HUMAN SCIENCES The official magazine of the College of Human Sciences
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
EYE-CATCHING TROPHY REPRESENTS NATIONAL HONOR FOR COLLEGE'S PROJECT WITH THE CHICKASAW NATION.
2018
College of Human Sciences humansciences.okstate.edu
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Ten Years Later … We take a look at how far the College of Human Sciences has come since 2008.
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Community Engagement On the Cover: Oklahoma State University won the C. Peter Magrath award from the Association of Public and Landgrant Universities for a project spearheaded by the College of Human Sciences. (Photo by Phil Shockley) Story, Page 18
A Fine Vintage The Wine Forum of Oklahoma is celebrating its 10th year in 2019.
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Dorothy L. Pugh
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ART DIRECTOR
Valerie C. Kisling
Transforming Education
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Diana Haslett Gary Lawson Phil Shockley
There’s so much to see, do and experience in the new North Wing of the Human Sciences Building.
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A Wider Look Studying abroad gives students a glimpse of life outside Oklahoma — and even outside the U.S.
EDITOR
COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCES DEAN
Stephan Wilson MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
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Christy Lang MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER
Diana Haslett COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS
Taylor Kennedy MaKenzie Norman COHS@OKSTATE.EDU
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Key to Education Two award-winning CoHS students share their experiences with scholarships.
HUMAN SCIENCES is a publication of the Oklahoma State University College of Human Sciences and is designed to provide information on college activities and accomplishments while fostering communication among the CoHS family and friends. WWW.HUMANSCIENCES.OKSTATE.EDU The office of publication for HUMAN SCIENCES is 307 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078-1024. © 2018, HUMAN SCIENCES. All rights reserved. Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, genetic information, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or status as a veteran, in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This provision includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. The Director of Equal Opportunity, 408 Whitehurst, OSU, Stillwater, OK 74078-1035; Phone 405-744-5371; email: eeo@okstate.edu has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies. Any person (student, faculty, or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based on gender may discuss his or her concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with OSU’s Title IX Coordinator 405-744-9154. This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the College of Human Sciences, was printed by Modern Litho, at a cost of $4,292/3,750/ October 2018/job #7484.
Human Sciences Scholarship Fund
From the Dean
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elcome to the 2018 issue of Human Sciences magazine! This past January, I completed my 10th year as dean of the College of Human Sciences. As milestones often do, it has prompted reflection. Our college has experienced tremendous growth and success thanks to the efforts of faculty, staff, students, alumni, partners and supporters. This issue of the magazine is an opportunity to pause for a moment and celebrate. In the pages that follow, you will read about some of the ways we are making a difference in the lives of our students, our communities and the world through research, teaching and community engagement. The College of Human Sciences is proud to lead OSU’s community engagement efforts. In late 2017, we celebrated a national award for this important work. OSU received the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. The award recognized a collaboration with the Chickasaw Nation to study nutrition and public health issues. Human Sciences faculty also receive national and international honors. We have been fortunate to double the number of endowed faculty positions and more than double the number of Regents Professors we have in the college. In these pages, you will read about the research, outreach and service these talented individuals are doing. We have emphasized international and study abroad experiences, and since 2008 nearly 600 of our students have participated in academic trips or coursework outside the United States. As you will read, students have found the experiences to be enriching. Many individuals and families have invested in our college by giving financially to student scholarships. This generosity has allowed the college to greatly increase the number and amount of scholarships awarded to students. You will read the stories of two outstanding students, Ben Watson and Christine Walters, and how the scholarships they received from the college have opened doors for them. You will find much more in this issue of the magazine. As you read through it, I hope you will feel a measure of pride in how much the College of Human Sciences has accomplished in recent years and that you share my excitement about the future. We are ready to build on the momentum and success of the last decade and continue the rewarding work of “Solving Human Problems and Enhancing Human Lives.�
Stephan M. Wilson Dean College of Human Sciences Oklahoma State University P H OTO G A RY L AW S O N
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SINCE JANUARY WE’VE CHANGED OUR NAME. In 2011, we became the
COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCES. Dean Stephan Wilson: “We feel the name more closely distinguishes the focus of the college. Since their origin, the human sciences have focused on the health and wellbeing of the individual. The name emphasizes the fact that we impact the human condition through science. This focus remains at the heart of our research and discovery, teaching and outreach.”
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2008 … WE’VE BUILT A NEW WING ON OUR BUILDING.
WE’VE ADDED FACULTY MEMBERS ...
The Human Sciences Building expanded into the new north wing in 2016, adding 74,200 square feet of space, including 27,000 square feet of laboratory space for experiential learning and venues to host large events and display student work. Human Sciences now has more than a quarter-million square feet for learning, discovery and community engagement.
The college has welcomed 21 new tenure-track or tenured faculty in the last five years.
… AND ENDOWED POSITIONS. At the beginning of 2008, the college had six endowed faculty positions and now in 2018, there are 14.
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WE’VE INCREASED OUR FUNDING ... Our external grant funding has jumped 47 percent. From 20082018, the College of Human Sciences raised $59,171,571 to support students, faculty, facilities and programs. And we’ve established more than 30 new scholarship endowments.
… AND OUR GIVING. In fiscal year 2017, the college gave more than $877,000 in scholarships to students, an increase of more than $600,000 since 2008.
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WE STILL CARE FOR WEE ONES ... In 2018, the Cleo L. Craig Child Development Laboratory (CDL) received a new five-year term of accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools and kindergartens nationally acquire this recognition. In 2016-2017, the college built a beautiful new central courtyard and created a naturefocused outdoor learning lab for the CDL.
… AND TRADITIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS, TOO. 71.4%: The College of Human Sciences’ six-year graduation rate — it’s the highest among all academic colleges on the Stillwater campus. 84.7%: We rank second in retaining our freshman students.
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WE’RE PROUD OF OUR DIVERSITY ... 25%: Our student body includes underrepresented groups.
… OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH … 111: The number of formalized community partnerships Human Sciences extension and engagement has.
… AND OUR RECOGNITION. The fashion design program ranks No. 7 in the Southwest region, according to FashionSchools.org. The fashion merchandising program ranks No. 7 among public schools nationally, according to Fashion-Schools.org and No. 19 on the list of “The Best Fashion Merchandising Schools in the U.S. in 2018” by the Art Career Project. Hospitality and tourism management ranks No. 22 in the world, according to CEO World magazine, and No. 16 in the world for hospitality research productivity.
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OUR ACCREDITED DEGREE PROGRAMS ARE IN: FASHION DESIGN INTERIOR DESIGN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES EDUCATION DIETETICS MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY (GRADUATE PROGRAM)
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FACULT Y AWARDS
National Recognition Faculty lauded for mentoring undergraduates in research
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ith Oklahoma State University’s increased focus on undergraduate research in recent years, many College of Human Sciences faculty members have welcomed students into their labs and onto their research teams. Not only have students representing academic programs across the college gained invaluable research experience, faculty mentoring efforts have received significant national recognition. The Association of Public LandGrant Universities’ (APLU) Board on Human Sciences established a national award to recognize faculty who have shown exceptional performance as research mentors for undergraduate students. The honor is presented each year during the APLU national conference. Remarkably, an OSU CoHS faculty member was selected as the recipient of the award three times in four years from 2013-2016. The award winners represent three of the college’s four departments. “Obtaining this level of peer recognition speaks to our faculty members’ commitment for providing one-on-one mentoring and enhancing the experiential content of undergraduate education,” said associate dean for research and graduate studies Christine Johnson. “These faculty members have gone above and beyond by helping students disseminate their research findings in professional presentations, juried competitions and scholarly publications. As a result of their efforts, our college has developed a national reputation for excellence in undergraduate research.”
Paulette Hebert Paulette Hebert, a professor in design, housing and merchandising, was the first to earn the award in 2013. Under Hebert’s guidance, student work was accepted to both the National Sustainable Design Expo and the African Scientific Institutes Forum in Washington, D.C. She also secured high-caliber faculty and student team internships at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. Hebert, who received a bachelor’s degree in interior design and master’s and doctoral degrees in human ecology from Louisiana State University, has been teaching lighting design, interior design and related subjects for more than 20 years. In 2010, the International Facility Management Association selected her as Educator of the Year. Hebert holds the Donald and Cathy Humphreys Chair in International Studies at OSU, and her research expertise includes lighting design, facility management and design and material culture/cultural heritage preservation.
