Two students in The University of Tulsa’s master of athletic training program, Graham Jameison and Triston Hopkins, are increasing nutrition education among student-athletes at Sapulpa High School. The project is the focus of Jameison and Hopkins’ Albert Schweitzer Fellowship in Tulsa.
Founded in 1940, the international Albert Schweitzer Fellowship selects graduate students to plan and implement projects that improve health outcomes in underserved communities. Tulsa was added to the program in 2016. Each year, a handful of graduate students from area universities are selected to develop a project related to their field of study that addresses specific health concerns.
With a common background in sports medicine, Hopkins and Jamieson understand the important role nutrition plays in the health and performance of athletes. Through clinical experience, they became increasingly aware of the lack of nutritional guidance provided to high school athletes.
“Many high school students fail to receive proper nutrition education which keeps them from knowing how to make healthy choices once they graduate,” said Jamieson (BS ’22). “With Sapulpa’s desire for nutrition content for their students, the athletic training staff was more than willing to allow us to work with their student-athletes.”
Hopkins and Jamieson applied for the 2023-24 fellowship with a proposal that allowed them to partner with Dalton Wyrick (BS ’19, MAT ’21), the head athletic trainer at Sapulpa High School, to develop a nutrition education program for student-athletes. As the site supervisor for Hopkins and Jamieson’s project, Wyrick has seen the program’s impact firsthand, and is thrilled with how much the athletes and coaches at Sapulpa High School have learned.
“Their nutrition education has helped athletes better understand how to fuel their bodies to better optimize their performance, reduce injuries, and all around be more aware of what they are fueling themselves with,” Wyrick said.
To ensure the education they provide is impactful, Jameison and Hopkins met with the coaches of each Sapulpa sports team to discuss the goals of the project before giving a series of presentations to the athletes in which they explained the basics of sports nutrition and applied them to the specific demands of each sport. Thanks to a grant from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the student-athletes also received healthy snacks.
“We discuss nutrition principles and hydration strategies. We apply it all directly to their sport to discuss weight management strategies, pre- and post-game meals, and address any other topics the coaches or athletes may be interested in,” Hopkins said. “We’ve been fortunate to meet with many different sports teams at Sapulpa High School and hope we’ve been able to create a positive change in the student-athletes’ health and performance.”
The Schweitzer Fellowship’s mission to improve health outcomes in underserved populations is important in Oklahoma, as the state ranks near the bottom in many health indicators. Since the Tulsa program began in 2016, 70% of area projects received sustained funding after the one-year fellowship concluded.
“Ongoing advancements in sports medicine highlight the importance of nutrition for athletes to prevent injuries and continue performing at a high level at their sport,” said Jamieson. “Through this program, we hope to give students the tools they need to make healthier decisions in their diet so they can continue to compete and remain healthy throughout the rest of their lives.”
Dear colleagues, students, alumni, and friends,
I hope this message finds you all well and thriving in your endeavors. It is with great pride that I share some recent highlights that underscore the dynamism and excellence of our college.
We recently celebrated the induction of three distinguished alumni into our Hall of Fame: John (Musapet) Prakash, Timothy M. Latimer, and Antonio J. Pietri. These remarkable individuals have not only excelled in their careers but have also significantly contributed to the engineering field, serving as inspirations for both current students and fellow alumni.
Additionally, I am delighted to recount the insights shared during the recent space lecture from alumnus Joseph N. Pelton, where we explored the privatization of space exploration, space tourism, and the Artemis Moon Exploration Program.
In research news, I am thrilled to announce that Cem Sarica, the Floyd M. Stevenson Distinguished Presidential Chair in Petroleum Engineering, and Eduardo Pereyra, the F.H. “Mick” Merelli/Coterra Energy Chair in Petroleum Engineering, were awarded a $1.25 million grant from the Department of Energy to spearhead innovative studies on the energy sector’s evolution. This accolade is a testament to the groundbreaking work being conducted within our campus and its potential impact on global energy solutions.
Moreover, TU has been honored by the Department of Defense with a $1.5 million grant to support research in materials for extreme environments as part of the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) Capacity Building initiative. TU is only one of two universities that will receive the funding to enhance the research infrastructure at TU and expand the university’s capabilities for conducting research in an area critical to energy and defense applications.
In a stride towards environmental sustainability, I am happy to share that mechanical engineering alumnus Matthew Crall (MS ’17, Ph.D. ’19), a materials development engineer and charter member of Spiritus, is at the forefront of developing innovative materials to capture and reuse CO2. This pioneering work has the potential to significantly impact our global efforts to combat climate change.
Each story is a building block in our college’s legacy of excellence, innovation, and forward trajectory. I am proud of all our faculty and students have achieved together, and continue to be excited about the future.
Regards,
Andreas A. Polycarpou
James Sorem Inaugural Dean
At many universities across the United States, environmental programs tend to fit into one of two frameworks: either a focus on courses in chemistry, geology, and biology or through a social sciences lens.
At The University of Tulsa, neither framework fits – or maybe it’s both – said Chad Settle, economics professor and director of TU’s environmental policy program.
“Our students are required to take a series of courses at a minimum in chemistry, biology, and geology and required to take at a minimum courses in economics, sociology, and political science,” he said. “And then there are additional courses that they can take on top of that core that all of our students need to take when they come through the program.”
Students can elect to earn a bachelor of arts degree if foreign language skills are more their interest, or a bachelor of science degree if they want to focus more on STEM courses.
“The intention is that the TU graduate can be the one person at the table who understands what everyone is talking about,” Settle said. “Oftentimes, there will be biologists using terminology that is incomprehensible to economists. And economists are using terminology that’s incomprehensible to biologists. And since our students are versed in each of those individual disciplines, they’re going to be able to go through and understand what everybody is saying.”
He added that because there are so many different areas where a student can use their environmental degree, the program offers an area of emphasis at the upper division level.
“From a long list of courses that are possible, they choose the ones that are going to give them the narrow focus that they need for whatever job or internship or postgraduate degree they’re interested in pursuing,” he said.
Students may go into graduate programs in biochemistry or biology or in economics and sociology, or earn an environmental law degree, for example, Settle said.
