Dean's Welcome

When I became dean in 2015, one of the first things I noticed when looking at enrollment trends in the college was the lack of students from Norman, particularly from Norman public schools. I understand why teenagers wouldn’t want to go to their hometown university; for example, some students at Norman North High School derisively refer to OU as “Norman South.”

Still, Norman is full of educated households, many of which have strong OU ties. So we in the college set out to better connect with the two public high schools in 2016, with our first meeting with then Superintendent Joe Siano and Alesha Leemaster, who oversees public affairs for the school system and is a member of our Board of Visitors.

A bond issue passed by Norman voters in 2014 included funding for top-notch video production areas at both high schools that are some of the best I’ve seen in a high school in Oklahoma. I’ve toured the one at Norman North and it is first class.

Among other initiatives we have entertained several gifted and talented groups from Norman middle schools and hosted 30 guidance counselors to raise awareness and educate them about Gaylord College. The latest interaction came in November, when 98 students from the high schools who have expressed interest in some type of media attended our third annual Youth Media Conference. Members of our Association of Women in Sports Media chapter, or AWSM, helped greatly with planning. A half dozen Gaylord faculty members spoke to the students during the day.

In a survey of the freshman class of 2018, Norman High was tied for first – with Flower Mound High School in north Texas – with the most students who declared Gaylord as their pre-major. We’ll never get every Norman kid we pursue. But the plan we’ve put in place is paying off, in more students and a better relationship with the school system going forward.

Ed Kelley, Dean
Class of 1975