Brenda Smith Regents Professor in nutritional sciences and John and Sue Taylor Endowed Professor Brenda Smith was recognized with the APLU honor in 2015. Smith has mentored an impressive list of participants in the Niblack, Wentz and Freshman Research Scholars and Oklahoma Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Scholars programs. Smith welcomes undergraduates into her research labs and teaches them to develop different approaches to solve
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nutrition problems. She often brings small groups of undergraduates in at the same time, allowing them to learn the basics of research while attending weekly lab meetings with graduate students. Smith advises students independently as they develop research projects, which are presented annually at conferences and seminars. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Oklahoma Baptist University, a master’s in clinical exercise physiology from the University of Texas at Tyler and a doctorate in human nutrition from OSU. Her research expertise includes effects of phytochemicals on bone health, inflammation, nutrition and aging, as well as the role of immune and antioxidant systems on bone biology.
Kami Gallus Kami Gallus, associate professor in human development and family science, earned the APLU honor in 2016. Gallus has actively engaged undergraduate students in collecting, analyzing and presenting their own proposed research. Over an eight-year period, she served as a research mentor to more than 50 undergraduate students and supervised 47 undergraduate research assistants. Gallus has mentored Wentz Research Scholars, Freshman Research Scholars and OSU Honors Theses students. She has collaborated with undergraduate students as co-authors on book chapters and refereed conference workshops, poster presentations and journal articles. Along with colleague Jennifer Jones, Gallus hired and trained 27 undergraduate research assistants on the Oklahoma National Core Indicators
“As a result of their efforts, our college has developed a national reputation for excellence in undergraduate research.” — CHRISTINE JOHNSON, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES
Brenda Smith, Kami Gallus and Paulette Hebert.
project, focused on informing policy and practice within state developmental service systems. Gallus earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and family science from Anderson University, a master’s degree in family studies and human services from Kansas State University and a doctorate in marriage and family therapy from Texas Tech University. Her research, service and outreach explore effective responses to risk and resilience factors associated with
stressful life events and trauma, paying special attention to family relationship outcomes.
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National Awards Since 2008 The following list is a sample of national and international awards received by College of Human Sciences faculty members during the past decade.
NATIONAL EXTENSION DIVERSITY AWARD, 2018 Ron Cox, Human Development and Family Science NATIONAL EXTENSION ASSOCIATION OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES, NATIONAL FIRST PLACE AWARD Excellence in Multi-State Collaboration for “Strengthening Co-parenting Education through a Multi-State Approach” Matt Brosi, Ron Cox and Katey Masri, Human Development and Family Science COUNCIL FOR INTERIOR DESIGN ACCREDITATION, AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE (MERIT AWARD), 2017 Tilanka Chandrasekera, Design, Housing and Merchandising ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC LAND-GRANT UNIVERSITIES W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award, 2017, and the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award, 2017 Janice Hermann and team, Nutritional Sciences FAMILY, CAREER AND COMMUNITY LEADERS OF AMERICA DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD, 2017 Paula Tripp, Human Development and Family Science BOARD ON HUMAN SCIENCES UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH MENTOR AWARD Kami Gallus, Human Development and Family Science 2016 Brenda Smith, Nutritional Sciences 2015 Paulette Hebert, Design, Housing and Merchandising 2013 INTERIOR DESIGN EDUCATORS COUNCIL SERVICE AWARD, 2016 Mihyun Kang, Design, Housing and Merchandising
NORTHARVEST BEAN GROWERS ASSOCIATION AWARD FOR THE MOST PROMISING STUDIES IN DRY BEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH, 2016 Edralin Lucas, Nutritional Sciences ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION Community-Campus Partnerships for Health Award 2016 Stephany Parker, Janice Hermann, Teresa Jackson, Ursula O’Hara, Nutritional Sciences, with the Chickasaw Nation
GRADUATE EDUCATION AND GRADUATE STUDIES RESEARCH CONFERENCE, FOUNDER’S AWARD FOR LIFETIME CONTRIBUTIONS IN CREATION OF KNOWLEDGE, 2012 Hailin Qu, Hospitality and Tourism Management BONNIE TEATER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT EDUCATOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, 2010 Sue Williams, Human Development and Family Science
HOUSING EDUCATION AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATION DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD, 2015 Jorge Atiles, Design, Housing and Merchandising
ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC AND LANDGRANT UNIVERSITIES, MICHAEL P. MALONE INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP AWARD, 2010 Barbara Stoecker, Nutritional Sciences
BOARD ON HUMAN SCIENCES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, 2015 Patricia Knaub, former Dean of the College of Human Sciences
INTERNATIONAL FACILITY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION EDUCATOR AWARD, 2010 Paulette Herbert, Design, Housing and Merchandising
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION’S EXCELLENCE IN LIBRARY PROGRAMMING AWARD, 2015 Gina Peek, Design, Housing and Merchandising
JOHN WILEY AND SONS LIFETIME RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON HOTEL, RESTAURANT AND INSTITUTIONAL EDUCATION, 2008 Hailin Qu, Hospitality and Tourism Management
HAWASSA UNIVERSITY, ETHIOPIA, HONORARY DOCTORATE OF SCIENCE, 2015 Barbara Stoecker, Nutritional Sciences SHANGHAI DISTINGUISHED OVERSEAS SCHOLAR, 2015-16 AND 2013-14 Hailin Qu, Hospitality and Tourism Management HOUSING EDUCATION AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATION EARLY CAREER AWARD, 2013 Gina Peek, Design, Housing and Merchandising
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ENDOWED FACULT Y
Enriching Education Endowed faculty positions benefit every area of the college
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he College of Human Sciences has more than doubled the number of endowed faculty positions over the last decade. The distinguished positions, made possible by generous donors, provide funds for academic and research needs, hiring graduate assistants, salary increases and conference travel. Endowed chairs and
Carol DeWitt Morsani Endowed Professorship in Design Established 2017
Adriana Petrova, Associate Professor, Design, Housing and Merchandising
Expertise: Adriana Petrova’s work focuses on the fit and sizing of apparel; design, development and testing of functional and protective apparel; and applications of 3D body scanning for design and evaluation. Impact: The Morsani Professorship supports Petrova’s teaching activities with a focus on integrating industry-relevant technology into the undergraduate curriculum to prepare the new generation of professionals for a workplace where technological savvy is a must. The goal is to train students to use current technologies, analyze the potential of new and emerging technologies for problem-solving and envision further technological developments. In her words: “The joy of teaching for me comes from seeing the tremendous progress students make over the course of a semester and over the years. The knowledge and skills gained in class allow students to make the small steps and the large jumps on the road to mastering the profession they have chosen. The excitement of discovery that students experience when learning and their satisfaction of the gained ability to take a product from a design idea to reality fuel the pride I feel in having been their teacher.”
professorships help the college attract and retain excellent instructors and researchers. Since 2008, the College of Human Sciences has added eight endowed faculty positions for a total of 14. Here’s a look at the endowed positions and how the support makes a difference in the faculty members’ work:
George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Child and Family Resilience Established 2015
Ronald Cox, Associate Research Professor, Extension Specialist and Associate Director of Community Engagement, Center for Family Resilience Expertise: Ronald Cox is passionate about working with communities to discover solutions for today’s families. Much of his work centers on creating and testing interventions to develop new hypotheses for further study. Cox’s projects include: ¡Unidos Se Puede! (United We Can!), focused on benefiting Latino youth; and Co-Parenting for Resilience, focused on reducing the trauma of parental separation/divorce for children (coparenting.okstate.edu). Impact: The Kaiser Chair supports for Cox’s work in Tulsa, where he has built strong relationships with the Latino community. In addition to ¡Unidos Se Puede!, the chair supports key Latino-serving organizations. Cox hosts a weekly radio program on a Spanish-language station in Tulsa. In his words: “I believe that people naturally share with others what excites them, and to me, learning about new things is exhilarating. This is why research is so compelling for me; the discovery of new evidence, the building of new theories, the insight into previously misunderstood concepts is all very satisfying. I believe that in sharing with students and community members what I have learned, my excitement about learning will inspire them to learn. My hope is that everyone with whom I have contact is encouraged to become a learner and will share their excitement for learning with others.”
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George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Child Development
George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Family and Community Policy
Amanda Morris, Regents
Michael Stout, Associate
Established 2015
Professor in Human Development and Family Science, OSU-Tulsa
Expertise: Amanda Morris’ research focuses on understanding contextual influences on children and adolescents’ social and emotional development. She examines effective parenting and emotion regulation and related behaviors in children and adolescents, particularly on high-risk families and in children and youth during important transition points. Impact: The Kaiser Chair has enhanced Morris’ research efforts and supported graduate students with training and the opportunity to attend professional conferences to present research and project findings. The chair funds support research through the Child and Adolescent Development Lab that Morris leads to evaluate the effectiveness of parenting programs and has helped purchase cutting-edge research equipment to enhance child development studies. In her words: “I love teaching because I like connecting and getting to know the students. My favorite part of teaching is helping students apply complicated ideas and research to their own experiences and lives.”
