walters, Oklahoma. He served in World War II in the Pacific and often referred to the pressures of his war experience to put sports pressures into perspective...
'31 - Former basketball coach for Oklahoma City University and University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, amassed 599 wins and 13 NCAA tournament bids - Allen LeavellAllen LeavellAllen Frazier 'Chuck' Leavell is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'1" , 170 lb point guard from Oklahoma City University, Leavell was selected in the fifth round of the 1979 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, going on to play ten seasons in the National Basketball...
'79 - former NBA guard for the Houston RocketsHouston RocketsThe Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being... - Patrick Norris '07 - MLB outfielder for the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
- Taiwo RafiuTaiwo RafiuTaiwo Rafiu is a Nigerian women's basketball player. She attended Oklahoma City University in the United States and with the Nigeria women's national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics.-References:...
'94 - women's basketball olympianOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
for NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in... - Hub ReedHub ReedHubert F. Reed is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'9" center from Oklahoma City University under famous coach Abe Lemons, Reed played in the National Basketball Association from 1958 to 1965 as a member of the St. Louis Hawks, Cincinnati Royals, Los Angeles Lakers, and...
'58 - former NBA center for the Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Detroit PistonsDetroit PistonsThe Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where... - Freddy SanchezFreddy SanchezFrederick Phillip "Freddy" Sanchez, Jr. is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. Sanchez has previously played for the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants...
- MLB infielder for the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
and 2006 National LeagueNational LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
batting champion - Ralph SchillingRalph SchillingRalph Franklin Schilling, Jr. was an American football end in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. Schilling also played in the All-America Football Conference for the Buffalo Bisons. He attended Oklahoma City University.-External links:...
'41 - former NFL player for the Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... - Chris SchroderChris SchroderChristopher Keith Schroder is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently in the Florida Marlins organization. He attended Oklahoma City University. Bob Carpenter coined him one of the 'er boys' along with Chris Booker and Ryan Wagner.-Baseball career:Always a big strikeout pitcher,...
'01 - MLB pitcher for the Florida MarlinsFlorida MarlinsThe Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at... - Bruce Sloan '32 - former MLB outfielder for the New York GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
- Dick StoneDick Stone (baseball)Charles Richard Stone was a professional baseball player who appeared in three games in for the Washington Senators. Prior to his short stint in the Major Leagues, Stone spent several seasons in the farm system of the Brooklyn Dodgers....
'34 - former MLB pitcher for the Washington SenatorsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the... - Ashur Tolliver '09 - MLB pitcher for the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
- Harry VinesHarry VinesHarry Doyle Vines was a prominent member of the wheelchair basketball community, winning national and international championships.-Biography:...
'61 - former Director of USA BasketballUSA BasketballUSA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee... - Buzz WilliamsBuzz WilliamsBrent "Buzz" Williams is the head coach of the men's basketball team of Marquette University. Williams took over as the school's 16th head basketball coach on April 7, 2008, following Tom Crean's departure to Indiana University...
'94 - Head men's basketball coach for Marquette UniversityMarquette UniversityMarquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
Politics and law
- Hannah AtkinsHannah AtkinsHannah Diggs Atkins was a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1968 to 1980, and the first African American woman elected to it...
'86 - Oklahoma Secretary of State - Deborah BarnesDeborah BarnesDeborah Barnes is a judge at the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, the intermediate appellate court in the state of Oklahoma.-Background and education:...
'83 - Judge, Oklahoma Court of Civil AppealsOklahoma Court of Civil AppealsThe Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals is an intermediate appellate court in the state of Oklahoma.Cases are assigned to it by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the state's highest court for civil matters....
2008–Present - Michael D. BrownMichael D. BrownMichael DeWayne Brown was the first Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response , a division of the Department of Homeland Security . This position is generally referred to as the director or administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency . He was appointed in January 2003 by...
'81 - Director and Administrator of Federal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Emergency Management AgencyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) - Robert "Bob" Burke '79 - Secretary of Commerce, State of Oklahoma; Secretary of Industrial Development, State of Oklahoma
- Mark CampbellMark CampbellMark Joseph Campbell is a former American Football tight end who played for ten seasons in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns from 1999–2002, the Buffalo Bills from 2003–2005, and the New Orleans Saints from 2006–2008. He was signed by the Browns as an...
