Army Officer Builds Sustainability Skills Through OU

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NORMAN, Okla. – Starting in August 2024, Connor Loehr would search for Internet access multiple times a week in the dead of night. Sometimes that would require the Army master sergeant to hike out in combat gear to find a connection, in hopes that he could tune in from the Middle East to hear his class lecture at the University of Oklahoma.

“I sacrificed a lot of time to make the live seminars, only because the professors, instructors and guest lecturers were so well known and interesting,” said Loehr, who began earning his Master of Science in Sustainable Architecture while on deployment upgrading U.S. military medical treatment facilities.

Loehr had spent more than a decade in the active-duty Army before taking classes at OU’s Gibbs College of Architecture, climbing up the ranks in military healthcare administration. He wanted his parents to see him complete his master’s degree, but he also wanted to explore his passion for architecture further. OU stood out for its application process and the recruiting team’s helpfulness while he was overseas.

He and his wife have experience moving around the U.S., including to Louisiana, Washington, Texas and Georgia, and revitalizing homes. “We do it to breathe another 50 to 75 years into these houses,” Loehr said. “I’ve always kept a hand and foot in the business. I try and stay current with modern practices, advancements, codes and the different styles of each region.”

This past May, they and their two children moved to Oklahoma after Loehr was assigned to Reynolds Army Health Clinic on Fort Sill. He is now the clinic’s chief noncommissioned officer for radiology and the advisor to its deputy commander for nursing, while taking his online courses closer to OU than ever before.

Loehr said his military experience has taught him valuable time management skills that he uses to balance coursework with his career and family. His frequent relocations have also instilled an adaptive mindset. “The frequent moving, it’s challenging, but it’s also part of the adventure,” Loehr said. “We are an important piece of the organizational model because we’re so accustomed to change, and likewise skilled at inspiring it."

He has already begun utilizing his OU education at work. His time in the Middle East included working with a team to optimize the army’s medical capabilities. He said he implemented the concept of adaptive reuse – repurposing existing structures – for that project and is continuing to use his coursework while stationed in Oklahoma.

“I'm trying to apply what I'm learning into figuring out the best use of space, the best application of our service lines and the best way for our clinic to serve the region,” Loehr said.

Looking ahead, Loehr plans to continue his military career with the goal of further promotion, now with the help of his University of Oklahoma degree. He also hopes to eventually return to Savannah, Georgia, and make an impact by implementing sustainable design practices in the area. And as he notes, collaboration will be key along the journey.

“Those of us with an interest in design, all we are is the master communicator and facilitator,” Loehr said. “We can't do everything ourselves… It's our job to find the right people and choreograph, synchronize and sequence everything together for a positive outcome.”