CAMPUS UPDATE
Pierson’s Perceptions November 2021
Just like the leaves of autumn, success is multi-hued and visible all around us at ECU.
We have many alumni and current students who, rightfully, are being recognized for their professional accomplishments. We have students completing a tremendous fall semester, full of activities. We have faculty and staf working together to provide us with a successful HLC comprehensive review.
ECU’s quality of programs and services are to be praised for providing the foundation of success for all our students and alumni. As numerous as the leaves on our beautiful campus, we have many blessings for which to be thankful.
As we quickly approach the Thanksgiving holiday, many of us will consider the blessings that we have received this year – a year that has stood as a triumphant return from chaos and hardship caused by the pandemic.
Throughout this year of recovery and returning to normal, we will give praise to those things that made our lives better and to the people who enriched us.
This Thanksgiving, please consider the gifts that you have received while at ECU and consider how you might pay those gifts forward to be a blessing for others. Giving Tuesday is November 30. Together we can strengthen our foundation for even more success in the future.
Dr. Katricia Pierson President East Central University
Finch-Walker selected as Entrepreneur of the Year
Michelle Finch-Walker, one of three owners of “Girls Gone Wine,” has been named East Central University’s 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year. As per tradition, she will deliver the annual Limes Lecture to college and visiting high school students in November.
Finch-Walker, along with friends and business partners Chandra Rickey and Rhonda Reed, founded “Girls Gone Wine” in 2006, a boutique winery and gift shop located in Hochatown near Broken Bow Lake in far southeastern Oklahoma.
“Every business that we love and
visit in this country today was someone’s great idea – someone who was not afraid to take the risk and just go for it,” FinchWalker said.
Finch-Walker, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from ECU in 1986, will address young entrepreneurs during a luncheon on Wednesday, November 10, at ECU’s Chickasaw Business and Conference Center. An entrepreneurial competition for area high school students, called “Tiger Tank,” also takes place that day. Please visit www.ecok.edu/news to read much more about the event!
Tigers prove handful for Razorbacks
In their frst exhibition game of the season, ECU gave Arkansas all they could handle and more, forcing the hosts to come from behind for a 77-74 win. The frst ECU home games are coming up! The women host Arkansas-Fort Smith on November 20 and the men host Arkansas Baptist on November 22. Go Tigers!
FINCH-WALKER
ECU online Sports Administration degree ranked as among most affordable in U.S.
ECU’s Master of Education in Sports Administration online degree has been recognized as one of the most afordable in the country. “Our graduates are well-prepared to start, or continue, a career in Sports Administration,” said Dr. Nick Stowers, ECU assistant professor of Kinesiology and Sports Administration. “We pride ourselves in providing a quality online master’s program that is both fexible and afordable for those interested in the various jobs felds within Sports Administration.”
According to the research group “Sports Management Degree Guide,” which obtains its data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), ECU ranks second nationally on the most afordable online master’s program list. The NCES collects its data from ofcial accrediting agency websites, as the research group explains in its methodology.
Complimentary Russian lessons for children return to Ada Public Library
For the second consecutive year, area school children will have an opportunity to learn the Russian language and about the Russian culture thanks to an East Central University professor and her students. Dr. Mara Sukholutskaya, a longtime Languages professor and director of Global Education at ECU, and her advanced level students will teach Russian language and culture to children ages 9-12 in an exciting program at the Ada Public Library. Despite the pandemic last fall, the program’s inaugural year proved to be a success.
“The children will learn about a fascinating new culture, as well as the basics of the language,” Sukholutskaya said. Classes started October 21 at the Ada Public Library. The free program continues each Thursday for the remainder of the semester. The library is located at 124 S. Rennie in downtown Ada.
Check out the entire stories at www.ecok.edu/news!
Intermission
Brady McComas emotes as "Harry" while Makayla Faulkner looks on as the glib yet wise bartender in David Hanson's play "Intermission" during an October performance in the Chalmers Herman Theatre. ECU students performed the frst-ever U.S. collegiate production of Hanson's play.
OSDH tabs ECU alum as regional director
East Central University alumnus Chris Munn has been named as the interim regional administrative director for the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s District 8, which includes Carter, Garvin, Jeferson, Johnston, Love, Marshall, Murray, Pontotoc and Stephens counties.
Munn replaces the district’s former interim director, Mendy Spohn, who was named assistant deputy commissioner for the OSDH’s Community Health division.
Originally from Pauls Valley, Munn has served Stephens County residents as a public health specialist for 27 years. He has been the Covid-19 vaccine project manager for District 8 since fall 2020, working closely with staf and community partners throughout the nine-county region. He also serves on the board for the Stephens County Local Emergency Planning Committee and the “Pathways to a Healthier You” County Health Improvement Organization.
To read the entire story on Munn’s appointment, please visit www.ecok.edu/news
MUNN
Sometimes
the
A cold, tasty thank you!