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Established 2015
Professor, Human Development and Family Science, OSU-Tulsa
Expertise: Michael Stout’s research focuses on social capital, civic engagement, public policy and program evaluation. Impact: Serving as the Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Family and Community Policy has led to opportunities for Stout to engage in collaborative projects and programs with a number of community partners in Tulsa. In addition, it has provided resources to support his research and teaching, including travel to trainings and other types of professional development activities, and funding to support a graduate research assistant. In his words: “The democratic promise of higher education drives my passion for teaching. The college classroom provides an opportunity for me to experiment with different ways of engaging students with ideas and topics that we are exploring, and to connect them to their lives and their communities. I believe that, in addition to producing a skilled workforce, public institutions of higher education have a responsibility to produce informed and engaged citizens, and I am driven to help fulfill that obligation.”
Ramona Ware Emmons Paul Professorship in Early Childhood
Bryan Close Professorship in Adulthood and Aging
Amy Williamson Payton,
Alex Bishop, Associate
Established 2014
Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Science; Director, Institute for Building Early Relationships; Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator
Expertise: Amy Payton’s research focuses on infant and toddler social-emotional development and mental health and early care and education. She looks at teacher-child and parent-child interactions and relationships and the subsequent socioemotional outcomes for very young children as well as the development and well-being of early childhood education professionals. Impact: The professorship supports Payton’s research and outreach, including graduate student work and conference attendance for both graduate and undergraduate students. In her words: “What drives my passion for teaching is knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of my college students as well as the lives of the children and families that they will work with upon graduation. It is very rewarding and makes me very proud to see my students develop into thoughtful and intentional early childhood teachers, practitioners, and researchers as I work with them throughout their undergraduate and/or graduate programs.”
Established 2008
Professor, Human Development and Family Science
Expertise: Alex Bishop’s research examines positive aging in human longevity with a particular focus on studying persons who reach 80 and manage to survive to their 100th birthday and beyond. Bishop is dedicated to identifying attributes in individual human development and family life that allow long-lived persons to flourish with a sense of purpose, determination and meaning. He works to translate knowledge into evidence-based mental health interventions, educational applications and community engagement opportunities to improve the quality of life for persons of all ages. Impact: The endowed professorship supports ongoing work on statewide longevity and has enabled tracking of surviving centenarians who participated in the Oklahoma 100-Year Life Project, an ongoing collaborative project involving the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program. The professorship has also enabled a partnership with the Centenarians of Oklahoma, Inc. to preserve and analyze data collected from these people with a goal to map longevity in Oklahoma and begin a closer examination of their health and well-being. In his words: “One of my aims as an instructor is to help student-learners become educated about human aging. My passion for teaching is motivated by a desire to transform misconception and indifference into critical inquiry and personal interest. I often challenge students to “think outside of the box” by incorporating course activities and projects that allow student-learners to experience the human condition through creative expression and hands-on application. Perhaps the most rewarding outcome of these efforts is witnessing students who leave the classroom with a deeper understanding of aging, a new respect for life and living, and a demonstrated curiosity of knowledge, self-discovery, and human potential. This is what keeps me motivated and passionate for teaching.”
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Endowed Professorship in Parenting Established 2008
Robert Larzelere, Professor and Research Methodologist, Human Development and Family Science
Expertise: Robert Larzelere collaborates on scientific evidence to answer important questions about family and family-type relationships. He focuses on improving research methodology, research on parental discipline and helping colleagues and students with statistical and methodological aspects of their research. Impact: Through the Endowed Professorship in Parenting, Larzelere and his colleagues have improved their understanding of parenting, resulting in new programs to help parents in Oklahoma. Larzelere also leads the new OSU Statistics/Methods Network of statisticians and methodologists across multiple departments and colleges at OSU. In his words: “The motivation for my scholarship is that children deserve the best scientific evidence that is humanly possible. Parents are central for helping children get the best possible start toward developing their full potential in life. Parenting, therefore, deserves the best possible human science, just as much as NASA, medicine and technology do. My research strives to evaluate and improve the quality of the science used to make recommendations to parents.”
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Bryan B. Close Professorship Established 2008
Amanda Harrist, Professor, Human Development and Family Science
Expertise: Amanda Harrist’s professional work is focused on understanding psychosocial risk and protective processes in children’s social contexts. With Nutritional Sciences and Human Development and Family Science collaborators, she is analyzing and presenting data collected as part of the Families and Schools for Health (FiSH) Project, studying psychosocial risk factors in child obesity. More broadly, Harrist studies how schoolage children’s social-emotional development is influenced by interactions with family members and school peers. Impact: The Close Professorship has supported the FiSH Project, which aims to better understand the long-term psychosocial aspects of child obesity. Data collected with supporting funds makes possible a 12-year prospective longitudinal analysis of a community sample, which is rare in the field. Harrist and her team will also be able to test the long-term outcomes of a first-grade obesity intervention. In her words: “When I was 14, I decided I wanted to be a pediatrician because I was interested in children and wanted to help families, and also because I wanted to do something challenging and nontraditional for females. I went to a year of medical school and decided it was not for me; the way we were to learn about children and families, at least in the first-year medical curriculum, was through rote memorization. I got permission to take three graduate courses as a special student in Child and Family Studies, but after the first night of class, I knew it was what I wanted to do. I was thrilled with the opportunity to use both creative and analytic thinking to study children and families. I have been excited about the field ever since and am passionate about teaching students how to think like scientists as they explore important questions about children and families.”
Jim and Lynne Williams Professorship
John and Sue Taylor Professorship
Edralin Lucas, Professor,
Professor, Nutritional Sciences; Associate Dean, Graduate College
Established 2008
Nutritional Sciences
Expertise: Edralin Lucas’ research covers a number of areas, including functional foods, obesity, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and skeletal health, gut microbiome, nutritional biochemistry, clinical chemistry and analytical methods. Impact: The Jim and Lynne Williams Professorship provides support for research projects examining the role of functional foods in chronic disease prevention, which has led to interesting and exciting preliminary data for competitive grant applications and has formed the basis for manuscripts. In addition, the professorship has provided resources for Lucas to train graduate and undergraduate students in techniques and methodologies that will help them excel as future researchers. In her words: “I enjoy interacting with students to help them build knowledge to understand our field and apply these concepts in their everyday lives. I also believe that in teaching, students are not the only ones learning; I also learn from my interaction with them.”
Established 1990
Brenda Smith, Regents
Expertise: The ongoing translational research program in Brenda Smith’s laboratory is focused on understanding how inflammation dysregulates bone cellular activity, leading to age-related bone loss, and how certain bioactive components in plant-based foods and exercise counter these responses. More recently, the focus of these studies has shifted to understanding how bioactive food components affect the gut-bone axis through their immune-modulating properties. Ongoing studies are exploring the role of dietary bioactives on T-cell populations within the gut mucosal immune system and their contribution to the regulation of bone metabolism. Impact: The John and Sue Taylor Professorship has significantly benefited Smith’s research and ability to train the next generation of scientists. Funds have been used to employ undergraduates in the lab and offset the cost of their research supplies and travel to professional meetings. Having undergraduates in the laboratory also enhances graduate students’ training opportunities. Master’s and doctoral students gain first-hand experience training undergraduates, which better prepares them for their own careers. The Taylor Professorship has helped offset travel costs so that Smith can continue to meet with collaborators, network with investigators in the field and have a presence on the national stage for promoting the research at OSU. In her words: “Teaching is one of the most challenging and yet rewarding experiences I could imagine. Today, we are preparing students for careers in biomedical fields ranging from research and medicine to the allied health sciences. I am driven by the fact that these students have chosen nutrition as a major due to its fundamental role in health and disease prevention. In such a dynamic and rapidly changing field, students are best prepared for the future by equipping them with the skills to critically evaluate sources of information, to develop an appreciation for the fundamental science and instilling a strong desire to be lifelong learners.”
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Charles Lanphere Professorship
William E. Davis Distinguished Chair
Established 1993
Established 1993
Ben Goh, Professor and Director, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Hailin Qu, Regents Professor,
Expertise: Ben Goh is director of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and assistant dean of the College of Human Sciences. His research focuses on workforce development, community engagement and cultural and heritage tourism. Impact: The professorship provides funding to support Goh’s continued research and to invite industry speakers to share their expertise and knowledge with OSU students. In his words: “My passion for teaching comes from watching the students learn and grow as young adults. When I see the sparkle in their eye and they realize that they can use their degree for more than what they initially thought, that’s the reward for being a teacher!”