“In terms of potential postgraduate education, there are abundant opportunities available for our students,” he added. “In terms of jobs, it’s all over the map in terms of what students are interested in pursuing.”
Michelle Merchant graduated with an environmental policy degree and an economics degree in May 2021. “As one of TU’s interdisciplinary majors, the BS in environmental policy exposed me to both hard and soft sciences, providing a well-rounded knowledge base that’s important to grasping environmental issues and working to address them,” she said.
Merchant is currently the sustainability programs planner at INCOG in Tulsa.
“My work at INCOG requires me to understand the technical sides of environmental issues while being able to communicate on those issues in a way that’s digestible by the general public, which the environmental policy program prepared me well for,” she said. “In my current role as a sustainability programs planner, I manage programs and coordinate projects that reduce air pollution and promote resilience. To move projects forward, I must match the needs and wants of the community with impactful solutions that are financially accessible.”
Merchant said students in TU’s program learn how to think critically about environmental issues and solutions through both scientific and people-centered lenses. “The BS option in environmental policy provides a solid base understanding of natural and social sciences that are deeply intertwined in environmental issues and solutions, preparing students well for a wide range of environmental career options,” she added.
On April 11, The University of Tulsa College of Engineering & Computer Science welcomed guest speaker Dr. Birol Dindoruk for its Hulings Distinguished Lecture Series.
Dindoruk, the American Association of Drilling Engineers Endowed Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Houston, spoke on “Energy Transition: Future Energy Mix & Role of Hydrocarbons,” a topic that resonated well with the mix of faculty, students, and staff.
“Basically, I’m a certified nerd,” Dindoruk said after being introduced by James Sorem Inaugural Dean Andreas A. Polycarpou and Jeffrey J. McDougall Eminent Chair Professor in Petroleum Engineering James P. Brill, who also presented Dindoruk with a commemorative plaque.
Sharing that energy is embedded in every aspect of modern life, Dindoruk says that the role of petroleum engineers is to focus on deployable technologies that are fundamental for key technology problems. He also discussed the “opportunity space,” where complex problems require collaborative approaches.
Dindoruk also touched on the energy challenge, known as 3S, which stands for economic security, environmental security, and energy security.
“One main thing that we have to consider about energy is that it is embedded in every aspect of the modern economy,” he said. The more that goods change hands in a given time, the more wealth that is generated. This is something that cannot be ignored; we cannot make energy very expensive or unaffordable, especially in developing countries.”
Referencing a slide on today’s energy mix, Dindoruk shared that the current breakdown is 31% oil, 21% gas, 29% coal, 10% biomass, 5% nuclear, and 4% renewables, but “these numbers can change from year to year.”
“We have been in energy transition from the beginning ages,” he said. “We are changing over time, and our lifestyles are changing over time. If you look at the behavior part of it, that is an important change.”
Echoing his earlier comments, Dindoruk said that when it comes to the global carbon budget, our opportunity space is in the subsurface: aquifers, oil reserves, coal reserves, and gas reserves, to name a few.
“We are – and for the foreseeable future – will be using fossil fuels, and CO2 will be coming out of it,” he said. “This is an opportunity space as a result.”
Dindoruk also shared that hydrocarbons will continue to play a major global role for many years while the non-combustible segment will increase. Infrastructure will dictate the timing of global-scale decarbonization, a method of climate change mitigation that significantly reduces or eliminates CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.
“We are really privileged today to have Dr. Birol Dindoruk as the inaugural speaker for the Norman Hulings Distinguished Lecture Series on engineering and computer science,” said Brill. “He is renowned for his work in phase behavior and enhanced oil recovery and CO2 sequestration, and also exploring the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence in applications in the energy industry.”
Dindoruk, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, currently resides as an AADE Endowed Professor at the University of Houston and is well known for his extensive work on the thermodynamics of phase behavior/EOS development, miscibility assessment and experimental work, the interaction of phase behavior and flow in porous media, enhanced oil recovery, and CO2 sequestration, and correlative methodologies.
During his career, his technical contributions have been acknowledged with many awards, including the SPE Lester C. Uren Award (2014), the Cedric K. Ferguson Medal (1994), and Distinguished Membership.
In 2017, he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering for his significant theoretical and practical contributions to enhanced oil recovery and CO2 sequestration. Dindoruk was the Data Science and Engineering Analytics Technical Director of the SPE and a member of the Advisory Committee of the SPE Reservoir Dynamics and Description Technical Discipline. He has been active in various editorial positions under SPE and also Elsevier. Currently, he is the editor-in-chief of all SPE Journals. Dindoruk is a Director at the Interaction of Phase Behavior and Flow (IPB&F) Consortium at the University of Houston.
The University of Tulsa’s College of Law recently hosted a Sustainable Energy and Resource Law (SERL) conversation about energy on tribal lands. TU Associate Professor of Law Warigia Bowman, director of the Sustainable Energy and Natural Resources Program, led the conversation, along with Professor of Law Marc Roark.
“Energy on tribal lands represents an opportunity, but it also brings up dark, historical memories,” Bowman said. She pointed out that the Oscar-winning film Killers of the Flower Moon reminds people of a time when white Oklahomans managed the Osage peoples’ finances and, more disturbingly, murdered Osage members for their oil wealth.
“Any discussion regarding energy on tribal lands has to respect the history of suspicion and caution, which Native Americans communities may view when they think about the development of energy on their nations,” Bowman explained.
This conversation featured two panelists who shared their perspectives on the matter, emphasizing the importance of gaining the support of Indigenous communities before developing energy in the United States, whether it be clean energy or fossil fuel energy. Tahlina Nofire (JD ’05) founded Nofire Law and Consulting. Her practice is solely dedicated to assisting tribal governments and their citizens, small Native American businesses, and companies that are doing business in Indian Country. She was also recently appointed the attorney general for Ponca Nation.
“I got my certificate in federal Indian law because that’s all I wanted to do,” said Nofire.
She explained that during her 18-year career, she’s benefited from working for both tribes and private businesses.
“One of the things that you have to remember when negotiating is that the tribes all have their different cultures,” said Nofire. “You have to be familiar with the way they operate. They all have their different codes, they all have different contract clauses that they are very partial to. Whether you’re representing a tribe or private company, it’s very important to know how that dynamic works.”
