Chickasaw Nation to honor Lisa Johnson-Billy & Tessie Mobley

On August 13, the Chickasaw Nation will host their Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Riverwind Casino near Norman. Inductees are Lisa Johnson-Billy, Daniel Worcester, the late Tessie Mobley and the late Overton Love.

Lisa Johnson-Billy of Purcell is a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives (Republican-District 42). First elected to this post in 2004, she is the first woman and American Indian elected in the district. In 2006, she began the Oklahoma Native American Caucus and serves as co-chair. She is also vice chairwoman of the Republican Caucus in the House of Representatives and serves as deputy whip. Johnson-Billy previously served six years as a legislator for the Chickasaw Nation and was an educator in the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Oklahoma.

Born near Ardmore, Tessie “Lushanya” Mobley was a world famous operatic soprano in the 1940s and 1950s. After she sang in the Hollywood Bowl for the 1929 Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial, a promoter arranged for her to perform in Germany. She debuted with the Chicago Opera Company at the Teatro Verdi Opera House in Italy and eventually traveled and performed throughout Europe. She was known as the "songbird of the Chickasaws."

Inductees make a red carpet entrance at 6 p.m.; the Native-themed banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. There is no charge to attend but reservations are required for the event. They expect 525 so you'll want to arrive early for good seating. Make your reservations by contacting Brian Cooke at 580-559-0781 or e-mail brian.cooke@chickasaw.net.

Source. Ada Evening News (http://www.adaeveningnews.com/local/local_story_182101958.html)

OU Engineering Prof Amy Ceratore receives national honor

Amy Cerato, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, teaches civil engineering and environmental science. She is among the 100 recipients nationwide to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Obama. That is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers starting their independent careers. Congrats, Amy! Read The Oklahoman story HERE and the Lafayette College Alumni News article here . Here is the White House press release (Amy is under the National Science Foundation which is listed towards the bottom of the list).

The LINKS are coming to OKC

Over 500 members of the Links, Incorporated from 17 states in the Central Area of the US will be in Oklahoma City for 5 days beginning July 27. Founded in 1946, the Links is one of the oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. Learn more about the Links by clicking HERE.

They will be using the Renaissance Hotel, the Sheraton Hotel and the Cox Convention Center. The Links national president, Dr. Gwen Lee of Chicago, will deliver the keynote address at the civic luncheon on Friday. This is a great honor for our fine city. I got to speak to the Links several years ago and was so impressed by this remarkable group of African American women leaders. I'm hoping I'll get a chance to attendor at least stick my nose in for a little while.

Journal Record's 2009 "50 Making a Difference" Named

The Journal Record has announce the 2009 honorees for their "50 Making a Difference" program. The grand winner will be named at their 7 pm banquet on October 1. Individual tickets are $150, and corporate table sponsorships are available. Reservations for the banquet can be made by calling Kari Koster at (405) 278-2820 or by visiting their website (www.journalrecord.com).

I'll never make made it into the elite group of Oklahoma women who are honored this way but I DO love to attend the banquet and hope some of you will plan to attend, too. It is a great night and this year's keynote speaker is Imaculee Ilibagiza, Rwandan genocide survivor and author of Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.

The link to the Journal Record article is at http://www.journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recid=100538 but the Journal Record usually makes you sign in as a subscriber (boo hiss) before you can view their articles. Anyway, try the link and see what happens.

Here are this year's honorees; congratulations to them all:

• Ann Archer, Integris Comprehensive Breast Center, Oklahoma City.
• Cheryl Borelli, BancFirst, Oklahoma City.
• Katy Boren, Cox Communications, Oklahoma City.
• Sylvia Burgess, Cameron University, Lawton.
• Barbara Butner, Calm Waters Center for Children & Families, Oklahoma City.
• Shelley Cadamy, Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City.
• Priscilla Cude, First Bethany Bank, Bethany.
• Linda Dzialo, Lawton Public School, Lawton.
• Amy Eldridge, Love Without Boundaries, Edmond.
• Robyn Elliot-Scribner, The Chickasaw Nation, Ada.
• Robyn Ewing, Williams, Tulsa.
• Staci Freudiger, Valir Health, Oklahoma City.
• Caroline Boecking Gist, Putnam City Public Schools Foundation, Warr Acres.
• Rhonda Godwin, Investrust NA, Oklahoma City.
• Margo Gray-Proctor, Horizon Engineering Services Co., Tulsa.
• Debbie Harrison, Oklahoma Environmental Management Authority, El Reno.
• JoAnn Haysbert, Langston University, Langston.
• Cathryn Hibbs, Deaconess Hospital, Oklahoma City.
• Lori Westbrook Hill, Morgan Stanley, Oklahoma City.
• Pat Hoerth, Turtle Rock Farm, Red Rock.
• Gail Huneryager, Crowe & Dunlevy, Oklahoma City.
• Jia Bane Johnson, Choctaw Electric Cooperative, Idabel.
• Sandy Scaffetta Johnson, Anautics Inc., Oklahoma City.
• Marti Jourden, St. Anthony Hospital, Oklahoma City.
• Cathy Keating, Express Employment Professionals, Oklahoma City.
• Kerry Robertson Kerby, Kerry Robertson Communications, Oklahoma City.
• Karen Langdon, Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma Inc., Tulsa.
• Debbe Leftwich, Oklahoma Senate, Oklahoma City.
• Janet Levit, University of Tulsa Law School, Tulsa.
• Melanie Macdonald, World Neighbors, Oklahoma City.
• Susan McCalmont, Kirkpatrick Family Foundation, Oklahoma City.
• Ann McFerron, Turtle Rock Farm, Red Rock.
• Teresa Moisant, Moisant Promotional Products, Oklahoma City.
• Vanessa Mushrim, Eide Bailly, Oklahoma City.
• Cathy O’Connor, City of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City.
• Colleen Payne-Nabors, Mobile Cardiac Imaging LLC, Tulsa.
• Mary Blankenship Pointer, UMB Bank, Oklahoma City.
• Brenda Porton, McCurtain Memorial Hospital, Idabel.
• Lisa Putt, Willis HRH, Oklahoma City.
• Joyce Reed, Griffin Communications LLC, Oklahoma City.
• Kathy Lee Santangelo, Midwest Regional Medical Center, Midwest City.
• Sue Lynn Sasser, University of Central Oklahoma Center for Economic Education, Edmond.
• Jeanna Sellmeyer, Asset Group Inc., Oklahoma City.
• Katrina Shaklee, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond.
• Robyn Sunday-Allen, Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, Oklahoma City.
• Rebecca Dunning Switzer, Switzer Talent Agency and Trapeze LLC, Norman.
• Marsha VanHoutte, Choctaw Police Department, Choctaw.
• Kristy Ventimiglia, HR Solutions, Oklahoma City.
• Penny Mills Voss, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Norman.
• Mary Whitson, SandRidge Energy, Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma women receive Emmy nominations

The Emmy nominations are out. Broken Arrow native Kristin Chenoweth is nominated for her role in "Pushing Daisies." Tulsan Jeanne Tripplehorm is nominated for her performance in the HBO movie "Grey Gardens."

Other Oklahoma connections this year: Tripplehorn and Mary Kay Place (from Tulsa) are part of "Big Love" which was nominated for outstanding drama series, Holly Hunter was nominated and her series, "Saving Grace" takes place in Oklahoma City, "The Amazing Race" is nominated for best reality competition series and Christine Volkmer from Choctaw was part of that production and "Saturday night Live" is nominated for outstanding variety, music or comedy series and Tulsa native Bill Hader is part of that production. Winners will be named during the 8 pm September 20 broadcast on CBS.

Muskogee Women's Leadership Conference a Success!

I was delighted to be a part of yesterday's Women's Leadership Conference hosted by the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce.

Kudos to Sue Godwin, Indian Capitol Technology Center, who chaired the event and the other women who planned and carried out this event.

The photo is from the closing session which featured (left to right) former State Senator and current chair of the Oklahoma City Public School board, Angela Monson, Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins, Tri-County Technology Center superintendent (just retired) Anita Risner, and former Chief of the Cherokee Nation Wilma Mankiller (click to enlarge image).

Everything I attended was excellent but I especially enjoyed the luncheon speaker Elaine Dodd who is former Director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and now works as VP-Fraud Training with the Oklahoma Bankers Association. She was filled with good ideas on how to succeed in life PLUS she shared tips on how to avoid the many kinds of financial scams out there these days!

