LIFE & ARTS • PAGE 7
Campus Corner bakery dishes up cupcakes to Norman Read about three Oklahoma natives who decided to open Crimson and Whipped Cream, a cupcake and full-service espresso shop on Campus Corner in July. The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
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1994 TO 2011
Boren marks milestone Boren’s term 2nd-longest in OU history
It pays to stay for university president
Infrastructure, investment highlight 16 years of former senator’s tenure as university head
Regents award Boren $500,000 in gifts for services to university
MEREDITH MORIAK The Oklahoma Daily
NICHOLAS HARRISON
1994 was a year of monumental change for David Boren and his wife, Molly. After 16 years in Washington, D.C., the couple decided to leave the U.S. Senate and return home to Oklahoma. It was also a year of monumental change for the University of Oklahoma, which had been facing administrative turmoil and a lack of continuity in leadership. Many believed Oklahoma-native David Boren was the answer to the university’s problems. On April 27, 1994 the OU Board of Regents unanimously approved him as OU’s 13th president. Today, Boren becomes OU’s second longestserving president, behind only George Lynn Cross, who was president for 25 years, from 1943 to 1968. Many of Boren’s friends and colleagues credit the university’s successes over the last 16 years to his vision and goals. “I think this is a time period people know is a special time,” said Joe Harroz, College of Law dean. “After he’s left, I think this time period will be known as one of the most transformational times in the history of OU.” Boren said his decision to leave Washington, D.C., was not an easy one, but he felt he could make a difference in Oklahoma, the state that selected him to serve as a Rhodes Scholar, in the Legislature, as Governor and as U.S. Senator. “Oklahoma’s given me everything in my life, and there comes a season when you want to give back in a different way,” Boren said. OU Provost Nancy Mergler was Honors Program director when Boren decided to return to Oklahoma. “To have someone of his caliber ... come and help the university was very exciting to all of us,” Mergler said. “We thought it may be scary because we knew that he would expect the very best from us and set a high standard.” From Boren’s first day as president on Nov. 17, 1994, he set out to establish students as the center of the university. “I love our students, and that’s the reason I’m here,” Boren said. “It’s central to everything. I have to deal with budgets and raising money, the Legislature and public officials, but I’m really here because I want to invest my life in the next
The Oklahoma Daily
NEIL MCGLOHON/THE DAILY
OU President David Boren stands on Owen Field before the OU-Air Force football game Sept. 4. As of today, Boren is the second-longest serving president of the university.
“I love our students. I used to think I was a father figure and now I think of myself as a grandfather.” — President David Boren
SEE BOREN PAGE 3
President David Boren will continue to receive yearly contributions from private donors totalling five years as incentive for his continued service to OU, according to the OU Regents’ legal counsel. Boren will receive $500,000 in gifts spread across $100,000 yearly increments, Anil Gollahalli, legal counsel to the OU Regents, said. The gift is titled the “David L. Boren Presidential Chair” and was created by the regents on June 24, 2009, as part of the OU Foundation, according to a meeting agenda. OU Regent Tom Clark was party to the creation of the Presidential Chair and characterized it as a Christmas gift. Although he contributed financially to the endeavor, Clark said he was not aware of the identities of other donors or how much had been raised. He said he was not aware $500,000 was the total to be raised, but that there were certainly donors in the state capable of contributing that sum. Catherine Bishop, vice president for public affairs, was contacted regarding the president’s acceptance of private donations through the OU foundation. “The OU Board of Regents took action in a public meeting in June 2009 to thank President Boren for his years of service to the University of Oklahoma as well as to show their appreciation for his contributions in establishing OU as a pacesetter among public higher education and to incentivize the President’s continued service,” Bishop said in an e-mail. Gollahalli emphasized the legitimacy of the arrangement, saying it
SEE GIFTS PAGE 2
TECHNOLOGY
Volunteer organization to host State of the Union watch party Students can enjoy dinner and cake while at a State of the Union watch party at 6:30 tonight in Oklahoma City. Nino’s Mexican Restaurant is hosting the event provided by the volunteer organization Change Oklahoma. Participants must pay for the dinner before the speech begins. Following dinner, the group will watch the address and cake will be provided. “It’s just a get together for people interested in what the president is going to say,” Change Oklahoma chairwoman Susan McCann said. The group also will discuss plans for a re-election campaign for President Barack Obama in Oklahoma, Cleveland County and surrounding areas. Change Oklahoma also had a State of the Union watch event last year. This is its first event of the year and the organization will continue to have events throughout the year. Students interested in attending or seeking more information can contact McCann at 405-203-7544. — Sarah Martin/The Daily
A LOOK AT WHAT’S ON Visit The Oklahoma Daily’s life & arts blog to watch videos of the day
OU groups find new Web solutions Not all student groups have an active website due to design costs
By the numbers
HILLARY MCLAIN
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Student organizations with active websites
The Oklahoma Daily
Student organizations often don’t prioritize their websites because of the high costs of maintenance and design. Some groups choose to develop their own sites, while others turn to social networking sites to update members. OU.edu domain names are free to student organizations and most student groups develop their websites without having to hire a webmaster, said Melanee Hamilton, Web Communications associate
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vice president. “UOSA is a good example of [an organization] that just used a template,” Nick Key, OU Information Technology spokesman said. Organizations may leave their sites unchanged for long periods of time because other issues take priority, Hamilton said.
THE OKLAHOMA DAILY VOL. 96, NO. 85 © 2011 OU Publications Board www.OUDaily.com www.facebook.com/OUDaily www.twitter.com/OUDaily
Student organizations
Some organizations, like the Society of Exploration ONLINE AT OUDAILY.COM Geophysicists, spend their budget hosting activities for » Link: View of list of club members rather than active student organizations hiring a webmaster, said Oswaldo Davogustto, society president. begun working with com“We usually bring like six puter software they already or seven speakers a semester possess, Davogustto said. to talk to students, so it is betWeb content through ter for us using the money on ou.edu sites is not actively that than just paying a web- edited by OU, but left up to master to maintain a web- the organization, Hamilton site,” Davogustto said. said. Unless a problem is The society has a website, reported, organizations are but it hasn’t been updated free to update their websites since 2004. Davogustto said with content of their chooshe hopes to have it updated ing whenever necessary. by the end of the month. Some use ou.edu domain In order to update its site without hiring a webmaster, the society’s members have SEE WEB PAGE 2
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