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Hospitality and Tourism Management; Director, Center for Hospitality and Tourism Research
Expertise: Hailin Qu directs the Center for Hospitality and Tourism Research. His research focuses on the development of service quality conceptual models and identifying the antecedents of consumers’ behavior in service quality and hospitality and tourism consumer behavior theory. Qu believes that the academic hospitality and tourism management disciplines are facing a growing responsibility to incorporate crosscultural issues and explore the extent to which findings hold across different cultures. Impact: The Davis Chair has significantly enhanced learning in hospitality and tourism education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and made a long-term impact on students’ future career development. With support from the Davis Chair, Qu has contributed to the hospitality and tourism literature by publishing in top-tier journals and presented research findings at national and international conferences. Through his work, Qu has helped raise the profile and reputation of the school, college and university nationally and globally. In his words: “Plutarch said, ‘The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.’ As an instructor, my primary goal and passion is to kindle the fire in each of my students’ minds. I understand that teaching and mentoring are the processes by which students receive help in forming their educational and career goals and planning ways to achieve them. Inspiring students to discover their potential and achieve their goal are the major drives for my passion in teaching.”
Christine Salmon Endowed Professorship Established 2000
Mihyun Kang, Professor,
Marilynn Thoma Chair Established 2006
Barbara Stoecker, Regents Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Design, Housing and Merchandising
Expertise: Mihyun Kang’s scholarly work focuses on design for special populations to solve complex, contemporary interior design problems. She has an interest in sustainable design and its effects on environmental, economic and social systems over the life cycle of a building. Impact: Through the Christine Salmon Endowed Professorship, Kang addresses the needs of the special population of older adults by assessing how specific interior design features can provide aid in place attachment, perceived autonomy, social interaction, and accessibility for older adults. This research establishes best practices for the interior design profession and informs the general public, particularly older adults; health services providers; and caregivers. Kang is actively involved in undergraduate and graduate research, and the professorship has allowed her to support interior design students in conducting research related to design for special populations. In her words: “I believe that a teacher is to be a caring and responsible individual who helps students not only in the learning process, but also in developing the desire to learn. A teacher needs to facilitate a learning environment by creating a place where a student can feel comfortable, but also compelled to strive to do better.”
Expertise: Barbara Stoecker’s research expertise includes micronutrient deficiencies, zinc and cognition, food and nutritional security, infant and young child feeding practices, international nutrition problems and trace elements. Impact: The Marilynn Thoma Chair has been instrumental in supporting Stoecker’s work in maternal and child nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in Ethiopia. While several of the projects receive funding through various agencies, the funds from the chair provide the continuity that allows for long-term planning and increased impact. In her words: “I love working with both graduate and undergraduate students. Their enthusiasm is a wonderful catalyst for new ideas and projects. I have benefited from the guidance of a number of mentors in my career, and teaching is a way to give back for some of the time and mentoring that I have received.”
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Recognizing Community Engagement College’s project with Chickasaw Nation wins national honor
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t Oklahoma State University, community engagement is serving the public by reciprocally sharing talent and knowledge for the greater good. The College of Human Sciences fully embraces this work, serving as a leader of OSU’s community engagement efforts. “Community engagement is important because our mission as a university and as a college is to be engines of development for our state,” College of Human Sciences Dean Stephan Wilson said. Wilson notes that answers to problems are often found by working with those most directly affected by decisions. “(Community engagement) provides the nexus for experiential learning and application of best practices for solving problems with faculty and fellow citizens.” In the fall of 2017, the college celebrated a national recognition for community engagement. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) presented the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship to OSU for the health collaborative between the Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Chickasaw Nation. The Magrath award, which included a $20,000 prize and a commemorative sculpture, recognizes how colleges have redesigned their learning, discovery and engagement missions to become even more involved with their communities. Jorge Atiles, College of Human Sciences associate dean for extension and community engagement, leads OSU’s University Network on Community Engagement (UNCE), and he is proud of the Magrath honor and the recognition it brings to OSU. “Since 2013 we have been actively submitting projects for this competition, and it brings great satisfaction to University Network on Community Engagement members to have been finally selected for this prestigious national award,” Atiles said. “None of this would have happened without the great relationship that faculty, staff and students
maintain with communities around the state, and in this case, with the Chickasaw Nation. Together, we make a difference for the people of Oklahoma.” The Magrath award honors the SHINE project, Solutions-based Health Innovations and Nutrition Excellence, Partners in Indian Country. The work of SHINE was a subcontract of the Chickasaw Nation Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). The partnership paired OSU’s institutional resources and scientific expertise in nutritional sciences with the Chickasaw Nation’s deep knowledge of its history, culture and health challenges. The health collaborative included the Eagle Adventure program for children in the first through third grades and embraced the Native American tribe’s storytelling tradition to educate participants on practices that prevent Type 2 diabetes through dietary choices and physical activity. More than 7,000 students and their families in over 40 local schools participated in the Eagle Adventure program. A recent survey showed 67 percent of the parents whose children are involved in the program report that it has helped their youngsters be more active after school, eat more vegetables at dinner (49 percent), and reach more often for fruits as snacks (55 percent). “Children who participated are becoming health leaders and change agents in their families,” nutritional sciences professor and extension specialist Janice Hermann said. “They are becoming excited about eating fruits and vegetables and being physically active.” Hermann continues to partner with the Chickasaw Nation to support its efforts. After winning the 2017 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship in July 2017, the initiative was chosen for the Magrath award by a team of community engagement professionals. “This is a wonderful honor and exciting national recognition of Oklahoma State’s health initiative with the Chickasaw Nation,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “It’s a humbling S TO RY C H R I S T Y L A N G || P H OTO CO H S
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acknowledgement of our founding commitment to serve and engage in our communities.” Since 2006, APLU and the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, have partnered to honor the engagement, scholarship and partnerships of four-year public universities. The award’s funds will be used to expand and strengthen programs, activities and training events that enhance OSU’s partnerships with the sovereign tribal nations and other communities.
OSU Provost Gary Sandefur (from left), nutritional sciences professor Janice Hermann, nutritional sciences department head Stephen Clarke and Jorge Atiles, associate dean for extension and community engagement, accepted the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ annual meeting in Washington, D.C., last year.
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Fine Vintage Popping the cork on 10 years of the Wine Forum of Oklahoma
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THE 2019 WINE FORUM OF OKLAHOMA The sixth Wine Forum of Oklahoma happens on April 5-6 in the North Wing of the College of Human Sciences building.
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fine pairing of wine, education and scholarship fundraising, the Wine Forum of Oklahoma celebrates its 10th year in 2019. Since 2009, the biennial event has provided a unique, experiential learning opportunity for Oklahoma State University students, community members and vintners alike. “There is not another event on campus that makes such an impact on students,” said assistant professor and Wayne Hirst Beverage Education Center Director Kim Mathe-Cuellar. “There is no better way to teach an events course than by running an event. Students plan and execute the event, and they see every reward throughout the experience.” Students and faculty in the College of Human Sciences’ School of Hospitality and Tourism Management plan and execute the premier event. The forum, which features informative seminars, wine tasting, vintner lunches and dinners, cooking demonstrations and an auction to raise money for student scholarships, attracts patrons from Stillwater, across Oklahoma and around the country. “(Wine Forum) is experiential in terms of learning about event planning, wine and food, and it becomes great leadership development. It is really fun to watch students realize they can lead and to watch them ultimately succeed in that process. From a fundraising prospective, patrons know our students are future professionals who are learning their trade, and they enjoy supporting such a great experience for them,” said Steve Ruby, teaching assistant professor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, who served as an adviser from 2011-2017. The Wine Forum of Oklahoma was established in 2009 when OSU alumni Marilynn and Carl Thoma, owners of Oregon’s Van Duzer Vineyards, had a vision of creating a world-class wine education and outreach program in Oklahoma
OSU graduate Larry Bump and daughter Tricia Bump Davis of Darms Lane Winery and Tulsa resident Ed Mascarin and daughter Mia Mascarin-Oven of 32 Winds Wine are honorary co-chairs for the event. Southern Hills executive chef and certified master chef Jonathan Moosmiller is the honorary culinary chair. The event begins on Friday evening with the gala dinner for patrons, sponsors and highlighted vendors and features an auction to raise money for student scholarships. Saturday’s schedule begins with concurrent educational sessions and includes several lunch options. The day concludes with the grand tasting, where 40 wineries will serve their featured wines and chefs from around the state will create culinary masterpieces for a memorable experience. Tickets go on sale November 1 at wineforumofoklahoma.com.