Tulsa's Irma Russell picked as Dean, Univ. of Montana School of Law

Irma Russell, formerly a law professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law, is now Dean of the University of Montana's School of Law. Russell is the law school's first female Dean. A graduate of the University of Kansas, she is a national leader in environmental and energy law. Read more here.

~ Terry Stuart Forst Is First Woman President of Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association

Congratulations to Terry Forst who makes history this month by becoming the first female president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association. Read The Oklahoman's article "Historic role awaits cattle group's leader" by clicking HERE.

~ Oklahoma's Pioneer Woman Museum

Last Saturday night, the YWCA of Oklahoma City presented me with their Embrace Award (thank you, thank you) PLUS the gorgeous statue in this photo!

It reminded me that I wanted to purchase "Pioneer Women' statues to present to women who do extraordinary things to advance the mission of the Oklahoma Women's Coalition. But it turned out I couldn't FIND a "Pioneer Woman" statue. Not even a little bitty one. I need to make a trip to the Pioneer Woman Museum and see if I can't talk them into selling statues on their website.

Speaking of their website, it begins with the following paragraph.

The Pioneer Woman Museum showcases the history of women in Oklahoma and their influence on the development of the state and nation and preserves the legacy of women from all races, creeds, and nationalities who have made significant contributions to the history of Oklahoma. The world-famous 30 ft. tall bronze statue commemorating the heroic character of the women who braved dangers and hardships to settle in Oklahoma is featured.

Now I am really inspired to make the trip to Ponca City!

- Okahoma women to compete in 2009 Air Race Classic

Cross your fingers for Barbara McClurkin and the other four University of Oklahoma women pilots who will be competing June 230June 26 in the 2009 Air Race Classic. Read about it here.

-- the book "Florence of Arabia" inspired by Oklahoma's Fern Holland

I had the pleasure of working with four college interns this past year. One of them, Erin Campbell, graduated from Southern Nazarene University last month and is now back home in Kansas City. She sent me a newsy email today and I wanted to share with you one paragraph from that email. Enjoy.

I've had some time to do some reading, and my mom suggested a novel called "Florence of Arabia" by Christopher Buckley. It's political satire meets spy novel meets feminism meets the Middle East. It's hilarious and entertaining. I got to the end and read the acknowledgments and discovered the story was inspired by a real woman named Fern Holland from Oklahoma! I'm betting you've heard of her, but I googled her and was amazed by what I found! Here's an article from the NY Times Magazine a few years ago about her: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/19/magazine/19WOMENL.html . It only made the book better to discover it was based on a true story about an Oklahoman Woman. I'd highly recommend it!

-- OU's Taylor Treat of Ada is Miss Oklahoma

Taylor Treat, recently crowned Miss Oklahoma, selected as her "platform" service learning. You go, girl. I wrote my doctoral dissertation on community service - including service learning. Good topic. Go forth and spread the word. Read more about Taylor by clicking here.

-- Margo MacRobert awarded RWJ Foundation grant

Congratulations to Margo MacRobert with OU's College of Nursing. She has been awarded a 3-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study ways to reduce injuries sustained by seniors when they fall. Click for more.

-- Becky Felts & Linda Hampton to lead OEA

Members of the Okahoma Education Association recently elected a new president (Tahlequah teacher Becky Felts) and Vice president (Pleasant Grove teacher Linda Hampton). Click for more.

OKC's World Neighbors To Be Honored June 13

World Neighbors will receive the Basic Human Needs award during the deadCENTER Film Festival this Saturday night.

Wavy Gravy, the founder of the SEVA Foundation, will present the award, which is named after a song he wrote proclaiming that all humans should have their basic needs met.

The Basic Human Needs award is presented to an organization or person that has gone above and beyond to raise awareness about an issue they are passionate about.

You can join World Neighbors on Saturday for Peace, Love and Wavy Gravy starting at 6:30 p.m. The evening will begin with Yoga with Laura Lester, followed by six different live musical acts from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. The award ceremony will begin at 9 p.m., then Wavy Gravy will show the movie of his life, Saint Misbehavin' - The Wavy Gravy movie."All the evening events will take place on the lawn located at the corner of N.E. 3rd & E.K. Gaylord in downtown Oklahoma City.

