Former names | Southeastern State Normal School (1909–1921) Southeastern State Teachers College (1921–1939) Southeastern State College (1939–1974) |
---|---|
Motto | Progress · Education |
Type | Public university |
Established | 1909 |
Parent institution | Regional University System of Oklahoma |
Academic affiliations | Space-grant |
President | Thomas W. Newsom |
Academic staff | 225 |
Students | 5,623 (2023) [1] |
Location | , U.S. 34°00′23″N96°22′41″W / 34.00639°N 96.37806°W |
Campus | Small town, 269 acres (109 ha) |
Colors | Blue and gold |
Nickname | Savage Storm, Campus of a Thousand Magnolias |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II – GAC |
Mascot | Bolt, The Savage Storm Mascot |
Website | se.edu |
Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Southeastern or SE) is a public university in Durant, Oklahoma. It had a total enrollment of 5,376 in 2022. [1]
On March 6, 1909, the Second Oklahoma State Legislature approved an act designating Durant as the location for a normal school to serve the following 12-county region: Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Choctaw, Latimer, LeFlore, Love, Marshall, McCurtain, McIntosh, Pittsburg, and Pushmataha. Southeastern Oklahoma State University first opened its doors to students on June 14, 1909, [2] as "Southeastern State Normal School". The early program of instruction consisted of four years of high school and the freshman and sophomore college years. The first sessions of the school were held in temporary quarters pending completion of Morrison Hall in January, 1911, long known as the Administration Building.
The original purpose of Southeastern was the education of teachers for the public schools of Oklahoma. The two-year graduates were awarded life teaching certificates. In 1921, the institution became a four-year college and was renamed "Southeastern State Teachers College". Construction on the college's library, now the Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library, was completed in 1928. The primary function remained that of teacher education and the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Education and Bachelor of Science in Education were authorized. [2]
The purpose of the college was expanded in 1939. Courses leading to two newly authorized non-education degrees - Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science - were added. At this time, the college was renamed "Southeastern State College". In 1954, the curriculum was enlarged by the addition of a graduate program leading to the Master of Teaching degree. In 1969, the name of the degree was changed to Master of Education. [2]
On May 27, 1968, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education designated Southeastern as an Area Community College. While retaining previous functions, the college moved in the direction of providing greater post-secondary educational opportunities by expanding its curriculum to include new programs in areas such as business, technology, aviation, and conservation.
In 1971, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education requested that the state supported institutions of higher education review and evaluate their functions as members of the State System of Higher Education. Upon completion of the review, a comprehensive “Plan for the Seventies” was prepared by each institution and submitted to the Regents. On June 1, 1972, Southeastern submitted its plan to the Regents which was, subsequently, approved on March 29, 1973. The Master of Education degree was changed to the Master of Behavioral Studies and, subsequently, the university was approved to offer a graduate program in business which culminated in the degree of Master of Administrative Studies. Four options of the Master of Behavioral Studies degree were renamed Master of Education in August, 1979. The Master of Administrative Studies degree was revised and renamed Master of Business Administration in August, 1996. [2]
On August 15, 1974, the name of Southeastern State College was changed to "Southeastern Oklahoma State University" by an act of the Oklahoma State Legislature. Since 1974, Southeastern, through institutional reorganizations, has continued to diversify, so that, presently, there are three academic schools: Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education and Behavioral Science. [2]
Southeastern has a zero tolerance policy regarding student conduct. Punishments occur for violations of campus regulations including punishments of alleged violations which cannot be appealed, as per the guidelines set by the Regional University System of Oklahoma. Controversy occurred after football player Justin Pitrucha was suspended following felony charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within 2,000 feet of a school. [3] However, instead of upholding the policy, Pitrucha was fully reinstated after the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor. [4]
After the 20-year tenure of President Leon Hibbs, Dr. Larry Williams served ten years as Southeastern's president. Dr. Glen D. Johnson served Southeastern for 9 years then in 2007 assumed the duties of Chancellor of the Oklahoma State System for Higher Education. Dr. Jesse Snowden succeeded Johnson as interim president. Dr. Michael Turner was selected as SE president in 2008 and inaugurated in January 2009. He announced his resignation June 2009, and Regents named Dr. Larry Minks as interim then permanent president. Minks served as president through June 30, 2014, and Sean Burrage began duties as the 20th president on July 1, 2014. Burrage announced his resignation to take a vice president position at the University of Oklahoma in 2019 and in April 2020, Dr. Thomas Newsom began his duties as the 21st president.