Travis Hallam traveled from North Dakota to join the panel. After working with pipelines as an operator and emergency rescue technician for nearly 30 years, he transitioned to the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Nation as a pipeline authority to establish regulations for responsible development of pipelines.
“The legal system has never really protected us very well, and we’ve all suffered through that,” Hallman said.
In North Dakota, the MHA Nation (also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes) is located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, which Hallman explained is extremely profitable land that has experienced a vast number of gathering line releases. He said he was hired to establish a pipeline code for the MHA Nation after 1.3 million gallons was spilled. He says his pipeline program brought that down to zero gallons spilled, making it the most successful program in the nation.
“We’ve become very good at fact-checking, doing our own research, setting our own standards,” Hallam said.
“Indigenous people from around the world are fighting to enforce their rights,” Bowman explained.
This event ended with a question-and-answer session with TU Law students and alumni.
“While TU offers a wide array of legal classes, including Native American Natural Resources, we very rarely get to hear the tribal perspective. Hearing the tribal perspective is necessary to understanding practical impacts of the work we are being trained for,” said Randy Knight, president of TU’s Native American Law Student Association. “I hope we have more events like this in the works.”
A beautifully inscribed wooden chest has sat dormant in The University of Tulsa’s College of Law for 25 years, waiting to be cracked open in 2024. On April 2, it was time to unlock that time capsule. TU Law students, faculty, and staff crowded into The Pit to finally uncover the treasures that were packed away for them decades ago, before many of the current students were born.
College of Law Dean Oren Griffin read notes from the students of 1999 aloud, which included law school memories and predictions for the future. “Students will be able to take exams electronically” was one of the predictions.
What else did the students include in the time capsule?
- A 5-foot-tall cardboard cutout of Prince
- A miniature marble statue of the Kendall Bell
- A flag of the Cherokee Nation
- A dreamcatcher with a note that read: “I wish that a Native American might be appointed to the Supreme Court before 2024.”
- A letter from Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmonson, including a copy of the historic Master Settlement Agreement between the tobacco industry and the states that sued the four largest tobacco companies in the United States
- Photos of student groups and staff members
Taylor Williams is a third-year law student and president of TU’s Student Bar Association. She helped curate the content for the 2024 time capsule that will be opened by students in 2049.
“I think that our history is so important, both as law students and as people,” she explained. “Knowing what happened before you were here is vital to your success. And it’s just cool. It’s exciting for people to see what was going on 25 years ago.”
Williams listed some of the items that current TU law students wanted to include in their capsule:
- Copies of the Tulsa World and Wall Street Journal from April 2, 2024
- A red envelope with money inside, symbolizing good luck, from TU’s Asian Law Society
- Photos and letters from various law student organizations
- A TU College of Law facemask to remember the COVID-19 pandemic
- The latest Tulsa Law Review and @utulsa magazine
- A Bible from the Christian Legal Society
- A miniature Statue of Liberty
- A copy of TIME magazine with Taylor Swift on the cover
- A Kansas City Chiefs felt pennant
Back in 1999, the original time capsule was created to celebrate the construction of the Mabee Legal Information Center, the law school’s library. To this day, it’s still a favorite place for students to study on campus.
During its annual Hall of Fame event on April 9, 2024, The University of Tulsa College of Engineering & Computer Science recognized faculty and staff with select awards.
Before inducting the 2023 Hall of Fame honorees, James Sorem Inaugural Dean Andreas A. Polycarpou acknowledged the seven faculty and staff award winners.
“Tonight, we want to recognize our exceptional faculty and staff that provide the educational opportunities for our students to thrive. Our students and alumni are quick to acknowledge the support and mentoring provided by our faculty and staff. We are, indeed, fortunate to have dedicated and talented faculty and staff,” Polycarpou said. “Your efforts in innovation propel us towards our goal of being a preeminent engineering and computing program in the country.”
Associate Dean for Research Michael W. Keller then recognized faculty and staff who received these prestigious awards.
Javen S. Weston, assistant professor of chemical engineering, received the Kermit E. Brown Teaching Excellence Award for Undergraduate Studies, which honors faculty who have distinguished themselves in the classroom.
“Dr. Weston is noted for his dedication to refining his teaching methods to accommodate all students,” said Keller. “He was commended for his dedication to providing detailed feedback and allowing for student adjustment, and for his support and engaging classroom environment.”
The Zelimir Schmidt Research Award for Early Career Research went to William LePage, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. The award goes to a faculty member with up to six years of residence and recognizes faculty and postdoctoral fellows who are critical to the ongoing success of the college’s research mission, shaping their fields and advancing TU’s effort to achieve Carnegie R1 research designation.
The Zelimir Schmidt Research Award for Outstanding Career Research, which recognizes faculty with six or more years of residence, went to Cem Sarica, the Floyd M. Stevenson Distinguished Presidential Chair in petroleum engineering.
“Dr. Sarica is being recognized for his long-standing excellence in the areas of multiphase flow. His long-standing industry partnerships, coupled with his unwavering dedication to advancing knowledge and innovation in the field, demonstrate his exceptional leadership in fostering collaborative research across the college,” Keller said. “His work is critical to building TU’s global reputation for excellence in petroleum engineering research.”
A new highlight this year was the inaugural Dean’s Faculty Excellence Awards and Dean’s Staff Excellence Awards.
The Dean’s Faculty Excellence Awards went to Amy Schachle, senior instructor in mathematics, and Mauricio Papa, the Brock Associate Professor in computer science.
“Dr. Papa is being recognized for his commitment to service to the college, his excellent teaching, and his active research program,” said Keller. “He is always willing to go the extra mile to support a colleague or a college initiative and is a critical lead on research projects at the intersection of energy and cybersecurity.”
“We celebrate Amy whose unwavering dedication as an outstanding teacher, valued colleague, and influential leader within the Math department, coupled with her extensive service on University committees, continuously elevates the academic community here at TU,” said Keller.
Ann Archer-Lovell, college assistant, and Scott Graham, project engineer serving in the McDougall School of Petroleum Engineering, received the Dean’s Staff Excellence Awards.
“We honor Ann for her dedicated 29 years at TU and her unwavering positivity. She consistently supports others and spreads joy wherever she goes, and we truly value her contributions and her deep understanding of TU as an institution,” said Keller.
