New-Look Celebration of Education for 2021
As spring 2021 approached and planning began on the Celebration of Education in Oklahoma, it was understood that an in-person event would not be possible again this year. Instead, the decision was made to expand the normally one-day event into a week of events April 12-16 honoring education, educators and education advocates.
The week kicked off on April 12 with a lecture from Professor Kendra Williams Diehm, director of the Zarrow Center. “Building Inclusive Higher Education: The Sooner Works Initiative” was an hour-long discussion about the Sooner Works program, started by Williams Diehm in fall 2019. Sooner Works is a is a comprehensive integrated program for students with an intellectual or developmental disability who desire a postsecondary experience on a college campus. For more information about Sooner Works, click here. To watch Williams Diehm’s lecture, click here.
On April 13, the focus on education turned to supporting educational endeavors by taking part in OU’s Giving Day. The college raised a record-setting $34,975 on this day of giving to go toward scholarships, Sooner Works and the Institute of Child Development, among other areas.
Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education alumnus Lena Tenney presented "[Re]Framing Diversity and Inclusion: Reaching the Champions, the Critics, and the Couldn’t Care Less-ers” on April 14. Tenney is the diversity, equity and inclusion officer in the College of Pharmacy at Ohio State University and received their master’s degree in adult and higher education from the college. Click here to watch their presentation.
Associate Professor Mirelsie Velázquez capped the week of presentations with “Going Back to the Territory: Centering Black and Indigenous Oklahoma History in Today’s Schooling Context” on April 15. You can view the lecture here. Velázquez was also honored for her work in the college as winner of the Teaching and Advising Award.
The week concluded on April 16 with the Celebration of Education Awards and Keynote video. Hosted by Dean Stacy Reeder, the video featured faculty and staff winners, speeches from Celebration of Education award winners, and a keynote address from Award of Distinction winner Professor Emeritus George Henderson. Nineteen people were honored this year for their work in education and advocacy.
A complete list of award winners, including biographical information, can be found here.
Student Award Winners