In April 2011, Dr. Rachel Tudor, an assistant professor of English, Humanities and Literature was denied tenure despite having been recommended for promotion and tenure twice in the prior two years by the Faculty Tenure and Promotion Committee, based on the university's criteria of teaching, scholarship and service. The committee, whose positive recommendations for tenure were routinely approved by the Administration, was overruled by Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Douglas McMillan, who had previously inquired of the university's Human Resources Department whether Dr. Tudor could be terminated because her lifestyle "offends his Baptist beliefs." Justifying the denial of tenure, McMillan has claimed that Tudor was unqualified, despite the original Tenure and Promotion Committee's findings, those of the Faculty Appeals Committee, and a resolution by the Faculty Senate in support of Tudor's application. Dr. Tudor, who had not worked at SE since May 2011, brought her case to the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission, the U.S. Department of Education, and the EEOC. [7] On September 5, 2012, the EEOC issued a "Determination" that states Southeastern Oklahoma State University terminated Dr. Tudor's employment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. The EEOC specifically cited sex discrimination, religious discrimination, and retaliation. Although Dr. Tudor welcomed the EEOC's conciliation offers, Southeastern rejected the EEOC's efforts, and the EEOC forwarded the case to the Department of Justice for consideration. [8] [9] [10] On March 30, 2015, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the university. [11] The EEOC settled its suit with the university in August 2017. On November 20, 2017, a jury rendered a verdict of $1.165 million in favor of Dr. Tudor, finding that the university denied her tenure and the opportunity to reapply for tenure because of her gender, although it did not find the university created a hostile work environment. [12]
SE generated media attention in 2013 when the NAACP [13] and Reverends Marshall Hatch and Ira Acree of the National Action Network [14] spoke on behalf of five African-American college football students attending Southeastern, one of whom was from Chicago, regarding an incident which occurred on April 2, 2013. According to Durant Police, several people reported that masked men came to their residences and demanded money and cell phones. [15] The students were suspended and scholarships revoked. All five were charged in June 2013 with felony conspiracy to engage in a pattern of criminal offenses plus misdemeanor charges of wearing a mask, hood or covering for the purposes of coercion, intimidation or harassment, and four counts of assault and battery. [13]
During a preliminary hearing on October 16, 2013, all five men entered no-contest pleas to misdemeanor charges. The felony charges against them were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, and each was given three-year deferred sentences on the misdemeanor charges and also sentenced to 90 days in jail. [15] Arlene Barnum of the NAACP contested their suspensions from SE under grounds of denial of the right to an attorney during disciplinary proceedings. Five members of the NAACP protested on the SE campus in May 2013 outside graduation ceremonies. [16]
Southeastern offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. Southeastern offers over 60 undergraduate degree plans. [17] The school also offers 15 different graduate programs, with options for all face to face classes, all online classes, or a mix of the two. [18] The top five most popular majors for new students in the Fall of 2018 in order were Biology, Aviation, Occupational Safety and Health, Elementary Education, and General Business. [19] The Safety department at Southeastern is ranked four out of five stars in a national ranking. [20] The Aviation program is also one of 88 colleges, nationwide, that received a Letter of Authorization from the FAA saying that Southeastern Aviation students had to complete 1000 hours instead of 1500 hours for cheaper educational experiences. [21] The award enables Southeastern aviation majors to take less hours thus spend less money on tuition; also, this authorization shows that the SE aviation program is able to teach the needed material in less time than most schools. Southeastern Oklahoma State University offers educations to students from 32 states and 40 countries outside of the U.S. [22]
Graduate programs are offered at Southeastern Oklahoma State University through the School of Education, School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Business. [23] In studies conducted in 2014, the Southeastern School of Education had 85 students, the School of Arts and Sciences had 79 students, the School of Business had 35, the Department of Aviation Sciences had 69, and the Department of Behavioral Sciences had 36. [24] The Music Department also offers a Master of Music Education degree.
The number of students enrolled as of fall 2022 is 5,376 students. [19] Each year, approximately 1,100 people apply to the university and about 860 are accepted; out of the accepted, in 2013, eighteen percent were in the top ten percent of their high school class, forty-one percent were in the top twenty-five percent, and seventy-three percent were in the top fifty percent. [22] The student to faculty ratio is 19:1. In Fall 2018, the university welcomed its biggest freshman class in six years, with a total enrollment of 600 students.
SE has additional teaching facilities in the following location: [1]
SE's campus services include: Student Support Services, Student Health Services, Academic Advising and Outreach Center, Learning Center, Wellness Center, Native American Institute, and Counseling Center. [23]
This university's Campus Police Department operates 24/7 on campus along with emergency call boxes in various locations on campus, emergency alters such as disaster or weather, and its own phone line for direct calls to protect the students of the university. [23] [22] Southeastern received a B-minus safety rating in the American School Search College Factual 2014. [20] [25]
The student body at Southeastern Oklahoma State University has the opportunity to become a part of over 90 student organizations active on campus. [26]
Southeastern currently has two fraternities and two sororities on campus. [27]
Fraternities: Sigma Tau Gamma and Tau Kappa Epsilon
Sororities: Alpha Sigma Tau and Sigma Sigma Sigma
Southeastern also has honorary fraternities on campus. Kappa Kappa Psi, Alpha Eta Rho, Alpha Psi Omega, Beta Alpha Psi, Phi Alpha Theta, and Sigma Tau Delta.