“We celebrate Scott and his dedication over the last 20 years at TU and his outstanding contributions as a project engineer at our North Campus facilities, where his innovative designs and mentorship have supported research that has led to many publications and successful students. I know firsthand how he supports collaboration and community spirit, epitomizing excellence at our university,” Keller said.
The College of Engineering & Computer Science Hall of Fame and Honors & Awards support is provided by Francis S. Manning, Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering.
On Tuesday, April 9, The University of Tulsa College of Engineering & Computer Science inducted three distinguished alumni into its Hall of Fame: John (Musapet) Prakash, Timothy M. Latimer, and Antonio J. Pietri.
Held at The Mayo Hotel, the event welcomed honored alumni, faculty, staff, and students. Associate Dean for Research Michael W. Keller served as the Master of Ceremonies, and James Sorem Inaugural Dean Andreas A. Polycarpou kicked off the event with a warm welcome.
Speaking to Prakash, Latimer, and Pietri, Polycarpou said, “As a Hall of Fame inductee, you represent about one percent of all our engineering and computer science alumni. You are truly exceptional. Your achievements illustrate the lifelong power of TU education. During your time on campus, you developed technical expertise, the habit of asking meaningful questions, and the conviction to apply your skills for the benefit of others. You have built on that foundation in extraordinary ways.”
Before the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the college recognized faculty and staff who received college-level awards including:
- The Kermit E. Brown Teaching Excellence Award for Undergraduate Studies: Javen S. Weston
- The Zelimir Schmidt Research Award for Early Career Research: William LePage
- The Zelimir Schmidt Research Award for Outstanding Career Research: Cem Sarica
- The inaugural Dean’s Faculty Excellence Awards: Amy Schachle and Mauricio Papa
- The inaugural Dean’s Staff Excellence Awards: Ann Archer-Lovell and Scott Graham
“Our Hall of Fame members have become leaders in multiple areas, and many have leveraged their own success into opportunity for others,” Keller said. “This evening, we are honored to add three esteemed colleagues to our Hall of Fame.”
John Prakash
John (Musapet) Prakash hails from Hyderabad, India. In the early 1970s, he relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he attended the University of Tulsa to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. After graduating with a bachelor’s of science in electrical engineering in 1976, he began his professional career as an electrical service engineer with the Westinghouse Corporation. By 1984, he took the entrepreneurial leap and founded his company, Industrial Electric & Testing Company (IET). Initially a modest testing company, IET expanded to become one of Oklahoma’s leading testing and construction companies. The firm boasts a prestigious clientele, including industry giants such as Phillips Petroleum, American Airlines, Williams Pipelines, Lumen, GE, GM, AT&T, and Meta, offering them technical, maintenance, and construction services.
Throughout the years, Prakash has been a benefactor for numerous commendable initiatives in the United States and back in his hometown of Hyderabad. He has endowed scholarships at TU and contributed to establishing a lab at TU’s College of Engineering & Computer Science. His commitment to community service is evident through his active participation and leadership in various boards of nonprofit organizations in Tulsa. Notably, he has been a member and chair of the Industrial Advisory Board for TU’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. His philanthropic efforts in India include supporting a school for mentally disabled children and orphans.
Timothy M. Latimer
Tim Latimer is the co-founder and CEO of Fervo Energy. Fervo delivers 24/7 carbon-free energy through the development of next-generation geothermal power. Fervo’s technology incorporates proven, cost-effective technologies, such as horizontal drilling and distributed fiber optic sensing, to unlock the potential of geothermal energy.
Fervo successfully brought online the world’s first commercial next-generation geothermal project in 2023 with the successful commissioning of Project Red. Project Red is the first geothermal project to incorporate horizontal drilling and is successfully producing today as part of a partnership with Google, supporting their carbon-free energy goals in Nevada. Latimer began his career as a drilling engineer with BHP Billiton, working in the Permian and Eagle Ford basins. He left the oil and gas industry in 2015 to pursue an MBA and an MS in environment and resources from Stanford University and learn how to advance ideas to create a technological revolution in geothermal.
Latimer has also worked as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group and as a consultant for startups Biota Technology and McClure Geomechanics. He has received significant industry recognition for his contributions to the energy industry, including the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, a Grist 50 Climate Fixer, and the geothermal industry’s Pioneer of the Year award in 2023. Latimer is a fellow at Activate and the Clean Energy Leadership Institute and was a member of the 2023 cohort of the Presidential Leadership Scholars. He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Tulsa in 2017, where he was a university ambassador and a tutor in the GEAR UP program. He was also recognized as a Sidney Born Distinguished Scholar.
Antonio J. Pietri
Antonio Pietri is the president and chief executive officer of AspenTech and also serves on the company’s board of directors. Before being appointed president and CEO, Pietri served as executive vice president, worldwide field operations, leading global sales, sales operations, professional services, and customer support and training. He previously served as senior vice president and managing director, regional operations, Asia Pacific, based in Singapore and Beijing, China.
Pietri joined AspenTech through the company’s acquisition of Setpoint, Inc. in 1996. At Setpoint, Pietri held a range of sales, services implementation, and consulting roles, overseeing the integration of AspenTech solutions at European refinery and process manufacturing sites. In 2002, he relocated to Singapore as vice president, business consulting, and was subsequently promoted to managing director of the Asia Pacific region. He began his career at ABB Simcon as an applications engineer focused on advanced control and multi-variable controllers for refining.
Pietri serves on the Chemical Engineering Advisory Board at The University of Tulsa. He was the 2017 selection for the MIT Warren K. Lewis Lectureship in Chemical Engineering and is a frequent speaker at industry events. He holds a master’s of business administration from the University of Houston and a bachelor’s of science in chemical engineering from The University of Tulsa (1987).
The College of Engineering & Computer Science Hall of Fame and Honors & Awards support is provided by Francis S. Manning, Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering.
The University of Tulsa’s Oklahoma Center for the Humanities is pleased to announce that it has received the inaugural Public Humanities Award for Leadership in Practice and Community from the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes.
The center was nominated for its Pathways to Freedom program. With grant support provided by the Social Sciences Research Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the 2022-23 initiative included three exhibitions and conferences exploring the theme of freedom. All aspects of the project were developed in close collaboration with diverse communities across the state.
