Dean Kelley's Welcome
I tell prospective students and their parents that a major from our college is among the most versatile on campus, because of the communication skills that are honed during their four years with us.
The busiest time of the year in Gaylord College is upon us, as spring break gives way to a sprint to the finish line: graduation. With COVID restrictions easing a bit, we expect to be back in person, with a “normal” convocation, on May 14.
Many of those graduating seniors walking across the stage to receive a diploma cover from me will go to work in the world of media, such as communication, journalism, public relations, advertising, video production and storytelling and other areas. Other grads will use their majors in Gaylord to do things in their careers that go beyond media and encompass just about anything imaginable.
I estimated even before I became dean, while serving on the college’s Board of Visitors, that at least 40 percent, and likely more, of our 10,000 or so alumni enjoy, or have enjoyed, successful careers in fields outside of media.
Which makes the value of being an OU graduate, with a Gaylord major, more valuable than ever.
I tell prospective students and their parents that a major from our college is among the most versatile on campus, because of the communication skills that are honed during their four years with us. And other positives: The ability to take complex information and make it understandable. The ability to think on your feet and think critically. The ability to persuade. And to do all of that, with an occasional smile. I’m convinced these traits will never, ever go out of style.
I can think of no better recent example of a Gaylord alumna who is using what she learned during her time as an undergraduate than Mautra Jones. As I write this, Mautra, a 2002 graduate, is in her first few days as president of Oklahoma City Community College. She is the first woman and first person of color to preside at OCCC.
In her time after OU graduation she earned two graduate degrees; worked in key roles in education in central Oklahoma, including as vice president for institutional advancement and external affairs for Langston University; and serves on a number of important boards at the state and local levels.
She has told me more than once about how her experience earning a journalism degree at OU helped set her on a path that brought her to this point in her career.
Mautra is just one of many who made the most of their time in our program to later enjoy success in all walks of life – in media, education, business, the nonprofit sector, government at all levels, the legal profession. And we try to ensure that it always will be that way, for the Gaylord students of the future.