SE is currently a member of the NCAA Division II Great American Conference. The Savage Storm participate in baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, men's and women's tennis, men's golf, rodeo, women's cross country, softball, women's track & field and women's volleyball.
Durant is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 18,589 in the 2020 census. It serves as the capital of the Choctaw Nation, and is the largest settlement on the reservation, ranking ahead of McAlester and Poteau. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 46,067 in 2020. Durant is also part of the Dallas–Fort Worth Combined Statistical Area, anchoring the northern edge.
The University of South Carolina Aiken is a public university in the Aiken, South Carolina area. It is part of the University of South Carolina System and offers undergraduate degree programs as well as master's degrees. Additional graduate courses and degree programs are offered through the University of South Carolina Extended Graduate Campus program. The University of South Carolina Aiken awards baccalaureate degrees in more than 30 major areas of study including the bachelor of science in business administration online through Palmetto College.
Ferris State University is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1884 as Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge N. Ferris and became a public institution in 1950. The university also has a satellite campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout California largely provide programs for working adults.
Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Cameron University is a public university in Lawton, Oklahoma. It offers more than 50 degrees through both undergraduate and graduate programs. The degree programs emphasize the liberal arts, science and technology, and graduate and professional studies. It was founded in 1908, soon after Oklahoma was admitted as a state, as one of six agricultural high schools in the largely rural region.
Alma College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college in Alma, Michigan. It enrolls approximately 1,200 students and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Alma College is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and offers bachelor's degrees in multiple disciplines as well as four master's degree programs. Its athletics teams, nicknamed the Scots, are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) – Division III and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).
The University of Central Arkansas is a public university in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1907 as the Arkansas State Normal School, the university is one of the oldest in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As the state's only normal school at the time, UCA has historically been the primary source of teachers in Arkansas. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century and state universities in the late 20th century.
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a private research university with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida, United States, in the Miami metropolitan area. The university consists of 14 total colleges, offering over 150 programs of study. The university offers professional degrees in the social sciences, law, business, osteopathic medicine (DO), allopathic medicine (MD), health sciences, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, education, occupational therapy, and nursing. As of 2019, 20,576 students were enrolled at Nova Southeastern University, with more than 210,000 alumni. With a main campus located on 314 acres in Davie, Florida, NSU operates additional campuses in Dania Beach and Tampa-Clearwater, and other locations throughout the state of Florida, as well as in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Denver, Colorado.
Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, a philanthropist from Boston, Massachusetts and chair of the Peabody Education Board in Massachusetts, to establish the school.
Rogers State University (RSU) is a public university in Claremore, Oklahoma, United States. It also has branch campuses in Bartlesville and Pryor Creek.
Walters State Community College is a public community college based in Morristown, Tennessee. It was founded in 1970 and is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college was named in honor of former United States Senator Herbert S. Walters.
The University of West Alabama (UWA) is a public university in Livingston, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1835, the school began as a church-supported school for young women called Livingston Female Academy. The original Board of Trustees of Livingston Female Academy was selected in 1836 and four of the seven board members were Presbyterians.
Murray State College is a public community college in southcentral Oklahoma with the main campus located in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. It is named in honor of former Oklahoma Governor William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) is a public university in Weatherford and Sayre, Oklahoma. It is one of six Regional University System of Oklahoma members.
Sean Burrage is an American attorney and politician who is the Chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education since 2024, and who served in the Oklahoma Senate representing the 2nd district from 2006 to 2014.
Middle Georgia State University is a public university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and offers programs to students on five campuses in Middle Georgia and online. Middle Georgia State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees.
John Ohleyer Moseley was an American educator, a Rhodes Scholar, and a professor of Latin at the University of Oklahoma in the 1920s. He was also the President of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in the 1930s. He served as the President of Central State College from 1935 to 1939, and the University of Nevada, Reno from 1944 to 1949.
Joy Culbreath is an American former educator and advocate of education enhancement. Culbreath worked with Upward Bound students during her twenty-seven year career with alma mater, Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She later worked for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, establishing an adult education program and later becoming the executive director of all education. Culbreath established a Choctaw language education and preservation department that has since allowed the language to be state certified and taught in public schools, on college campuses for credit, and on the internet. She served the Choctaw Nation for twenty-two years until retirement. In 2010 she was appointed by President Obama to serve on the No Child Left Behind Negotiated Rulemaking Committee and was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame the following year.
Kate Galt Zaneis was an American educator. In May 1935, she became president of Southeastern Oklahoma State Teachers College, becoming the first woman to lead a state college or university in the United States.