In fall 2022, programming began with an exhibit and conference titled “Musical Legacies of the Dust Bowl,” which examined Black and Indigenous musical innovation in the 1930s and ’40s. In early 2023, “All-Black Towns of Oklahoma” examined these historic towns, largely unique to Oklahoma, that took shape at the conjunction of the Great Migration and the initial burst of Black wealth generated by the state’s oil boom. The center ended the year with “Work of Sovereignty” in spring 2023. In partnership with representatives from the Cherokee and Chickasaw nations, this exhibit and conference used the lenses of law, art, and the humanities to examine the cultural impact on the 2020 Supreme Court ruling on tribal jurisdiction.
Pathways to Freedom helped transform the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities from a campus-based research organization into an engaged public humanities initiative.
Center staff will be recognized for their work at the upcoming CHCI Annual Meeting at the University of California – Berkeley in May.
The consortium’s Public Humanities Network represents a global community of centers and institutes engaged in building research through partnership. The network is interested in questions concerning the public humanities and civic and public collaborations that face many members in a wide range of institutional and national contexts.
The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities was founded at The University of Tulsa in 2014 when an interested group of faculty and administrators gathered with the shared goal of developing a distinctive public think tank focused on core questions about history, identity, ethics, memory, art, music, and literature. With the support of the Kendall College of Art & Sciences as well as the Office of Research, the center was created and funded. Sean Latham, Pauline McFarlin Walter Professor of English and Comparative Literature, was named its director. He works in cooperation with internal and external advisory boards. For additional information about the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, visit humanities.utulsa.edu.
Cem Sarica, The University of Tulsa’s Floyd M. Stevenson Distinguished Presidential Chair of Petroleum Engineering, was recently elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). This grade of ASME membership recognizes exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession and ASME.
“ASME supports oil and gas professionals through various petroleum division activities. I am a proud member of ASME and humbled and honored to be elected a Fellow of ASME,” Sarica said.
“I am honored to congratulate Cem on this well-deserved recognition as a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,” said Andreas A. Polycarpou, dean of TU’s College of Engineering & Computer Science. “His contributions to innovative engineering research and his dedication to preparing the next generation of professionals exemplify the qualities of an ASME Fellow. His election is a prestigious milestone and reflects the high caliber of faculty and researchers we nurture within our college.”
ASME promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe.
About a year ago, The University of Tulsa acquired 101 Archer, previously known as Arts & Humanities Hardesty Arts and affectionately known as AHHA. Nestled within the Tulsa Arts District and bordering Greenwood, the site represents an opportunity for TU to make good on two defining aspects of its mission: to educate students to excel in their chosen paths and to serve the university’s local and broader communities. With those twin goals in mind, work is under way to create TEAM at 101 Archer: Tulsa Entertainment, Art, and Media. TEAM is an interdisciplinary initiative within Kendall College of Arts & Sciences to bring together various units, from the visual arts to multimedia production, in a flexible maker-space environment where theory is put into practice through meaningful collaboration.
Anchoring the TEAM initiative is our Arts, Culture, & Entertainment Management program, which will be housed at 101 E. Archer St. The program is built around signature experiential learning courses: two semester-long internships, three shorter practicums, and a student-staffed pro-bono consulting firm, ACE Associates, that provides needs assessments, research, focus groups, and other projects for area nonprofits. Classroom spaces on the third floor will allow students to study the theory and best practices in class (say, marketing and programming in the arts) and then apply those ideas in their work with area organizations.
The first floor has been home to the Oklahoma Center for Humanities, a TU initiative to promote programming, exhibitions, and scholarship around the central questions of what it means to be human in the 21st century. On view at the moment is “We Protest,” an exhibition exploring Oklahomans’ rights “to assemble for their own good,” enshrined in both national and state constitutions.
In the next three years we will build out the rest of the space, expanding the beautiful darkroom, creating podcasting bays, relocating our television studio (home of TUTV), outfitting a computer lab with tools for a variety of multimedia production, and building sound booths for music recording and production. The latter is part of the university’s expansion into music industry curriculum, which we began this year with the hire of Music Industry Professional in Residence Corey Taylor.
Guiding our efforts at 101 Archer is the recognition that students learn best when they find meaning in what they’re doing. In addition to gaining conceptual and technical facility, students will serve as producers and provide technical expertise for community members seeking to launch a podcast, record a short-form video, or lay some tracks for a demo (to name just a few). Stay tuned for more developments – a community grants program, flexible co-working space, and TU On View gallery – and join us at 101 Archer. If you have ideas for programming, ways to engage with our faculty and students, gifts in kind, or means to support this ambitious plan, please let us know. With this initiative, we affirm TU is the heart of Tulsa.
Embrace the ampersand,
Kirsten Olds
Interim Dean
In 2022, the film “CODA” won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, launching American Sign Language (ASL) into the spotlight. The film depicts the story of a Child of Deaf Adults, or CODA, and the struggles faced by these children and members of the Deaf community.
According to Matt Cooper, applied instructor of American Sign Language in The University of Tulsa’s Kendall College of Arts & Sciences, the film’s Oscar win was one of the many reasons behind the expansion of ASL classes.
Like the other languages offered by Kendall College, ASL has its own rules, grammar, and syntax; however, people often mistake it as “English with hands.” In truth, ASL has a different grammar structure than American English, and there isn’t a one-to-one sign for every word. “That’s where it gets fun,” said Cooper. “That’s where you can start painting a picture.”
A large part of Deaf culture and sign language involves storytelling. Before closed captioning was available on television and film, storytelling was the primary form of entertainment for members of the Deaf community. Stories became a part of the culture and those who told them were the community’s entertainers. “When we start doing stories, the grammar can go out the window,” Cooper said. “You can take the language and really play with it.”
Like any language, learning ASL has its advantages. “Everyone has a story about running into a Deaf person and not knowing what to do,” said Cooper. “Learning some basic ASL would be great for everybody.” One of the many ways ASL students hone their skills are through interactions with the Deaf community. Students are required to interact with those who are deaf or hard of hearing twice through opportunities like Silent Dinners or Deaf Coffee, where ASL students, interpreters, CODA, and relatives from the area can communicate.