Rhonda Kinder, left, and Haley Vickers enjoy some delicious ice cream provided by President Pierson's ofce as a thank you to employees for participating in an accreditation review by the Higher Learning Commission in October. Employees met with visiting reviewers over two days. ECU received a very positive review from the HLC!
Visiting artist
Courtney Starrett, associate professor in the Department of Visualization at Texas A&M University, delivers a talk about her exhibit at ECU's Pogue Gallery in October.
Fall Formal a big success
ECU students enjoyed the opportunity to dress up for a Fall Formal event held in the Chickasaw Business and Conference Center on campus. The dance was well-attended by students and even some faculty!
ECU alum named as i2E venture advisor
Note: This article is edited for space from the original, which appeared in The Oklahoman Click here to read the full story!
By Scott Meacham, CEO of i2E Inc
Srijita Dia Ghosh, i2E’s newest venture advisor, was born and brought up in West Bengal, India. Her home city of Kolkata, along the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, is a packed city of millions. She came to ECU to play tennis.
Like everyone who is engaged in the entrepreneurial community, Dia is no stranger to pivots, or to serendipity. In college, she experienced both when, about a year-and-a-half in, due to budget cuts, the tennis and golf programs at ECU were eliminated.
Dia stayed, and Dr. Stacey Bolin, associate professor and director of the Wilburn L. Smith Center for Entrepreneurship, came into her life. Dr. Bolin has long been an advisor to teams that competed in the Love’s Entrepreneur’s Cup teams. She is a champion of entrepreneurship as a career and cornerstone of the competition’s history.
Through Love’s Cup, she interned with and then joined the Ada Jobs Foundation as an entrepreneurship specialist. In between, Dia graduated Summa Cum Laude and as Honors valedictorian.
“In a rural community, the exciting challenge is that you have to come out and build it yourself,” Dia said. “It is important to help entrepreneurs here believe that you don’t have to be in a certain place to create a technology business. You can do it from Ada, Oklahoma. All you need is the internet and a supportive ecosystem.”
Sweet sounds
Dr. Stacey Bolin, left, and Srijita Dia Gosh in 2017.
Nice wheels!
A young man checks out a vintage Super Sport Chevrolet Camaro during the annual Cody Johnson Memorial Car Show held on the ECU campus in October.
Members of the ECU Jazz Ensemble, under direction of Dr. Nathaniel Berman, perform an outdoor concert in front of the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center in October.
CAMPUS UPDATE
Pierson’s Perceptions
The Fall 2021 harvest is at hand – and, wow, what a harvest of success and honors it has been! The fruits of this particularly bountiful harvest sure are tasting sweet.
You don’t have to look any further than our amazing football team, which just completed its most successful season in a decade. That team is a shining example of the pride and fght that all ECU Tigers have.
But I encourage you to look further. In fact, look as deeply as you can and you will uncover example after example of what it means to be an ECU Tiger.
Whether it’s our gifted students winning competitive awards, our faculty members receiving accolades, our alumni making waves out in the world, or our dedicated and hard-working staf members keeping the whole ship afoat, ECU Tiger pride shines through time and again.
Remember last December?
Because of the situation the world was in, we held a virtual commencement for Fall 2020 graduates. Thankfully some of those came back to walk with the Spring 2021 class.
As I said at the outset, the fruits of this harvest seem extra sweet – especially for the approximately 300 Fall 2021 graduates who in a matter of days will participate in a proper, traditional commencement all their own.
Happy holidays to each and every member of the ECU Tiger family. Bring on 2022!
December 2021
Tigers weather the Storm!
The ECU football team celebrates a hard-fought, season-ending victory over bitter rival Southeastern in the Great American Classic in Durant on November 13. It was ECU’s second consecutive victory in the rivalry game and the 104th overall meeting between the two teams. The Tigers fnished the 2021 season at 7-4, their best record since an 8-3 mark in 2011. See Page 6 for more Tiger Athletics!
Dr. Katricia Pierson President East Central University
Future Tigers enjoy campus on Senior Day
Hundreds of area high school students visited the ECU campus on November 3 for the traditional Senior Day. Realizing that students are faced with many options for college, ECU opens its doors each fall semester and extends a warm invitation to them. The 2021 event was a unmitigated success, and mask-free!
ECU Mass Comm student earns prestigious OETA scholarship
An ECU junior has earned a $1,000 scholarship from the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) as one of the state’s most promising media students. Clif Tomlinson, of Coalgate, is studying Mass Communications at ECU and learned of the award in early November, which is earmarked to help with his tuition and books. OETA is the state’s PBS television afliate. The scholarship is limited to four broadcasting students from Oklahoma. This year, it is being awarded in honor and memory of William “Bill” Thrash and Gene Dillehay as a tribute to their outstanding service to OETA and the broadcasting industry.