'92 - District judge of Bryan CountyBryan County, OklahomaBryan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 36,534 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Durant. The county shares the same boundaries as the Durant Micropolitan Area. It is also home to the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma located in Durant...
District Court 2005–Present - Jeff CloudJeff Cloud (politician)Jeff Cloud is an American Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Jeff Cloud was elected statewide to a six-year term on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission on November 5, 2002, and assumed the chairmanship of the Commission in June 2005...
'91 - Commissioner of the Oklahoma Corporation CommissionOklahoma Corporation CommissionThe Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the state of Oklahoma run by three state-wide elected Commissioners, assisted by over 400 employees... - Mickey EdwardsMickey EdwardsMarvin Henry "Mickey" Edwards is a former Republican congressman who served Oklahoma's 5th congressional district from 1977 to 1993.-Education and early career:...
'69 - United States Representative who served eight terms in United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, author, political commentator, professor - Enoch Kelly HaneyEnoch Kelly HaneyEnoch Kelly Haney is an American politician and internationally-recognized Native American artist from Oklahoma, He has served as Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma from 2005 until 2009, and was previously a member of the Oklahoma Legislature.-Early life and education:Enoch Kelly...
'64 - Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation of OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state... - Carol HansenCarol HansenCarol M. Hansen is a judge on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, the intermediate appellate court in the state of Oklahoma.-Background and education:...
'74 -Judge, Oklahoma Court of Civil AppealsOklahoma Court of Civil AppealsThe Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals is an intermediate appellate court in the state of Oklahoma.Cases are assigned to it by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the state's highest court for civil matters....
1985–Present - Elizabeth A. HaydenElizabeth A. HaydenElizabeth Ann Hayden is a judge in Stearns County, Minnesota. She was first appointed by Governor Rudy Perpich in 1986. She served as assistant Stearns County attorney from 1981 to 1986. She has served on the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on General Rules of Practice...
'80 - District Judge for Stearns County, MinnesotaStearns County, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 133,166 people, 47,604 households, and 32,132 families residing in the county. The population density was 99 people per square mile . There were 50,291 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
1986–Present - William Hetherington '79 - Judge, Oklahoma Court of Civil AppealsOklahoma Court of Civil AppealsThe Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals is an intermediate appellate court in the state of Oklahoma.Cases are assigned to it by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the state's highest court for civil matters....
2009–Present - Stewart Hunter '62 - Judge, Oklahoma Court of Civil AppealsOklahoma Court of Civil AppealsThe Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals is an intermediate appellate court in the state of Oklahoma.Cases are assigned to it by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the state's highest court for civil matters....
, retired - Ernest IstookErnest IstookErnest James Istook Jr. is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 5th congressional district. He held his congressional seat for 14 years, completing seven terms in the House...
'76 - United States Representative who served seven terms in United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and the Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2006 - Niles L. Jackson '75 - Chief Judge, United States Bankruptcy CourtUnited States bankruptcy courtUnited States bankruptcy courts are courts created under Article I of the United States Constitution. They function as units of the district courts and have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal district courts have original and exclusive jurisdiction over all cases arising...
for the Western District of Oklahoma (2003–Present) - Yvonne KaugerYvonne KaugerYvonne Kauger , She is currently a Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and was appointed to the Court's District 4 seat by Governor George Nigh in 1984, and served as Chief Justice from 1997 to 1998...
'69 - Justice, Supreme Court of Oklahoma - Steven T. KuykendallSteven T. KuykendallSteven T. Kuykendall is an American politician and former Republican member of the House of Representatives from from 1999 to 2001 in the 106th Congress. He defeated Democrat Janice Hahn in the 1998 election with 49% of the vote. He was defeated for reelection in 2000 by his predecessor Jane...