The Wine Forum of Oklahoma is a highcaliber student leadership and learning opportunity. Student executive chairs lead six committees comprised of over 125 students to plan and execute the event. Pictured below are members of the 2017 student executive team.
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In 2017, more than 1,000 guests enjoyed educational seminars, wine tastings, vintner lunches, cooking demonstrations and a grand tasting.
dedicated to the promotion and development of OSU students, the community at large and the food and wine industries. The Thomas worked with hospitality and tourism management faculty to develop a gathering of vintners and educators to share knowledge and appreciation of wine, with a particular focus on celebrating Oklahomaconnected wine producers and purveyors of quality wine from around the globe. Since the inaugural year, Wine Forum of Oklahoma has experienced tremendous growth. In 2011, just more than 50 students were part of planning and putting on Wine Forum. In 2019, more than 125 students from different majors will be involved, serving and learning in a wide variety of roles on one of six committees — marketing, vintner, hospitality, auction, events and culinary. The experience will prove invaluable. “Students can leave this event with something tangible,” Mathe-Cuellar said. “They can go to a job interview and say they were responsible for a specific aspect of one of the largest and most visible events on campus. Our recruiters respect the magnitude and breadth of Wine Forum, and it really helps to have it on their résumé for demonstrating leadership.”
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Chef Tiffany Poe, director of food operations and instructor in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, agrees. “As a former presenter, culinary chair and now faculty adviser, I have never before seen such an incredible opportunity for students to capitalize on the unique experience that is Wine Forum. This event brings together the absolute best talent in our industry and expands the mindset and capacity of what our students will see and feel in a hospitality experience,” Poe said. Nicole Sparks, a senior hospitality and tourism management major from Tulsa, is the Wine Forum executive chair in 2019 after serving on the beverage committee for the 2018 Craft Beer Forum of Oklahoma, Wine Forum’s sister event held in the opposite years. Sparks is excited to apply what she has learned and is looking forward to her future career in the food and beverage industry. “Wine Forum has allowed me to make connections I never would have otherwise made,” Sparks said. “It has helped me learn how to develop professional relationships, lead meetings, organize events, and has developed my public speaking skills.”
PAST HONORARY CHAIRS 2009 Wine: Marilynn and Carl Thoma, Van Duzer Vineyards Culinary: Alain Sailhac
2011 Wine: Richard and Jeannette Sias, Joullian Vineyards and Winery Culinary: Francis Mallmann
2013 Wine: Beth Nickel, Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel Culinary: Ree Drummond
2015 Wine: Bill and LaRue Stoller, Stoller Family Estate Culinary: Kurt Fleischfresser
2017 Wine: K.R. Rombauer, Rombauer Vineyards Culinary: Philippe Garmy
Ben Goh, director of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, with OSU alumni and Van Duzer Vineyards owners Carl and Marilynn Thoma. The couple was instrumental in the creation of the Wine Forum of Oklahoma and served as honorary chairs in 2009.
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NORTH WING
Transforming Education
New spaces and state-of-the-art technology enhance students’ learning experiences
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he newest addition to the College of Human Sciences brings the vision of OSU’s legendary President Henry Bennett full
circle. The North Wing completes his 1950 plan to develop a three-wing home for what was then the Division of Home Economics. Sixty-eight years later, that vision has become a reality. “Students are at the center of this transformation,” said Human Sciences Dean Stephan Wilson. “Every detail is planned to ensure OSU is able to provide them the best education possible. Each new space will enable programs to better serve students and push the boundaries of cross-discipline educational discovery in the College of Human Sciences.”
The 74,200-square-foot expansion includes 27,000 square feet of laboratory space for experiential learning in hospitality, augmented and virtual reality environments and sewn product development. Ben Goh, assistant dean of College of Human Sciences and director for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, shared that these new lab spaces provide hands-on learning for students, including Taylor’s, the hospitality program’s fine dining lab. “The new spaces have everything from a freshman-level kitchen class to spaces that are more effective for larger classes,” he said. The Hirst Center for Beverage Education also allows students to participate in beverage
The Mixed Reality Lab gives students the opportunity to see their work come to life in virtual reality.
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demonstrations and discoveries. With the new screens in the center, it is easier than ever for guest speakers to share their expertise and experience with students. These changes also make life easier for faculty members. “There are many different types of technology available to the faculty,” Goh said. “They take joy in being able to use the new technology for their classroom and enhance students’ learning. It provides more flexibility.” The Department of Design, Housing and Merchandising is also raising the bar with its new Mixed Reality Lab, which focuses on research in augmented reality, virtual reality and digital prototyping. “One of the reasons that I came to Oklahoma State University and this department was because of this lab,” said Mercan Derafshi, doctoral candidate in design, housing and merchandising. “I can use it with my research. It is not provided in every school, and it is unique to this department and it is kind of known across the nation.” Students and researchers alike can see their creations come to life with the technology available in the lab — an experience extremely valuable in learning and planning. Students learn about fine teas and coffees, wine and crafted brews in the Wayne Hirst Center for Beverage Education.
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Below: The Hal Smith Restaurants Demonstration Classroom provides a space for guest speakers to share expertise with students.
“(Businesses need) a greater appreciation of the customers, so employing empathic design and understanding sort of the underlying motivation for why consumers buy products and what aspects of design attract their attention and are influential in purchase decisions,” said wGreg Clare, assistant professor in design, housing and merchandising. Many different types of research — ranging from research on older adults to technology use in design education and design practice — are conducted in the lab, making its Mixed Reality Lab name very fitting. Students and business partners can test the impact of their visual communications designs in the eye-tracking part of the Mixed Reality Lab. “Partnerships across the university supporting teaching and research with strategic communications, graphic design, hospitality and tourism management, and agricultural communications highlight the multidisciplinary nature of the eye-tracking lab to support empathic design,” Clare said. The Gerber Technology FashionTech Design and Development Center, located on the fourth floor of the North Wing, provides the most up-to-date computer-aided design software and hardware for apparel design and merchandising students. “Our technologies are used by industry, and thus our students are well-prepared to step into
critical positions in firms immediately upon graduation,” said Jane Swinney, department head and associate professor in Design, Housing and Merchandising. During the spring semester, the FashionTech Design and Development Center is often filled with students preparing for the Euphoria Fashion Show, an annual high-energy, runway fashion show that features creations from apparel design students. All the show garments are student designed and produced, created as class assignments or special projects. “We have a full industrial sewing lab with machines used in the industry to produce garments,” said Swinney. “This includes a commercial pressing station, bar-tack machine and embroidery machine. Adjacent to this space is the Gerber Technology FashionTech Lab with two silhouette tables, two plotters and the capacity to develop and size patterns as done in industry. This space is used by apparel design students as they move through the program to learn and apply patterning techniques with sophisticated software.” Outside the labs and technology, even the smallest spaces in the building are focused on students, providing them comfortable seating and charging stations for electronic devices between classes.
Through the Gerber Technology FashionTech and Development Center (above), apparel and merchandising students have access to industry technology that prepares them well for jobs after graduation.
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Improving Lives
Tulsa’s Center for Family Resilience works to help people across Oklahoma
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CFR director Dr. Michael Merten
t the Center for Family Resilience (CFR) in Tulsa, people aren’t simply computer jockeys, analyzing data and making reports. The team is passionate about improving the lives of Oklahomans through research, outreach and engagement. The CFR, established in 2009, uses conferences, program evaluations and community events to educate and support people to reach their fullest potential, both socially and personally. Dr. Michael Merten, a professor of human development and family science, became its director in February 2015. “We want to come alongside community agencies, organizations and schools to help come up with solutions to some of the problems that exist,” Merten said. “A lot of times, we’ll collect data from various populations, analyze that data and report back to those agencies in an effort to come up with a timely solution.” By analyzing and translating scientific data about families, schools and organizations, the CFR can develop strategies to help build resilience in the community. These strategies are implemented by human and social service agencies. The CFR also makes state and national policy recommendations to help strengthen families. The CFR partners with numerous organizations around Tulsa to reinforce and assist the organizations’ work. It regularly interacts with the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations, the Tulsa County Health Department, Youth Services of Tulsa, the Tulsa Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Tulsa Public Schools, just to name a few. It has also partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to implement the PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG) project in an Oklahoma City elementary school.
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“We want to come alongside community agencies, organizations and schools to help come up with solutions to some of the problems that exist.” — MIKE MERTEN, CFR DIRECTOR
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Right: The Center's annual Chautauqua Conference on Family Resilience brings together scholars and community practitioners each year in February. Above: Parents and youth participating in the ¡Unidos Se Puede! (United We Can) program during a visit to the OSU campus. An outreach effort of the CFR, Unidos Se Puede serves Latino families in the Tulsa area, helping youth succeed in high school and pursue higher education.