In the future, Cooper hopes to host more ASL events on the UTulsa campus, including a panel with other CODA. “I was part of one at Tulsa Community College. We had five of us with Deaf parents, and we had an age range, so there were different experiences with Deaf parents throughout the decades.” The goal? Being able to host periodic events that everyone, even non-ASL students, can attend. “That’s the kind of stuff I’m looking forward to doing.”
George Odell, a renowned University of Tulsa professor of anthropology and internationally acclaimed researcher in archaeology, served in TU’s Kendall College of Arts & Sciences for 27 years. On Oct. 14, 2011, he passed away, leaving behind a legacy of research, academic excellence, and student success.
In 1998, he founded the Odell Foundation, which continues his legacy by providing funds for student scholarships and research. The selection process is competitive, based on students’ grade-point average and an essay about their interest in anthropology. Funds provided by the foundation can help students like Madeline Jennings present their research to others in the field.
Jennings, a senior anthropology and women & gender studies dual degree candidate, has always enjoyed ancient cultures but didn’t realize she could turn her passion into a career until coming to TU. Since joining the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, she has been able to participate in hands-on research and labs with her faculty. “Getting to personally know my professors has been so helpful because I was able to start volunteering in a lab freshman year,” she said. “I started to think, ‘Wow, what if I could do research too?’”
Jennings dove headfirst into research. She presented a research paper at the Oklahoma Archaeological Conference this year and will present her senior project at the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) annual meeting in New Orleans this month. The project examines faunal materials she collected with researchers over a summer in Katmai National Park in Alaska. While there, Jennings and the team spent an entire week with the local descendant community, showing them their findings and asking for guidance.
She kept in contact with the archaeologists from the park. A smaller operation, the Alaskan research team, didn’t have someone on staff who could perform a deeper analysis on the faunal specimens, so Jennings offered to help: “I started talking to them about, ‘You know what? If you let me do the research, it will be helpful for both of us.’ They got the information, and I could use it as my senior research.”
Jennings and Associate Professor of Anthropology Miriam Belmaker received faunal materials from four different park service sites. Through in-depth comparison with material curated in the zooarchaeology and paleoecological lab, they began to methodically work through all of the materials, identifying the remains and examining them for markings that would signal human-caused alterations. By just looking at the markings, they can tell whether the animal was killed, eaten, or skinned. “What we’re trying to do is recreate the subsistence pattern of this group of people. How are they using these animals? What parts of the animals were they using? Which animals were they using?” Jennings said.
“The ability to allow students to analyze original archaeological material rather than casts or copies is one of the hallmarks of the research conducted at TU and the Department of Anthropology & Sociology,” Belmaker said. “I am delighted I was able to mentor Madeline through this project.”
Ultimately, Jennings hopes to take what she learns back to the descendant community. “My research interest is Indigenous archaeology, and I want to practice it in a community-based way,” she said. Her hope is to approach different Indigenous communities, offer her skills, and see what the tribes and nations want to learn about their history.
Jennings has honed a broad set of skills and knowledge at TU with this objective in mind: “My biggest goal is just doing something that will, after all this time, actually benefit them and be something that Indigenous communities want to know.”
Funding from the Odell Foundation has helped bring Jennings closer to that goal. The funding provided by the endowment helped pay registration fees for the SAA Conference, flights, and hotels. “It’s a major conference, typically in a major city,” she said. “This year, it’s going to be in New Orleans, and there aren’t a lot of college students who can afford to fly to and stay in New Orleans for a whole week.”
In addition to conference fees and travel, the funding has helped Jennings purchase much-needed research supplies: files, bags, and foam to pack fragile specimens. “Being able to do a little bit of preservation while I’m working on these artifacts is important. If it disintegrates, I can’t study it anymore!”
Ultimately, she is grateful for the ability to meet new archaeologists who help hone her research and her approach to it. “It will be a Thunderdome of Indigenous archaeologists, which is going to be intimidating but really, really cool.”
This is my final semester as dean of TU’s Collins College of Business. Since the beginning of my tenure as dean three years ago, it has been gratifying to witness the achievements of the college and the progress of The University of Tulsa under the leadership of President Brad Carson.
At the college, we have established three new centers – the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, the Center for Energy Studies, and the Center for Real Estate Studies. We launched the Hurricane Venture Fund raising millions to invest in our students, faculty and alumni start-ups. We revamped our energy management major and master’s degree in energy management to address the important issues in energy transition and added an international leadership experience to our MBA cohort program. We recruited dozens of new faculty and staff members and engaged students from across campus to grow and discover their true potential through JOLT@TUBusiness.
Our commitment to academic excellence has resulted in increased enrollment, improved retention rates, and notable advancements in research and scholarship. Additionally, our strategic partnerships with industry and community leaders have provided invaluable opportunities for experiential learning and professional development for our students. Together, we accomplished AACSB reaccreditation for Collins College of Business, marking 75 years of continuous accreditation where an elite 6% of business colleges have this designation. I am incredibly proud of the collaborative efforts of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners in driving positive change and fostering a culture of excellence.
As I say farewell to this chapter of my life’s journey, I do so with a sense of pride in all that we have accomplished together. The Collins College of Business will always hold a special place in my heart, and I am excited to watch as it continues to thrive and grow in the years to come.
But the journey of the college does not stop here.
Beginning this fall, we will celebrate 40 years of Friends of Finance with Roberta Preston serving as chair of the anniversary committee. Friends of Finance was the inspiration of Bob Prince, Bruce Currie, Roger Bey, Mark Collins, and Bob Harrison almost 40 years ago when what began as a breakfast meeting and a hope to raise funds for the School of Finance became a monthly must-attend event for our community, faculty, and students with business luminaries from around the world sharing their knowledge. Friends of Finance built an investment fund, managed by our students, that has reached up to $8 million, providing scholarships, technology, and opportunities for finance students. It also allows finance students from around the region to compete in our annual Investment Portfolio Challenge.
The speakers during our 40th anniversary will be top notch, the dialogue lively, and the purpose unwavering. If you are not a sponsor, become a sponsor now, or renew your support and join us next year in what promises to be the most exciting year of Friends of Finance yet. To become a sponsor, send an email to fof@utulsa.edu.
