PHOTOS / MICHELLE TALAMANTES
across department lines, we have also found creative ways to support our students when they need it the most.” A special group of Early Care and Child Development students received that support with the removal of a barrier to attending night and weekend classes. In 2015, OSU-OKC partnered with Sunbeam Family Services related to a federally funded grant that pays for Early Head Start teachers to earn a Certificate of Mastery in Early Care Education with an Infant/Toddler option or pursue an Associate in Applied Science degree in Early Care Education providing a seamless path to a bachelor’s degree. More than 20 students are currently enrolled. Since all of the program’s students work during the day and many are single mothers, the evening and weekend classes created their own child care challenges. The solution came when OSU-OKC’s Child Development Lab School, a fully functioning child care center and teaching lab during the day, opened to care for the students’ children during weekly night and special weekend classes. Grant funding pays for the care.
“This solution allowed many of our students to stay in the program. It not only touched their lives, but also the lives they touch as teachers now and in the future,” says Kim Pearsall, interim department head for OSU-OKC’s Early Care and Child Development Program. Shirley says interdepartmental cooperation can be found in and out of the classroom setting. “We are a hands-on institution,” she says. “Our students learn by doing and experiencing. Whether we are partnering on curriculum development or creating cross-learning scenarios, we are saving dollars and resources. Working across academic programs is one of the reasons we are able to direct all the money OSU-OKC raises through fundraising events toward student scholarships and mentoring.” OSU-OKC’s Associate Director of Development Donovan Woods says interdepartmental partnerships provide unique opportunities for donors. “With one investment, our donors can impact multiple programs and students across a range of disciplines,” he says.
In the Human Services Division, there is a natural partnership between Police Science and the Crime Victim/Survivor Services Department. “When they are in the field employed in their professions, chances are high that graduates of both programs will either be working together or at least need to have a clear understanding of what the other does,” says Ann Lowrance, department head for OSU-OKC’s Social Services Program. “By forging that relationship now, we are giving our grads one more tool to be successful.” Other interdepartmental programs across campus are more unexpected. The surveying program in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Division is working with students in Police Science to explore how drone technology can assist in search and rescue. And, curriculum is underway pairing the Science Department’s cadaver lab with the Crime Scene Investigation program. “My hope is our willingness to partner across departmental lines sets an example for our students,” Shirley says. “Solutions and opportunities appear when you broaden your perspective and understanding of others.”
OSU-OKC EMS students Kat Biggs, David Miguel and Kahl Colon work on simulated crash victim Soraya Hunter. In the crash scenario, she was wearing a seatbelt but experienced facial injuries and difficulty breathing.
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