November 2019

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University, regents honor

Screening committee named for presidential search

President Burrage

The Board of Regents of the Regional Uni-versity System of Oklahoma applaud after passing a resolution honoring the outgoing president.

Former Faculty Senate chairs Dr. Daniel Althoff and Dr. Steven Emge present a plaque of appreciation to President Sean Burrage, who recently left Southeastern to accept the position of vice president for executive affairs at The University of Oklahoma.

Director of University Com-munications Alan Burton and the President’s Executive Assistant Terri Rogers offer remarks at a campus recep-tion held to honor President Burrage.

Alumna Brittney Morton to speak at Fall Commencement Brittney Morton, director of tribal communications for the Chickasaw Nation, will be the speaker at Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s Fall Commencement on Decem-ber 14. Two ceremonies – at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. – will be held in Bloomer Sullivan Arena. Morton is a 2011 graduate of Southeastern, where she majored in Communication – Media Studies (Advertising/Pub-lic Relations). She also served as president of the Sigma Sigma

Sigma sorority. Morton is a graduate of Jenks High School. She began her career with the Chickasaw Nation in 2010 as a college intern, working with both the Chickasaw Nation and Koch Communications. After completing her degree, Morton accepted a full-time position with the Chickasaw Nation. As a communica-tions officer, she wrote press releases, public service announce-ments, website copy and radio spots. (see Commencment, page 2)

The Board of Regents of the Regional University Sys-tem of Oklahoma (RUSO) has named an 18-member screening committee to assist in the search for a new president at South-eastern Oklahoma State University. The committee is composed of regents, faculty, staff, administrators, a student representative, and community leaders. A committee orientation meeting is scheduled for No-vember 19 on the Southeastern campus. A second committee meeting is scheduled for December 11 to review resumes and make candidate recommendations to the RUSO board.

The projected timeline for filling the vacancy is by May 1, 2020. The position is being advertised in such publications as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, The Oklahoman, and the Dallas Morning News. The regents are seeking a replacement for Sean Bur-rage, who recently took the position of vice president for exec-utive affairs at The University of Oklahoma. Dr. Bryon Clark is currently serving as interim president at Southeastern.(see Screening, page 4)

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In brief

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Women’s Entrepreneur Seminar held at Southeastern Panel discussions, a guest speaker and awards were all part of the agenda at the Women’s Entrepreneur Seminar held October 22 at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Noted attorney Sharla J. Frost, a 1984 graduate of

Southeastern and Distin-guished Alumna, was the guest speaker. Frost is a partner with Tucker Ellis LLP, a national law firm in Houston, Texas. Two awards were presented – the Texoma Area Woman Entrepreneur to Mona Campbell and the South-eastern Alumna Entre-

preneur of the Year recognition to Emily Robinson. In addition, interim Southeastern president Dr. Bryon Clark announced the establishment of a new Women in Leader-ship emphasis in the University’s Master’s of Business Admin-istration program. This emphasis creates opportunities for students to develop leadership and communication skills, while paying

attention to how women can continue to grow their leadership capacities in business and industry. This four-course emphasis is a collaborative effort between the John Massey School of Business and the Commu-nication program. The seminar, held in conjunction with Women En-trepreneurship Week, was sponsored by the Don Sands Lec-tureship in Business Administration, the John Massey School of Business, and the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center. Additional participants included the REI Women’s Business Center, the Durant Area Chamber of Commerce, and Main Street Durant.

Sharla Frost was guest speaker at the event.

Dr. Martin Bressler of the John Massey School of Business presented awards to Emily Robinson, left, and Mona Camp-bell.

Texoma College FairSoutheastern Oklahoma State University was among the 30 colleges and universities participating in the Texoma College Fair on October 24. In this photo, Southeastern professors Dr. Tim Smith and Dr. Ning Wu answer questions. The event was held in the Bloom-er Sullivan Arena on the campus of Southeastern. Some 500 prospective students attended.

The schedule for Saturday, December 14, will be two cere-monies in the Bloomer Sullivan Arena, as follows:

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. School of Arts & SciencesMaster of TechnologyMaster of Music EducationMaster of Science (Native American Leadership)

John Massey School of BusinessMaster of Business AdministrationMaster of Science (Aerospace Administration and Logistics)Master of Science (Safety)

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. School of Education & Behavioral SciencesMaster of Arts (Clinical Mental Health Counseling)Master of Early Intervention and Child DevelopmentMaster of EducationMaster of Science (Sports Studies and Athletic Administration)

Commencement schedule announced(continued from page 1) Morton joined the Chickasaw Nation Marketing Department in 2012 as a marketing coordinator. In 2016, she became a senior creative marketing specialist.

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Homecoming

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Homecoming, Southeastern-style!