'69 - member of the United States CongressUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
representing California's 36th congressional districtCalifornia's 36th congressional districtCalifornia's 36th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California based in Los Angeles County. The district covers most of the coastal communities of Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, El Segundo, Venice, Wilmington, and San Pedro in Greater Los Angeles.The... - Todd LambTodd Lamb (politician)Todd Lamb is a Republican United States politician from Oklahoma who is currently serving as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, was a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 2004 to 2011. For the 52nd Oklahoma Legislature, Lamb's fellow Republican Senators elected him as their Majority Floor...
'05 - Majority leaderMajority leaderIn U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
from District 47 of the Oklahoma State Senate 2004–Present - Keith LeftwichKeith LeftwichKeith Clayton Leftwich , was a State Representative and State Senator for Oklahoma.Born to John V. and Paulyne Leftwich at Tinker Air Force Base Hospital, Leftwich graduated from Choctaw High School in 1972. One of his accomplishments there was receiving the William Randolph Hearst Award for High...
- member of the Oklahoma State Senate - Richard LerblanceRichard LerblanceRichard Charles Lerblance is an Oklahoma Senator from District 7, which includes Haskell, Latimer , Pittsburg and Sequoyah counties, since he won a special election in June 2003...
'79 - Senator from District 7 of the Oklahoma State Senate - Patricia D. MacGuigan '75 - Judge, Oklahoma Court of Civil AppealsOklahoma Court of Civil AppealsThe Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals is an intermediate appellate court in the state of Oklahoma.Cases are assigned to it by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the state's highest court for civil matters....
1982–Present - Tim MooreTim Moore (North Carolina politician)Timothy Keith Moore is a member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's 111th House district, including constituents in Cleveland County. Moore, a Republican, is currently serving his fifth term in the House of Representatives....
'95 - member of the North Carolina General AssemblyNorth Carolina General AssemblyThe North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes... - Carlos Moran '02 - District Attorney for Paducah, KentuckyPaducah, KentuckyPaducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
2005–Present - Johnston MurrayJohnston MurrayJohnston Murray was the 14th Governor of Oklahoma, from 1951 until 1955. He was a member of the Democratic Party. His father, William H. Murray, was also a governor of the state. Murray served as Governor from January 8, 1951, to January 1955. He served as an attorney with the Oklahoma State...
'46 - Governor, State of Oklahoma 1951-1955 - Marian P. OpalaMarian P. OpalaMarian Peter Opala was a Polish-American lawyer and jurist who served as a Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court for thirty-two years. Opala was appointed to the State's highest court in 1978 by Governor of Oklahoma David L. Boren...
'53- Justice, Supreme Court of Oklahoma 1978–2010 - Tom Quinn '74 - Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue ServiceInternal Revenue ServiceThe Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
2000–Present - Jim RothJim RothJim Roth is an American politician from the state of Oklahoma. A Democrat, Roth was appointed by Republican Governor Mary Fallin to serve on the Oklahoma State Election Board as the panel's lone Democrat. As of September 2011, the Governor's appointment of Roth was awaiting confirmation by the...
'94 - Senior Director of the Oklahoma Corporation CommissionOklahoma Corporation CommissionThe Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the state of Oklahoma run by three state-wide elected Commissioners, assisted by over 400 employees...
2002–present - Reta M. Strubhar '81 - Judge, Oklahoma Court of Criminal AppealsOklahoma Court of Criminal AppealsThe Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals is one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and is part of the Oklahoma Court System, the judicial branch of the Oklahoma state government....
, First woman appointed to and serving on the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals - James G. Wilcoxen '79 - Chief Justice, Cherokee NationCherokee NationThe Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
Supreme Court, 2007 - James R. WinchesterJames R. WinchesterJames Winchester is an American lawyer and judge who is current serving as Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.-Early life:Born in Clinton, Oklahoma in 1953, Winchester received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oklahoma and his Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University...
'77 - Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Oklahoma 2007–Present - David Holt (politician)David Holt (politician)David Holt is an American politician who serves as Oklahoma State Senator from the 30th district, which includes portions of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, The Village, Oklahoma, Bethany, Oklahoma, and Warr Acres, Oklahoma.-Personal life:...
'09 - Oklahoma State Senator from District 30 2010 – present