PAX GBG focuses on promoting peace, productivity and harmony in classrooms. CFR staff and graduate students train teachers in ways to address behavioral interruptions. The CFR provides program evaluation and support for PAX GBG. Merten said the CFR wants to expand the program across the state. The CFR invites professionals in the human development and family science fields to speak at the Chautauqua, a yearly conference held in Tulsa with experts from across the United States. Past events have covered living with chronic illnesses, family caregiving,
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parenting and behavioral regulation, and family risk and resilience. “Our goal is to bring academics as well as community members together for a day,” Merten said. The Chautauqua usually draws 80 to 100 guests, with both industry professionals and community members in attendance. The CFR also partners with Springer, an academic publishing agency, to publish a book after each event for the series Emerging Issues in Family and Individual Resilience. Each book chapter is taken from papers presented by the Chautauqua speakers. The CFR hosts monthly research seminars on new concepts, theories and
methods about risk and resilience in relation to health and well-being. These seminars allow the faculty, students and professionals who attend to learn new techniques to implement in their work. In addition to the Chautauqua and research seminars, Tulsa community members can also participate in a variety of other programs and events offered by the CFR. “We partner with community organizations in Tulsa to offer a free Hispanic health fair each year,” Merten said. “We’re able to offer this resource every year and give free health screenings.” He noted the benefit for some attendees: “It may be their only opportunity for a health screening.” The CFR works with a Tulsa radio station to host a weekly discussion on a variety of topics, such as storm safety, mental health and other issues related to health and well-being. Listeners can call in and ask questions, receiving free advice from someone well-versed on the subject. “We get to be a resource for folks in the community who may have questions about things that they generally don’t get the chance to ask,” Merten said. Graduate students who work at the CFR can participate in projects. Often, they gather data from various community partners and analyze and write reports. Recent projects include evaluating and assessing needs for women’s health, youth development, tribal reintegration and school readiness programs. He noted that the CFR has continued to grow since he joined three years ago. The needs of the community are constantly changing, and the CFR continues to adapt. “I think our work is only going to grow,” Merten said. The staff of the CFR is dedicated to creating a stronger, tougher community across the state of Oklahoma. Their research and engagement will foster a more resilient society for years to come. “I love being able to interact on a daily basis with the faculty, staff and students who are affiliated with the CFR,” Merten said. “It is definitely team-oriented. I feel fortunate to be surrounded by such quality, hardworking people.”
RESEARCH GROWTH BY THE NUMBERS The College of Human Sciences has seen a 47 percent increase in external grant funding since 2008. A sample of the college’s top funded projects from 2016-17:
$2,212,851
$266,629
Oklahoma Nutrition Education
National Core Indicators Adult Consumer Survey – Oklahoma
Debra Garrard-Foster, Diana Romano, Janice Hermann, Barbara Brown Department of Nutritional Sciences
$2,015,823 Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Adversity (various projects) Ron Cox, Amanda Harrist, Amanda Morris, Karina Shreffler, Isaac Washburn Department of Human Development and Family Science
$1,400,000 Cooking for Kids: Culinary Training for School Nutrition Professionals Deana Hildebrand Department of Nutritional Sciences
$502,694 Social Marketing, Evaluation and Tribal Support — Chickasaw Nation Stephany Parker and Janice Hermann Department of Nutritional Sciences
$364,890 Tulsa Children’s Project and Legacy Parenting Initiative Amanda Morris Department of Human Development and Family Science
Jennifer Jones and Kami Gallus Department of Human Development and Family Science
$217,003 Expanding the Cycle of Opportunity: Simultaneously Educating Parents and Children in Head Start Amanda Morris Department of Human Development and Family Science
$182,500 Systems of Care: Strengthening our CareNet (SOC2) – Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce Amy Williamson Payton Department of Human Development and Family Science
$168,630 Oklahoma Good Behavior Game Implementation and Evaluation Michael Merten Department of Human Development and Family Science
$315,610 TSET Nutrition and Fitness Initiative Evaluation Deana Hildebrand Department of Nutritional Sciences
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CENTER FOR FAMILY RESILIENCE HUMANSCIENCES.OKSTATE.EDU/HDFS/CFR/
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“They really want to learn, and to apply what they are learning immediately.”
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Have Knowledge, Will Travel
Barbara Brown shares her food preservation expertise around the world
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arbara Brown loves a good challenge. Since 1981, through her work as a family and consumer sciences food specialist at Oklahoma State University, Barbara Brown has shared her knowledge and expertise about food preservation and consumer food issues with Oklahomans and residents around the world. An associate professor in the College of Human Sciences’ Department of Nutrition Sciences, Brown was selected as a volunteer for projects sponsored by Partners of the Americas’ Farmer-toFarmer project. Brown has trained residents and farmers on food preservation in making jams and jellies, food dehydration and food safety during two to three-week visits in Nicaragua, Haiti, Mozambique and Ecuador. Each project is different. And Brown has learned to be patient and prepared for anything. “I try not to have preconceived ideas,” Brown said. “You may go into the country with a general idea of what you’re going to be doing but on the first day that will change. And it will change every day thereafter. You deal with changing wants and needs and have to use what is available.” Partners of the Americas is a nonprofit organization that connects people and organizations to implement programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Programs span such areas as combating child labor, promoting youth leadership and improving agriculture and food security. The Mozambique trip came about through her work with Cultivating New Frontiers in
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P H OTO © OSU AG COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
Home Canning using pressure cookers and mason jars is taught by Barbara Brown during a demonstration workshop held at the Oklahoma County Cooperative Extension Service (OCES) office. The OCES has a long tradition of helping families learn to stretch food dollars and eat healthier with education programs like these. Home canning has been making a comeback in recent years as interest in healthy organic food has grown.
Agriculture. Both Farmer-to-Farmer and CNFA are funded by USAID. Each project addresses local needs. In Ecuador, Brown focused on teaching fruit processing and preservations in food-insecure communities. Forty-four people participated in workshops where she taught participants to freeze fruit pulp from strawberries, tree tomatoes and blackberries and to make fruit jam using golden berries and strawberries. “We didn’t have some of the things I’d generally tell people were essential for good results, like freezer-grade storage bags for frozen pulp,” Brown explained. “They had a lighter-weight product, so we used (what they had) and talked about how that would impact storage time and quality.” In Mozambique, Brown couldn’t make jams and jellies, so she instead worked to teach and develop ways to dehydrate food. She worked with her students to create a unit for dehydration out of plastic sheeting, cardboard and insect screens. They poked holes for airflow and painted it black to absorb more sun. The challenge is part of what Brown enjoys most about the work. “That need to think on your feet, listen to what is really important, adapt to locations and situations is very exciting,” she said. The people she meets and the opportunity to visit new places and experience new things also keep her coming back to Partners of the Americas. “The people are awesome,” Brown said. “They are beautiful inside and out. They are kind and generous and they give back more than I could possibly give in return. They really want to learn, and to apply what they are learning immediately.” And Brown is happy to teach.
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STUDY ABROAD
10 Years of Travel International trips expand student experiences
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Emily Baldwin describes studying abroad as one of the best decisions she’s made.
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he influx of students from many other countries allows students at Oklahoma State University to experience cultures from around the world without leaving home. Still, there is nothing quite like going to another country and seeing it for yourself — tasting the food, learning the history and meeting the people. Over the last 10 years, 592 Human Sciences students have participated in study abroad opportunities through the university, including semesters abroad and trips through other colleges as well as through the College of Human Sciences. The number of trips has increased from 19 in the 2007-2008 school year to 92 in 2017-2018. Since 2008, 268 students have participated in Human Sciences-based study abroad opportunities in 10 countries — Switzerland, Netherlands, Kenya, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Costa Rica, England, and Spain — on four continents.
Cosette Armstrong, an associate professor in design, housing and merchandising, has led three trips to Costa Rica, but her first trip had one of her most memorable experiences. “We had some time on our hands before a zip line tour. The guide knew the area and suggested that we go for a walk,” she remembered. “As we walked down the road, there was a rickety old bridge, and the river ran beneath it. Some local kids were swimming below. The students asked if they could stay for a bit and swim. A couple of my students had been learning to speak Spanish, and they tried out their skills to communicate. I watched from the edge of the bridge as they stumbled with the language to talk to each other and laughed. They played together for quite some time. What a joy! It became one of the major highlights of the trip ... something that was not even on the itinerary.”
Since 200708, 592 Human Sciences students have participated in study abroad trips. Emily Baldwin, a hospitality and tourism management student, traveled to Italy.
