Worldly Learning
Ward’s fi rst international experience was OSU’s Cambridge
Scholars program, in which top students study for two weeks in the U.K. “Since then, I’ve been to 32 countries. It was definitely a springboard to the program today, a springboard to seeing the world and getting excited about different international opportunities that exist.” In 2012, he found time in his Harvard schedule to take OSU students to Barcelona, help run the Cambridge program and find OSU was more “home” than Harvard. “You don’t feel trapped at OSU. You feel like OSU can truly have a window to the world. I think it all comes down to the opportunities you’re willing to grasp.”
Raising Eyebrows
Ward, 26, the
youngest director on campus, raised more than his share with his return to OSU last July. It was a move he admits many of his colleagues didn’t understand. “One of the things you have to come to terms with is recognizing what you really enjoy doing in life. Sometimes you have to leave so that you can bring back with you as much perspective and experience as you
Some might be surprised Josh Ward, OSU’s new director of scholar development and undergraduate research, returned to his alma mater. Ward, who graduated from OSU in 2008, has a master’s in biological anthropology and a doctorate in genetics from Cambridge, where he studied everything from the science behind mate selection to genes and their role in disease resistance. And in 2011, Ward received a postdoctoral fellowship in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School where he studied the genetics behind addiction. But it was at OSU as an undergrad where the Edmond, Okla., native opened his eyes to a wide world thanks to study abroad experiences as a college student. He’s already taken a group of students to Cambridge on the summer program he participated in when he was a student. Ward takes the reins from Bob Graalman who retired after 30 years of service to OSU. As the senior officer for undergraduate research and prestigious fellowship advising, Ward provides direction and strategic initiatives to advance the student academic, leadership and research experience. Ward also oversees competitive international study programs and services aimed at increasing student retention and opportunity.
can carry to accomplish your goals.”
Sorbet for His Palate
He is a
sorbet person. He’s nuts about the frozen desert made from ice and fruit juice. Although he loves to travel, he’s not real adventurous with food — unless it’s sorbet. The best flavor he says is elderflower. It’s a drink in the U.S., but it’s a flavor of choice in the U.K., and it’s “absolutely delightful,” he says.
Love of Orange and Black He asks, “How many other administrators can come to work and, a couple of weeks later, find themselves in the U.K. on a scholars program that they care so much about, along with a host of students, alumni, OSU President Burns Hargis and the chairman of the Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical Colleges Board of Regents?” He also raves about the contribution to scholar development made by former students who came through its offices years ago. “That’s incredible to me.”
Traveling Shoes
Ward’s favorite
hobby is traveling. At press time, he had been to Panama, Guatemala, Jamaica, Cuba, Turkey and Greece in 2013. When asked about his favorite place to go, Ward says it’s wherever he hasn’t been yet. Other hobbies include playing squash, something he picked up when he moved to England and realized the English don’t play racquetball, his activity of choice at OSU’s Colvin Recreation Center.
M AT T E L L I O T T PHOTO / GARY LAWSON
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