Partnerships Provide Additional Opportunities for CU Students

PARTNERSHIPS

PROVIDE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES for CU STUDENTS

Cameron University’s Office of University Advancement, which oversees the Cameron University Foundation, endowments, fundraising campaigns and more, thrives on developing partnerships with organizations throughout southwest Oklahoma and beyond. Cameron Magazine is pleased to feature some of our recent partnerships and how they benefit students.

RAYTHEON MISSILES & DEFENSE PROVIDES FUNDING FOR CU MILITARY SPOUSE PROGRAM.

The CU Foundation received a $10,000 grant from Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a business of Raytheon Technologies, to provide funding for military spouses looking to pursue a college education. The pilot program offers aid to military spouses who are pursuing college degrees. Under the program, scholarships have been made available for the 2021-2022 academic year.

“Raytheon continues to look for innovative and meaningful opportunities to invest in our Lawton/Fort Sill community,” says Nate Jones, a U.S. Army veteran and the Director of Fires Requirements, Capabilities and Solutions at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “This new program at Cameron University is an ideal way in which we can help military spouses advance their education and career goals.” The program is designed for military spouses and does not require the spouse to be a full-time student. However, it does require the student to take classes with Cameron University.” Scholarship recipients are paired with a mentor from the USO Transitions Program Team, located on Fort Sill, which is partnering with Raytheon Missiles & Defense and CU to provide additional support.

ENGINEERING PROGRAM AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS PROVIDED BY ARVEST FOUNDATION.

CU’s engineering degree program, the only engineering degree program in southwest Oklahoma, received a $10,000 donation from the Arvest Foundation which been used to provide scholarships to Cameron students who are pursuing an Associate in Applied Science degree in Engineering.

David Madigan, President and CEO of Arvest Bank, presented the donation on behalf of the Arvest Foundation. As a trustee of the Fires Innovation Science & Technology Accelerator (FISTA) Development Trust Authority, Madigan understands the increasing need for engineers in southwest Oklahoma and the role that Cameron plays in providing qualified job candidates in that field. FISTA works to attract defense contractors, hightechnology industry, and innovative businesses with capabilities to directly support various units at Fort Sill's Fires Center of Excellence. Providing a pipeline of job-ready, degree-holding university graduates is an integral part of FISTA’s ability to do so.

“We are proud the Arvest Foundation shares our passion for Cameron University and understands the need for engineers in southwest Oklahoma,” Madigan says. “Being a military community means there are great opportunities for graduates of Cameron’s program. It’s important we keep those talented graduates here to help us continue to grow our region in many different ways.”

Since its launch in 2014, CU’s engineering program has produced 54 graduates and expects to add 10 more to that list in May 2022. CU’s program has developed a strong reputation for producing quality engineers who succeed in their chosen career while feeding the Oklahoma engineering pipeline.

CU engineering alumni have remained in state for employment and are located throughout southwest Oklahoma at locations including Altus Air Force Base, Goodyear, Henniges Automotive, HIS Sensing, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, and Republic Paperboard. Additional alumni have found careers in the Oklahoma City metro area at companies such as Boeing, Cameron Measurements, Leidos and OG&E.

CU President John McArthur (left), student Alexis Woodford (center) and Rhonda Clemmer, Chair, Cameron University Foundation (right) join members of the McMahon Foundation Board of Trustees (l to r) Trustee Phil Kennedy; Dr. Todd Bridges, Chair, McMahon Foundation; Trustee Mike Mayhall; Trustee Kenneth Easton; for the dedication of two greenhouses funded by a grant from the McMahon Foundation.

NEW GREENHOUSES WILL PROVIDE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.

The university has added two instructional greenhouses to its arsenal of hands-on teaching facilities, thanks to a $210,000 grant from the McMahon Foundation. The facilities will offer year-round growing in a controlled environment and are conveniently located near the classrooms where biology and agriculture courses are taught.

“The trustees of the McMahon Foundation continue to embrace Cameron’s goal of providing experiential learning in facilities that offer easy access to our students,” says Albert Johnson Jr., Vice President for University Advancement. “It’s one thing to read about growing and collecting soil samples, for example, yet so much more meaningful and memorable to experience those processes hands-on. The greenhouses will offer CU students numerous opportunities to ‘get their hands dirty,’ if you will, as they work toward degree completion.”

Dr. Mike Husak, Chair of the Department of Agriculture, Biology and Health Sciences, says that the new greenhouses will provide students with skills they can utilize after graduation.

“We have plans to use the greenhouses for plant experiments in biology, botany and ecology classes,” Husak explains. “Students enrolled in botany will learn about the anatomical development of plants from seeds onward, while those in ecology will use the space to look at plant competition as it relates to plant density.”

Agriculture students will also utilize the facilities.

“By planting corn and beans, students will learn the difference between cereals and legumes as well as how to distinguish monocots and dicots,” says Dr. Ali Fornah, Assistant Professor. “We will have the ability to conduct a plant spacing experiment by using the recommended spacing versus using reduced spacing, to help students recognize the importance of appropriate plant spacing.”

Other applications include teaching students how to properly plant vegetables, how to use a green seeker sensor on different plants to determine nitrogen use efficiency, and how to collect and analyze soil samples. Students will also learn about appropriate fertilizer applications as well as when and how to harvest different plants.

“We are truly indebted to the McMahon Foundation for making these facilities possible,” says Johnson. “The vision of the McMahon trustees will continue to benefit Cameron students for generations to come.”

The McMahon Foundation – the leading donor in CU history – has provided more than $20 million in support to Cameron University. In addition to funding countless scholarships and providing support for academic programs, the foundation has funded campus improvements that include the current renovations to the CU Library, the Esports suite, the Louise D. McMahon Fine Arts Complex, the Academic Commons, the McMahon Centennial Complex, various athletic facilities and more.

- Janet E. Williams

If you would like to have a positive impact on CU students by making a donation to the Cameron University Foundation or a specific academic program, contact University Advancement at 580-581-2999 or email foundation@cameron.edu.