Again, thank you to everyone for your collaboration in achieving our mission of empowering the next generation of business leaders!
With Gratitude,
Kathy Taylor
Genave King Rogers Dean
Launched in spring 2023, The University of Tulsa’s Center for Energy Studies is taking a leading role in the interdisciplinary study, teaching, and public communication of the complex economic and policy issues associated with energy expansion and transition around the world.
“Research, education, and outreach are our bedrock,” said Eric Olson, the center’s inaugural director and an associate professor of finance. “We envision the center as a place where academics, students, and industry meet. It will support work among disciplines aimed at understanding the policy implications of the energy transition and sharing them with sector partners, government, and the wider public.”
Olson points to the importance of policy-informed cost-benefit analyses, such as how governments can mitigate the disproportionate effects on lower-income people of inflation associated with phasing out gas-powered vehicles. Similarly, he and a finance student are examining the financial consequences of permitting for new energy projects, such as wind farms and pipelines.
Partnerships with traditional and alternative energy firms bolster the center’s work. Helping steer this aspect is Anne Grau, an applied assistant professor who brings decades of experience in the oil sector: “We recently formed an Executive Advisory Board, whose members will help keep our curricula current, suggest fresh areas of research, and provide data.”
Industry-related research underway includes a study for Chevron by Professors Buford Pollett and Ty Johannes on carbon capture utilization and storage for the Port of Catoosa and Oklahoma power plants; and an economic input study for TC Energy examining the hydrogen node project in the Port of Inola, conducted by Grau, Professors Anila Madhan and Tally Ferguson, and three TU students.
Fall 2023 also saw the launch of the center’s Energy Fellows initiative. Its aim is to provide financial and organizational support to TU faculty to engage in research on policy implications associated with energy issues and sharing their findings with the public.
“Faculty-student interaction is the heartbeat of TU,” remarked Olson. “In keeping with this spirit, each Energy Fellow will include students in their research.” The center has also re-established the Sustainability Club, which welcomes students from across the university, and is working with CaneCareers to organize an energy-focused recruiting event at TU’s fall career fair.
The University of Tulsa is celebrating the successes of Collins College of Business as Dean Kathy Taylor announced Wednesday that she will retire in May following TU Commencement.
Collins College of Business has experienced growth and development among students, faculty, and staff under the direction of Taylor, who has served as the Genave King Rogers Dean of the college since July 1, 2021.
“Our commitment to academic excellence has resulted in increased enrollment, improved retention rates, and made notable advancements in research and scholarship. Additionally, our strategic partnerships with industry and community leaders have provided invaluable opportunities for experiential learning and professional development for our students,” Taylor said. “I am grateful for the support and camaraderie of the entire Collins College community and optimistic about continued success in the years to come.”
Since Taylor took the helm at the college, three interdisciplinary new centers – the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Center for Energy Studies, and Center for Real Estate Studies – have been created. The college also launched the Hurricane Venture Fund, raising millions to invest in student, faculty and alumni start-up businesses, revamped the energy management curriculum for a rapidly changing industry, and earned a prestigious AACSB reaccreditation.
An accomplished business executive and corporate attorney, Taylor has a record of transformational change in the public and private sectors. She is a tireless advocate for education and entrepreneurship, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In addition to Taylor’s service as Oklahoma’s secretary of commerce and mayor of Tulsa, she has served on several corporate boards, including Sonic Corp., Bank of Oklahoma, National Car Rental, and Dollar Car Rental. Taylor is currently active on the boards of the Tulsa Public Facilities Authority; 36°N, a basecamp for entrepreneurs; StitchCrew, a business accelerator; the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation; and VEST, a network for expanding the pipeline of women in positions of influence.
“Kathy has long been a proven leader in the corporate and philanthropic worlds, in our city and state, and – most recently – at TU,” said President Brad R. Carson. “Her business acumen and vast connections have benefited our students and alumni, while her insight and ingenuity have been a great resource to her fellow deans, our provost, and myself. Kathy elevates everything she touches, and we are grateful for her service at TU.”
The university will conduct a national search for the next dean of the Collins College of Business.
The University of Tulsa announces that the Collins College of Business’ Friends of Finance will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024-25. A unique concept in higher education, this community-based group encompasses a college advisory board, monthly networking events for area business leaders, students, and alumni, as well as a scholarship fund. Since its inception, organizers of the program have built a student-managed investment fund, which at times has reached $8 million and has paid out $1 million in scholarships to over 200 students.
“The Friends of Finance is a unique group that has worked tirelessly to support students through real-world experience and financial aid for four decades,” said Kathy Taylor, Genave King Rogers Dean of TU’s Collins College of Business. “I am proud to have been a part of this valuable organization and thrilled to see it mark this milestone as we look ahead to the next 40 years of sharing knowledge and networking as we further advance the university’s highly regarded School of Finance & Operations Management.”
In 1985, three TU finance alumni, Bob Prince (BSBA ’81, MBA ’85), Bruce Currie (BSBA ’81), and Bob Harrison (MBA ’73), and two faculty members, Mark Collins and Roger Bey, met to discuss how to support the Department of Finance and how the department could better serve TU’s finance alumni and the Tulsa business community. From that meeting, the Friends of Finance was born.
Today, Friends of Finance is a strong organization that bolsters the School of Finance & Operations Management, specifically, and TU’s Collins College of Business, more generally. The Friends of Finance Executive Speaker Series draws nationally prominent business and public leaders to address a lunch-hour crowd on campus each month during the academic year. This exceptional opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals is free to current students.
ONEOK Vice President T.D. Eureste, who will serve as the 2024-25 Friends of Finance president, emphasized how uncommon this type of organization is and that it should serve as a model for other universities seeking to make a difference in students’ lives. Taylor noted that in the 2024 accreditation report, the AACSB recognized Friends of Finance as an innovative and successful way to engage students and graduates.
“I encourage Collins College students, alumni, and university friends as well as other local and regional leaders of business and industry, to take part in Friends of Finance,” Eureste said. “In addition to raising funds, our members serve as mentors and role models for TU students and often are able to hire the college’s best and brightest because we get to know the students long before they graduate.”
