Martha Jean Lemon Distinguished Speaker Series Hosts Indigenous Environmental Educator
OCU hosted Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes), a lecturer of American Indian studies at California State University San Marcos and independent educator/advisor on Indigenous environmental issues, for the 2024 Martha Jean Lemon Distinguished Speaker Series. She met with students for an informal question and answer session and gave a public presentation on her book, 鈥淎s Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, From Colonization to Standing Rock.鈥�
Accreditation Awarded to Two Programs
Two Petree College programs received accreditation in 2024. The first is the Doctorate of Psychology program which received accreditation contingency status by the Commission on Accreditation, American Psychological Association. This recognition marks an exciting point in the yearslong process to achieve full APA accreditation. OCU will be submitting a self-study with student outcome data, in pursuit of full accreditation. The second is the Montessori Teacher Certificate Program that received full accreditation at the Early Childhood level from the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education and Affiliation by American Montessori 9Society. After a rigorous two-year certification process, this program is now one of the few programs in the state and the only one in the 野狼社区 metro area to carry these distinctions.
Esports Team Wins National Championship
In May, the Overwatch 2 White team won the National Esports Collegiate Conference Navigators national championship defeating Southern Virginia University in a 4-2 series win. This is the second National Championship won by an OCU Esports team since the creation of the Esports program in 2019. Team members included Edward Bennett, Jacob Collier, Cara Fairchild, Wesley Farnsley, Jordan Iwuchukwu, Alex Rodriguez and Josie Wells.
Two Master鈥檚 Degree Programs Launched in College
Two new graduate programs were introduced in the Petree College of Arts & Sciences for the 2024-25 academic year. The Applied Behavioral Studies program transitioned to an entirely online Clinical Mental Health Counseling program while the Education Department launched the Instructional Design and Educational Technology graduate program. These master鈥檚 level programs are designed to accommodate the evolving needs of mental health professionals and educators.
Teacher Development Academy Offering Courses at No Cost
OCU鈥檚 Teacher Development Academy, a program designed to assist alternative and emergency certified K-12 teachers with completing courses necessary to gain official certification through the Oklahoma State Department of Education, is now offering classes at no cost to qualifying teachers thanks to a Governor鈥檚 Emergency Education Relief funded grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. More than 200 teachers have participated in the TDA program since its inception in 2022. Visit to learn more.
First deadCenter University for Educators Led by Film Department
OCU Film Chair Bryan Cardinale-Powell and members of the OCU Film Department led the inaugural deadCenter University for Educators as part of the 24th annual deadCenter Film Festival. The two-day workshop provided a new professional development opportunity for individuals who teach media arts at the K-12 level in Oklahoma. Participants learned implementation strategies for the state鈥檚 newly created film and media arts standards.
Crisis Intervention Advisory Group Appoints Dean Cataldi
Dean Amy Cataldi was named as a member of City of 野狼社区鈥檚 new Crisis Intervention Advisory Group. This group will ensure best practices are used during encounters between police and residents experiencing a mental health crisis. Cataldi holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Psychology, Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and a Master of Science degree and doctorate in Experimental Psychology.