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Human Sciences students Alana Ralston, Katleyn Todd, Alyssa Quintanilla, Emily Baldwin and Anna Robertson pose on the Arno River in Florence, Italy, while studying abroad.
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This story exemplifies what study abroad is all about — firsthand experiences with people and places from another culture. Armstrong describes study abroad as a tool for students to discover the world and themselves. “Going outside the country to experience a culture unlike their own gets them out of their comfort zone,” she said. After hearing a family friend share her experience studying abroad with OSU, Emily Cavanaugh wanted to go on a similar trip. Cavanaugh needed classes that fit in her major, and she found a trip to Italy offered by the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in Human Sciences. She had great experiences while learning from Italian professors and formed relationships with these teachers, who cared about her study and her experience. She was able to fit eight credit hours of classes into her four weeks in Italy, all for less than the normal cost of her tuition (with some help from scholarships). Cavanagh sees study abroad as an opportunity to bring your learning to life. “That’s something really powerful,” she said. Emily Baldwin, a junior studying hospitality and tourism management, also traveled to Italy this past year. Her favorite experience was a road trip to the Banfi Vineyards. “The sites were so beautiful, and it was so expansive,” Baldwin explained. “It was the first time I really saw how much work goes into it, and how many years it takes to make a good bottle of wine.” Baldwin couldn’t choose just one favorite experience; each meal she ate was fresh and delicious. “There was always a story behind the making of the food. People making the food were just so passionate about what they do,” she said. Hospitality and tourism management professor Bill Ryan has led 15 trips to Europe, including the trips Baldwin and Cavanaugh took. “I have been to Italy more than once, but there’s nothing like seeing (the students’) excitement as they learn,” Ryan said. Baldwin describes studying abroad as one of the best decisions she’s made. She enjoyed the familiarity of her fellow classmates and professor while studying in and exploring a faraway place. “It was nice to have a little piece of Stillwater while we were in Italy. It makes Human Sciences feel more like a family,” Baldwin said. For students contemplating study abroad, Cavanaugh said, “Go for it! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity … unless you study abroad twice.”
Emily Cavanaugh took a Food, Culture and Society course in Florence, Italy.
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SCHOLARSHIPS The key to education
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cholarships. The importance of this financial support for students cannot be overstated. Large and small, the monetary support for students pursuing their academic goals and life dreams motivate, inspire and offer relief from the pressure of paying for college. Thanks to the generosity of many alumni and donors, the College of Human Sciences has made major strides in scholarships. From 20072017, more than 30 new scholarship endowments were established. Annual giving for scholarships increased. And the amount of annual scholarship dollars given to students rose by more than $600,000. “Scholarship gifts have provided and continue to make a tremendous difference in the lives of generations of Human Sciences students,” College of Human Sciences Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Services Shiretta Ownbey said. The need for scholarships continues. The college receives far more applications for
scholarships than it can award Ownbey said. Nearly half of the students who earn bachelor’s degrees from the college (47 percent in 2016-17) had, on average, $23,000 in student loan debt at graduation. “Scholarships are key in supporting students to remain in school and persist to graduation so they can have better lives. Those individuals who have a passion for helping others will find that providing financial support to worthy students brings a lifetime of satisfaction,” she said. Each April, the College of Human Sciences presents scholarship awards to undergraduate and graduate students during the Scholarship Recognition Banquet. It celebrates the accomplishments of students as well as the people who make these awards possible. Scholarship support has made an indelible difference for Human Sciences students Ben Watson and Christine Walters. Read how on these pages.
College of Human Sciences Dean Stephan Wilson presented Ben Watson and Christine Walters their scholarship awards at an annual banquet.
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BEN WATSON
CHRISTINE WALTERS
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CHRISTINE WALTERS will use her awards to make a difference in the world. “I see scholarships as a personal investment,” nutritional sciences doctoral student Christine Walters said. “Someone else worked hard to make this money, and now they’re investing in me to do something great.” Walters began her education at Ohio State University. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in medical dietetics and a minor in integrative approaches to health and wellness, she knew she wanted to continue learning. One of Walters’ professors was an Oklahoma State alumnus who recommended his alma mater. She reached out to Barbara Stoecker, OSU Regents Professor in nutritional sciences. A meeting with Stoecker, who now serves as Walters’ adviser, convinced Walters that OSU was the right place for her. Walters didn’t move to Oklahoma right away. In order to save money for graduate school, she initially worked as a dietitian in Ohio. She didn’t want to go deep into debt as she pursued graduate education. Walters’ family instilled a strong work ethic in her early on. “My father built himself financially from nothing and broke what could have been a cycle of poverty,” she explained. After building up a small nest egg, Walters set out for Stillwater. Once her savings were spent, she tried to find work as a part-time dietitian, but the inflexible schedule conflicted with her classes, so she began babysitting instead. Walters has always loved children, and babysitting provided the flexibility she needed — but on the
other hand, she found it distracted her from her studies. Thankfully, aid came her way in the form of scholarships from the College of Human Sciences. For 2018-19, Walters was awarded the Winterfeldt Graduate Fellowship for Research and the D.E. Jorgenson Professional Development Award. “The burden of paying for my education has been lightened through the generous support of others,” she said. The funds not only allowed Walters to continue her education, they fully funded a research trip to eastern Africa. Walters’ interests center on international nutrition with a focus on low-income countries. In 2016, she traveled to Malawi to study malnutrition in pregnant adolescents. While there, she became actively involved with the local community to determine what infrastructure was already in place to combat this issue. Walters strives to develop evidencebased approaches and sustainable solutions. The research was done in partnership with Child Legacy International and has been presented at Experimental Biology and Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior conferences. She is currently working toward publishing the data in a peerreviewed journal. Walters, who also has a master’s degree in nutrition from Oklahoma State, has begun planning her next international trip. This time, she is headed to Uganda to study maternal mental health and its relationship
to child-feeding practices as well as malnutrition among refugees in resettlement camps. “(Christine) is committed to research and has the potential to truly make a difference in people’s lives,” Stoecker said. But Walters’ impact spreads much further than her research pursuits. She also works as a graduate teaching assistant, saying she fell in love with teaching the moment she stepped into the classroom. Her love for teaching is mirrored in the students’ admiration for her. Deana Hildebrand, an associate professor in nutritional sciences, has great respect for Walters’ high standards. According to Hildebrand, students have described Walters as “having a positive attitude, dedicated, knowledgeable and approachable.” Walters is a resource for fellow graduate assistants, inviting them to observe her discussion section before they are sent out to conduct their own. As her career continues, Walters said she would like to combine her passions for research, international nutrition, teaching and travel by creating an international nutrition class with a study abroad component. Walters will undoubtedly make her mark in the field of nutritional sciences. She is grateful for the scholarship support and the opportunity to pursue her passion, and she encourages her students to do the same. “There are many different journeys you can take; take the one that pulls on your heart strings.”
Graduate student Christine Walters received scholarships that supported a trip to Malawi to study malnutrition in pregnant adolescents.
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BEN WATSON pays our campus friendliness forward During the spring of his senior year of high school, Ben Watson had made his college choice. The Oklahoma City native was eager to leave home and experience new things at another Big 12 university. But a campus tour of Oklahoma State University over spring break changed everything. As the group toured the Stillwater campus, countless people said hello to the tour guide. When the tour ended, Watson asked how the guide knew all of the people greeting him. “You hear people talk a lot about the Cowboy Family, but on that tour, I experienced it. Everyone was so friendly,” Watson said. “(The tour guide) told me he didn’t know all of them; they were just friendly and wanted the students touring to feel welcome, like this was a place they could belong.” Watson felt like he belonged at OSU. He changed his college plans and never looked back. Now, he is a junior majoring in human development and family science with an option in child and family services. Watson has found his place at OSU and in the College of Human Sciences. “After doing too many things during my freshman year, I decided to find three things I really care about and commit myself fully to them,” he said. Watson joined the President’s Leadership Council as a freshman and is currently a facilitator, mentoring
younger students in the program. He also serves as the vice president of operations for Cowboython, the largest on-campus philanthropic organization at OSU. Culminating with a 12-hour dance marathon, Cowboython generates awareness and financial support for the Oklahoma City Children’s Miracle Network Hospital Foundation and offers participants the opportunity to interact with children and families served by the hospital. In addition, Watson serves as a College of Human Sciences Link Leader. He meets with prospective students and their parents to share his experiences and educate students about programs in Human Sciences and across the OSU campus. “It was awesome to meet with new freshmen this summer during New Student Orientation,” he said. “The College of Human Sciences makes it so personal (for prospective students), and I’m glad I’m able to aid in that.” Jamie Bellah, Watson’s academic adviser, said Watson thrives in leadership roles because of his ability to connect with people. “He is warm, friendly, and engaging, and the new freshmen were drawn to him. They felt extremely comfortable visiting with him and asking him questions,” Bellah said. For 2018-19, Watson received two scholarships from the College of Human Sciences — the Beulah Mae Kinney
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Alumni Scholarship and the David and Shirley Jenkins Endowed Scholarship. The financial support has lessened his workload and allowed him to commit more time to his passions. “Receiving these scholarships from the College of Human Sciences has provided a cushion so that I can work fewer hours and dive into university activities,” Watson said. “I have been able to invest more time in Cowboython, and the opportunity to really make a difference is an incredible feeling.” Bellah can see the impact scholarships make for Watson and other Human Sciences students. “(Scholarships have allowed Ben) to focus more fully on his studies and be involved in activities he is passionate about. We have students that wouldn’t stay in school if it weren’t for the scholarships they receive,” Bellah said. Watson enjoys connecting with people and serving as a face of OSU for prospective students. “I love making people feel like they have a place,” he said. Today, Watson is the one giving campus tours, and he ends every tour the same way. “I tell students that wherever they decide to go to school, they should get involved. Academics are important, but getting involved helps you find your place and makes your college experience.”
