Friends,
A little over one year ago, I was asked to serve as interim dean for Price College. From my perspective, this past year has been overwhelmingly positive, despite the obvious challenges caused by the pandemic. In many ways, the College has made significant strides forward. We hired a record number of faculty this past year and will have the largest number of faculty and staff in Price College’s history starting in the fall. Our enrollments this year were up from the previous year, and we expect even greater enrollments this fall. The reason for this growth: the success of our programs. Price College is in the middle of an ambitious growth phase to align our courses and programs with the needs of the changing economy. Students see this success, and they want to be part of it.
Starting next year, we will offer new programs in Aerospace and Defense, the Business of Healthcare, and the Business of Construction Science. We will offer an undergraduate certificate in Business Intelligence and Analytics to all Price majors. We will expand the Professional MBA offering to a much wider online audience, including Tulsa. We will continue to expand our masters programs in three key areas: Accounting, Finance and Information Technology. We have plans for expanding programs in Supply Chain Management, Financial Planning, Real Estate and Strategic Communications. We recently launched the OU Global Risks & Threats Series, bringing together thought leaders throughout the world. The Tom Love Innovation Hub and the Ronnie K. Irani Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth continue to gain momentum as leading programs in entrepreneurship on the OU campus and statewide. To continue our ambitious growth, we will look to hire more faculty and staff in the following year and to gather additional resources for our programs and students. It’s very clear to me—the future of Price College is bright.
As I leave my current position as interim dean, I want to sincerely thank the faculty and staff for this past year. Working alongside my colleagues has been a privilege. I have made new friends and strengthened existing friendships. I have watched so many of our faculty step up in these challenging times to serve the college. Our faculty had to move their courses online due to the pandemic and found new ways to give students the best educational experience possible. Perhaps one of the best parts of the year has been working with our staff. They are a joy. They help to create the family atmosphere that exists within Price College, and they remain vital to our success.
I also want to say a heartfelt thanks to the many alumni that I have had the pleasure to meet and interact with over the year. We have many individuals willing to participate in our various Boards of Advisors, Adams Society, guest lectures, recruiting students, student mentoring, or whatever way they were asked. Your willingness to help our students, faculty and staff is truly admirable and very much appreciated. I get to see firsthand the difference you are making.
Finally, I want to welcome our incoming dean, Corey Phelps. We are very excited about the talent and energy that Dean Phelps will bring to Price College. Please take a moment to review his short video below. In addition, I hope you will enjoy reading the many stories in this e-Newsletter that highlight just a few activities that have occurred at Price College since our last issue.