Friends of Finance is composed of business professionals, TU alumni, and other supporters of Collins College of Business. Program participants share a passion for business and are committed to helping The University of Tulsa maintain national prominence. In addition, Friends of Finance provides a forum where business professionals, many of them TU alumni, can network and share perspectives.
Speakers have included board chairs, presidents and CEOs from Bank One, Walmart, Bank of America, Southwest Airlines, AT&T, State Farm, Williams, ONEOK, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, Sonic, QuikTrip, Love’s Travel Stops, and many other major companies and organizations.
In addition to raising millions of dollars for finance students and others in Collins College, the Friends of Finance donated more than $100,000 to upgrade technology in the business school at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed a seamless experience for all students in the college.
Roberta Preston, longtime Friends of Finance board member and former CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, is chairing the 40th anniversary committee. “I personally share my gratitude for all of the executives, alumni, and scholars who have given so generously to this great cause,” she said. “We are excited to offer the highest caliber of speakers and programs during this celebratory year. The coming year will be the best yet.”
Friends of Finance events in 2024-25 will include Student Investment Fund challenge events, which are open to college and high school students each fall and spring, as well as the popular monthly networking luncheons.
The Friends of Finance sponsors and event attendees are the driving force behind everything the group has been able to accomplish throughout the past four decades. To find out more about how to become a part of Friends of Finance, please email fof@utulsa.edu.
The Department of Defense has announced that The University of Tulsa will receive $1.5 million over two years to support research in materials for extreme environments as part of the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) Capacity Building initiative. This funded project will enhance the research infrastructure at TU and expand the university’s capabilities for conducting research in an area critical to energy and defense applications. TU is one of only two universities that will receive the funding.
Rose Gamble, vice president for research and economic development at TU, commented on the broader implications of the award: “This funding from the DoD through DEPSCoR is more than an investment in TU; it’s an investment in the future of our nation’s defense capabilities. It reflects the critical role that academic institutions play in advancing scientific research and technological innovation.”
TU’s proposal for the DEPSCoR award focuses on developing novel materials that can withstand extreme temperatures and environments, which are crucial for a wide range of applications such as fusion and defense. Defense officials received over 15 white papers for the FY23 Capacity Building competition, from which DoD subject matter experts selected the two finalists. Louisiana Tech University and The University of Tulsa executive offices will lead the selected teams.
The TU research team is composed of Professor of Mechanical Engineering Michael W. Keller, A. Paul Buthod Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Hema Ramsurn, and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering William LePage. The team plans to build on the university’s existing capabilities in materials science, specifically targeting advancements in carbon-carbon composites and ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) composites.
“Receiving this DoD grant is a transformational moment for TU. It enables significant expansion in our research on ultra-high temperature materials, positioning our university and our state as leaders in this vital area. This project marks an important step toward our goal of becoming a premier research institution with far-reaching impacts,” said Keller, who also serves as associate dean for research in TU’s College of Engineering & Computer Science.
This project highlights TU’s commitment to cutting-edge research in materials science. The initiative elevates the university’s research profile and highlights TU’s commitment to the development of technologies essential for the safety and effectiveness of the nation’s defense strategies.
“Our project leverages TU’s foundational work in carbon-carbon composites to explore new frontiers in UHTC composites including carbon-silicon carbide composites. Building upon our work on anti-oxidative coatings for extreme environments funded by DoE, we aim to develop materials with unprecedented thermal and mechanical properties, essential for hypersonic systems,” Ramsurn said.
“The multifaceted nature of our research – from novel composite architectures to environmental barrier coatings – represents an extensive effort to solve the challenges of materials that operate in extreme conditions,” LePage added.
Visit the official Department of Defense announcement for more information on the DEPSCoR program and TU’s groundbreaking research in advanced materials.
Director of the Center for Energy Studies and finance professor Eric Olson and two TU students Tulsi Patel and Cailin Stauffer attended the 2024 Design for Freedom Summit in New Canaan, Connecticut. This was the third annual Design for Freedom summit where leading experts from various sectors came together to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain.
Patel expressed her gratitude, saying that “attending the Design for Freedom summit was an eye-opening and empowering experience. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to hear from experts in the field, discussing approaches to combat modern slavery in the built environment.”
The summit is supported by the Grace Farms Foundation, a center for culture and collaboration. The foundation’s CEO is Sharon Prince (BSBA ’85, MBA ’86).
Mike Goldsby, Ph.D., has accepted an offer to join Collins College of Business and will hold the David and Leslie Lawson Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship.
Goldsby’s current research focuses on the recognition and development of opportunities, design, innovation and applied creativity. Goldsby’s 2024 research, published in the Journal of Business Logistics, is titled “Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset in Supply Chain Managers: Exposing a Powerful Potential.” He is a member of many management professional organizations and offers consulting and workshop services to companies, communities and universities. In addition to his numerous refereed journal articles, Goldsby coauthored “Corporate Innovation (2nd Edition)” and “Entrepreneurship the Disney Way”, and his research has been reported by major international media outlets, including CBS, MSNBC, CNN, and the Associated Press. His study on entrepreneurship and fitness was covered by Runner’s World, Prevention magazine, Muscle & Fitness and Health magazine.
Goldsby received his bachelor’s degree in business economics and public policy from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, his master’s degree in economics from Indiana State University, and his doctorate in strategic management and business ethics from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech. While at Virginia Tech, he was awarded the Jack Hoover Award for Teaching Excellence.
The University of Tulsa’s 2024 commencement events will begin Friday, May 10, with a baccalaureate service at 11 a.m. in Sharp Chapel. Lunch will be provided on the lawn south of the chapel following the service.
Graduates and their friends and families are invited to the Final Bell Party and Bell Ringing hosted by the TU Alumni Association at 12:30 p.m. at Bayless Plaza. A champagne toast is set for 1 p.m.
Donned in their cap and gown, students can ring the historic Kendall Bell as part of a beloved TU tradition announcing the completion of their degree. A TU photographer will be on site to capture the moment. Don’t forget to wear blue for photos!
All 2024 commencement ceremonies will be held at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Graduate students (master’s and doctoral) will walk at 3 p.m. Friday, May 10, while the College of Law Hooding will be held at 6 p.m. Undergraduate students will walk at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 11.