Interim Southeastern president Bryon Clark, third from left, congratulates Distinguished Award recipients Vicki Hudson, Dr. Mary Ann Craige, Rick Wells, Col. Tuan That Ton, and James Parrish.

Wet and chilly weather conditions didn’t dampen the spirits as Southeastern Oklahoma State University welcomed alumni and friends back to campus for Homecoming on October 25-26. Among the many events were the Whang Bang alumni golf tournament at Chickasaw Pointe, the Alumni Association banquet honoring the Distinguished Alumni and Former Faculty award recip-ients, pre-game tailgating, and football game against Henderson State. Thursday night’s Homecom-ing Parade was cancelled due to heavy rain, while Friday night’s bonfire was moved to the Glen D. Johnson Student Union gym for a pep rally. Saturday was a different story, as the clouds broke and the sun produced a beautiful fall af-

ternoon as a large crowd enjoyed tailgating activities and the football game. At halftime, students Sarah Winnett and Kevin Buckingham were named Homecoming Royalty. The Savage Storm came out on the short end of a 41-27 score against Henderson. This year’s Alumni Association award recipients were as follows: Distinguished Alumni: James Parrish, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Executive Director of Education/School Programs and Senior Director of the School of the Choctaw Language; Col. Tuan That Ton, U.S. Army Senior Defense Official and Defense Attache’ to Vietnam; Rick Wells, Principal and Founder of Wells Hospitality Group, LLC, One Heart Ventures, LLC, and The Seed Project Founda-tion; and Dr. J. Herbert Taylor (posthumously), molecular biologist and geneticist. Distinguished Former Faculty: Dr. Mary Ann Craige, music professor, and Vicki Hudson, health, physical education and recreation professor.

Sarah Winnett and Kevin Buck-ingham were named Homecom-ing Royalty.

The Savage Storm football team takes the field.

Golfers braved wet and chilly conditions at Chickasaw Pointe.

Activities at the Stuteville Chevrolet Tailgate Alley were popular on Saturday.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University, in com-pliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services.This publica-tion is issued by the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Office of University Communications and was printed by SE Printing Services of Durant, Oklahoma. Fifty copies have been prepared for distribution at a cost of $40 to the taxpayers of the State of Oklahoma.

Update Editor Alan Burton

Special Assistant to the President -Director of

University Communications

PhotographyDan Hoke

Assistant Director of University Communications

November1 Native American Symposium6 SE Live recruiting event, 8 a.m.

-- 2 p.m.9 Gold & Blue Gala, Visual &

Performing Arts Center, 6:30 p.m.

13 Top 10 Freshmen awards, Student Union auditorium, 3:30 p.m.

15 Southeastern Rodeo Hall of Fame, Visual & Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m. (induction)

25-29 Thanksgiving holidays December9 Candlelighting, Montgomery

Auditorium 14 Commencement, Bloomer

Sullivan Arena, 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.

January13 First day of spring classes

Update Calendar

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Steer ClearSoutheastern junior Jasper Dunn of Whitehall, Wiscon-sin, competes in the steer wrestling event at the Savage Storm Intercolle-giate Rodeo. The rodeo was held October 3-5 at the Bryan County Fair-grounds.

Screening committee named(continued from page 1)

Listed below are the members of the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Presidential Search Screen-ing Committee as appointed by the Regional University System of Okla-homa Board of Regents:

Regents-- Jane McDermott (Committee chair)-- Eric Fisher-- Amy Anne Ford-- Connie Reilly

Faculty-- Dr. Randy Clark, Associate Profes-sor of Communication Studies/Speech and Debate Advisor, Faculty Senate President-- Dr. Courtney Kernek, Associate Professor of Management and Market-ing Staff-- Alicia Ridenour, Assistant Director – Center for Instructional Develop-ment and Technology, Staff Associa-tion President Administrators-- Keith Baxter, Director of Intercolle-giate Athletics-- Dr. Teresa Golden, Vice President

for Academic Affairs-- Liz McCraw, Vice President for Student Affairs

Student Representative-- Brianna Pierce, past Student Gov-ernment Association President

Community Leaders-- Gov. Bill Anoatubby, Chickasaw Nation-- John Carey, Vice President/Invest-ment Representative -- First United Bank, Chair of Southeastern Okla-homa State University Foundation, Distinguished Alumnus-- Greg Massey, CEO, First United Bank-- Duane Merideth, Superintendent, Durant Public Schools-- Jim Parrish, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Executive Director of Ed-ucation/School Programs and Senior Director of the School of the Choctaw Language, Distinguished Alumnus -- Dr. Henry Scott, Superintendent, Denison Independent School District, Distinguished Alumnus-- Stacy Shepherd, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Senior Executive Officer of Member Services