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Scholarship support allows Ben Walters to focus his time on campus leadership and helping prospective students learn more about OSU and the College of Human Sciences.
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Creative Outreach
Schweitzer Fellows’ projects aim to help diverse communities
Tutoring and educating children living in a transitional housing shelter. Strengthening family ties for young criminal offenders. Empowering a community to address its health care issues. These are all year-long projects for OSU-Tulsa graduate students who have been selected for Albert Schweitzer Fellowships. The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship is a nonprofit organization that promotes positive change within communities around the globe. By preparing young professionals with the skills needed to promote growth and change, these individuals can address unmet health needs in various communities. In 2015, the organization opened a chapter in Tulsa. It selected a handful of student applicants for its 2016-17 inaugural group, including Zachary Giano, a 2018 graduate from the human development and family science (HDFS) doctoral program in the College of Human Sciences. As a Schweitzer Fellow, Giano worked to implement his project at Pearl’s Hope, a transitional shelter for homeless women and children in Tulsa. His program, Supporting and Tutoring Enrichment Program, or STEP, was designed to tutor and educate the children living in the shelter. “I wanted to work with the kids,” Giano said. “I wanted the program to have an impact; I wanted it to help them. What better way to help kids than to make them more confident in school?” He held one-on-one tutoring sessions with the children weekly on Saturdays. Once a month, he organized activities that the mothers and children could engage in together, such as painting or cooking. “It was about strengthening the bond between the moms and their kids and teaching them or giving them a refresher on how to be good moms,” Giano said. Giano, who is from Honolulu, wanted to get involved with his new community and saw the Schweitzer Fellowship as a way to achieve that.
“I really wanted to work with the community and get integrated,” he said. “I think it was important because I wanted to bond with the community here and make an impact. I wanted to give back to the community.” In 2017-18 Schweitzer Fellows, current HDFS doctoral students Ashley Harvey and Brooke Tuttle have developed the Family Strengthening Project, aimed at improving the bonds between juvenile offenders and their families. Harvey said she “learned the power of resilience through positive social connections” and wanted to share that with others facing hardships of their own. Most kids in the Juvenile Detention Center in Tulsa will eventually be placed in state facilities. Many are missing the support of their families, which could dramatically improve their chances of getting their lives back on track. “Family matters to all of us, and it matters to youth in juvenile detention,” Tuttle said. The two women partnered with the Tulsa County Family Center for Juvenile Justice and hosted a weekly support group at the detention center. They taught such skills as communication, emotion management and problem-solving. “Parents and teens have both been very responsive to the program,” Harvey said. “We have found that most families are willing to do whatever it takes to make the positive changes in their lives.” Their program is currently the only one of its kind in Oklahoma. “I learned so much from the youth and families served by our project about resilience, humility, forgiveness and vulnerability,” Tuttle said. Patrick Grayshaw, who will graduate from the HDFS doctoral program in 2021, is a 201819 Schweitzer Fellow. His program focuses on engaging residents of North Tulsa in dialogues with each other to address their health concerns and needs. “There are tremendous health disparities in North Tulsa,” Grayshaw said. “My goal is to engage the community in problem-solving action and S TO RY J E N N Y B E R RY || P H OTO S O S U T U L S A
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“It’s up to those who have the ability to create changes to do so.” — PATRICK GRAYSHAW, 2018-19 ALBERT SCHWEITZER FELLOW
to get diverse community members together to address the health disparities in their areas.” His program, which works alongside the North Tulsa Community Coalition, will recruit a handful of residents to engage in weekly dialogues for five weeks to address issues and come up with solutions. Grayshaw ultimately wants the dialogue groups to form an action plan to make changes in the area. Mike Stout, Grayshaw’s adviser during the fellowship and an associate professor in HDFS and the George Kaiser Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Family and Community Policy, sees tremendous potential in the project. “For the individuals involved in the program, they learn about the issues, they build new networks, and they become engaged around the issue with other members of the community,” Stout said. Grayshaw said after his program is complete, he hopes to stay involved in the North Tulsa community and help “in any way he can.” “It’s up to those who have the ability to create changes to do so,” Grayshaw said.
Top from left: As Albert Schweitzer Fellows, human development and family science doctoral students Zachary Giano, Patrick Grayshaw and Brooke Tuttle and Ashley Harvey have implemented projects to make a difference in Tulsa.
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Alumni Connections Keeping in touch with you is our aim
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o you remember the pride you felt crossing the stage at commencement? We hope that feeling stays with you when you think of the College of Human Sciences and Oklahoma State University. Alumni are one of our most treasured assets, and it is our desire to stay connected with you, whether you graduated five, 10 or 50 years ago.
Orange Connection One of the best ways to be connected to college news and activities, and to OSU as a whole, is to have an active membership with the OSU Alumni Association. An annual membership is $45, and lifetime memberships are available. Membership comes with many benefits, including subscriptions to the College of Human Sciences magazine, to the college’s quarterly e-newsletter, to STATE magazine and other university publications, as well as invitations to local alumni club activities, access to OSU’s online alumni directory and discounts at local and national merchants. A portion of your membership fees goes to the College of Human Sciences. To join the OSU Alumni Association, visit www. orangeconnection.org.
Partners Group The College of Human Sciences Partners Group is a volunteer organization whose members include alumni, donors and friends, as well as industry leaders. The Partners Group shares members’ skills and expertise with college faculty, staff and students to enrich the overall educational experience and help the college achieve its goals.
The Partners Group meets twice a year in Stillwater: once on the Friday of OSU’s Homecoming weekend and once in the spring, typically in April. In addition, the group has a two-day summer retreat that includes good food, cultural enterainment, fellowship and a business meeting. If you are interested in joining the Partners Group, or would like more information, contact us at cohs@okstate.edu.
Mentoring If student mentoring is your passion, OSU and the College of Human Sciences offer a new opportunity for alumni. OSU Career Services is deploying OKState Alumnifire, a free digital networking platform. The campus goal is to help current students and recent graduates resolve questions and navigate opportunities in the professional world. The system is limited to OSU students,
HOMECOMING 2018 All College of Human Sciences alumni are invited to Homecoming activities on Friday, Oct. 26. New this year are events for young alumni (classes 2008-17), giving them a chance to reconnect with faculty and classmates. The college will also celebrate 25- and 50-year graduates from the classes of 1993 and 1968, respectively. Get more information at okla.st/cohs2018reunions.
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alumni and employees, and users decide how often they want to be contacted. The college is seeking Human Sciences alumni to join the network and connect with students. OKState Alumnifire allows you to select what you want to offer other Cowboys — general career advice, introductions and networking, job shadowing, résumé reviews, interview coaching, job search strategies, graduate and professional school advice, relocation strategies and more. Human Sciences career development manager Brecca Farr believes Alumnifire can be empowering for both alumni and students. “For the alumnus, you set the boundaries — how often you are willing to be contacted to share insights or provide feedback. It’s not limited to connecting students with alumni; alumni can connect with each other as well,” Farr said. “For the student, you have a ready-made group of working professionals that want to help and provide perspective from someone who has been in your shoes.” Alumni can use LinkedIn or Facebook accounts to sign in, and the platform is 100 percent free. To join the network, visit okstate.alumnfire. com or email brecca.farr@okstate. edu.
Share your story We know Human Sciences alumni are in all corners of the world, doing great work to improve the human condition, and we love to hear your stories. If you are interested in a tour of the college, we would love to spend some time showing you what is new. Email us at cohs@okstate.edu to connect.
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