ECU Fall 2021 Commencement event scheduled for December 11
ECU’s Fall 2021 Commencement exercises have been set for Saturday, December 11. Commencement returns to the Kerr Activities Center, where it traditionally has been held. Last spring, the event shifted outdoors to Koi Ishto Stadium due to lingering Covid-19 concerns. As is tradition, master’s degrees will be conferred frst, followed by bachelor’s degrees. The keynote address will be delivered by ECU’s 2021 Distinguished Alumnus Jeremy Humphers, a senior vice president and chief accounting ofcer at Devon Energy. Humphers graduated with honors from ECU in 1996 and is a native of Pontotoc County. Doors to the Kerr Activities Center open at 8 a.m. and commencement begins at 10 a.m. Attendees can expect ceremonies to last about two hours. A complete visitor’s guide can be found here
ECU students deliver hygiene kits
Members of the ECU Social Work Student Association, in a partnership with ECU Wesley, assembled and delivered personal hygiene kits to members of the Ada community’s disadvantaged population. The project was also intended to bring attention to “Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week,” which this year was November 13-21.
Students honor Pappas with new campus bench
Dr. Christine Pappas was ofcially honored for her hard work and dedication to students on November 18 with a prestigious bench on the ECU campus. The bench is located next to the Tiger Fountain in front of Science Hall as part of a de facto “ring of honor” that recognizes those who made indelible impressions on the University, its students and its patrons. Pappas is now chair of ECU’s Political Science and Legal Studies programs in the Department of Law, Politics and Society. As professor, she teaches Political Science Research Methods, Tribal Politics, Constitutional Law, Women in Politics and more. The idea of honoring Pappas with a bench originated with Dr. Brandon Hill, vice president of Student Development. But it was her students who took the suggestion and ran with it. To read much more, please visit www.ecok.edu/news
DR. PAPPAS, seated, and DR. SHIRLEY MIXON
TOMLINSON HUMPHERS
White Coat ceremony
ECU Nursing students participated in the White Coat ceremony on November 15. During the ceremony, a white coat is placed on each student’s shoulders, signifying their entrance into the medical profession.
Bing, bang, boom!
The ECU Percussion Ensemble, under direction of Dr. Nick Meyers, performs inside the Ataloa Theatre on November 18.
Celebrating entrepreneurship!
In the photo at left, Michelle Finch-Walker (center) receives a plaque for being named ECU’s 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year. Finch-Walker, an ECU alum, is co-owner of Girls Gone Wine. She is pictured with Wendell Godwin and Dr. Stacey Bolin. Above, ECU Business professor Dr. Germain Pichop speaks to a group of visiting high school students on campus to participate in Tiger Tank, an entrepreneurial pitch competition. These events are part of the annual Limes Lecture, which Finch-Walker delivered on November 10.
Sing out
of the ECU
on November
First Gen Day
of
Members
Chorale perform at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
23, under direction of Dr. Steven Walker.
Rhonda Hibbard
ECU NASNTI speaks to a student about Financial Literacy during First Gen Day on November 16.
Alpha Chi inducts new members
ECU inducted new members into its Gamma chapter of Alpha Chi on November 15 inside the Ataloa Theatre. Alpha Chi is the National College Honor Society and membership is limited to the top 10 percent of juniors, seniors and graduate students at colleges and universities. The Alpha Chi organization turns 100 years old in 2022. Pictured at top are the new inductees. At left is ECU professor Dr. Ken Hada, who served as guest speaker for the ceremony. Hada read from his latest book of published poetry titled Contour Feathers
ECU senior art exhibits on display now
Three ECU senior art exhibits are currently on display in the Pogue Gallery, located inside Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center through December 3. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and all exhibits are free and open to the public. The artists (their works are pictured here, from left) are Tifany Johnson, of Allen; Tanner Hudnall, of Wewoka; and Adyson Sullivan, of Shawnee. Read more about the artists at www.ecok.edu/news
Theatre instructor Vickie Reifsnider prepares for the Majors Fair on November 3.
Potential ECU students take a selfe while on a campus tour.
ECU student Kaylee Thoma displays her work at the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences meeting on campus November 5.
ECU student Garrett Workman contributes some fne fretwork to the Jazz Band concert on November 29.
ECU Russian Language students visited the Russian Food Store in Oklahoma City on October 3.
ECU students celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, inside the Stanley P. Wagner Ballroom on November 3.
ECU Tiger student-athletes are back in full swing in 2021, following a mostly inactive year due to Covid-19. All games are on this year so come out and support your favorite sport! To follow the teams, stay connected with www.ecutigers.com, the ofcial ECU Athletics website that is bursting with information! Now about these photos ...
Top left: Romello Wilbert, senior guard from The Woodlands, Texas, looks for an opening against Rogers State.
Top right: Madison Rehl, redshirt senior guard from Edmond, directs trafc on the court.
Above left: A Tiger gets a lift to fnish a dunk at Tiger Jam.
Above right: Kemyra Landry, redshirt sophomore from Dallas, and Nyah Walker, junior from Bryant, Texas, go up to block.
Right: Mackenzie Crusoe, basketball redshirt freshman from Choctaw, takes it deep in the Softball Home Run Derby.