For more information about the five-day festival, please visit www.deadcenterfilms.org.

Another 1st for Oklahoma Women's Coalition

Tomorrow is a big day. The Oklahoma Women's Coalition hosts its first Annual Business Meeting and Issues Forum at the Oklahoma History Center. We have 26 organizational members and 175 individual members and over 100 of them are coming for the full afternoon. We'll do a full business meeting followed by an expert panel on aging, violence and incarceration as those issues impact women in Oklahoma. Then Senator Debbe Leftwich and Representative Lee Denney will review the 2009 Oklahoma Legislative session as it impacted Oklahoma women and girls. We wrap up at 5 pm with a networking reception so everyone heads home on a full stomach. I'll report on the day here afterwards. Now I have to go collate and stuff 120 Participant Packets!

:-)

Polly Nichols To Be Inducted Into Oklahoma Hall of fame

The Oklahoma Heritage Association yesterday announced the 2009 inductees into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. They are Ken Ferguson, Burns Hargis, Lee Roy Selmon, Wayman Tisdale, Ike Glass, Polly Nichols and Justice Steven Taylor. What a great group! The induction takes place at the 82nd Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet on November 12 at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center. Tickets go on sale in September and this will definitely be a sell out event. Go to this link to read about all 7 inductees and also watch a video including Nichols' remarks.

Polly Nichols is an extraordinary community volunteer and philanthropist. She has been involved with more nonprofits that you can name. Among them are the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, Oklahoma City Junior League, Science Museum Oklahoma, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, Girl Scouts-Western Oklahoma, Allied Arts, United Way, Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and many more! Yeah, Polly!

Norman HS Grad Melissa Jones Gets Gates Millenium Scholarship

Congratulations to Norman High School graduate Melissa Jones who is one of the 1,000 students to receive the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship! It means she will attend the University of Tulsa tuition free. She'll also get to meet bill Gates at the Gates Millennium Scholars National Conference this summer. That is very cool.

OK First Lady Kim Henry to Lead Sarkeys

Congratulations to Oklahoma's First Lady Kim Henry who will be the new executive director of the Sarkeys Foundation in Norman. Sarkeys was ably led by Cheri Cartwright until she lost her battle with cancer recently. Henry has served on the Sarkeys board since 2003 and will do a fabulous job. This is great news for Oklahoma.

OSU Prof Charlotte Wright Named 2009 Outstanding Accounting Educator

The Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants named Dr. Charlotte Wright at Oklahoma State University the 2009 Outstanding Accounting Educator. She has taught at OSU in Stillwater since 1982. Read more at the Oklahoma Society of CPAs website HERE.

Remembering Oklahoma's Marianne Vannatta

Pause a moment to remember Marianne Vannatta. After a tough fight, she succumbed to cancer recently and our hearts and prayers go out to her husband, Jerry, and her family. She was a professional working woman (CPA) plus a civic leader (served on many working boards). And she was nice and kind; I know that first hand. She will be greatly missed. You can read her obituary here.

For Breast Cancer Awareness, Meet Judi Grove

April 21 was "Breast Cancer Awareness Day" at the Oklahoma State Capitol. The Oklahoma Gazette had a nice article by Charles Martin April 15 on the event and breast cancer awareness. Featured prominently was Tulsa activist Judi Grove, founder of Breast Impressions which raises awareness through art and other projects. The mission of Breast Impressions is

to increase breast cancer awareness and fund raising to support breast cancer education, prevention and treatment. We donate breast casting kits to women who have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, to make a memory prior to surgery.

Grove is doing remarkable things to raise public awareness; read about her here. You can also see an interview with her here. Did you know that health care insurance plans in Oklahoma do not cover the cost of a mammography until a woman is 40 years old; so how do we catch breast cancer in young women?

Additional Oklahoma Women Confirmed to Serve Oklahoma

Other nomination confirmations in the State Senate yester for Oklahoma women:

Marjan Seirafi-Pour to the State Textbook Committee.
Shari Williams to the Murray State College Regents.
Vicki Vaughan to the State Textbook Committee.
Barbara Sessions to the Murray State College Regents.
Sandra Rose to the Environmental Quality Board.
Amy Regan to the Okla. Tourism and Recreation Commission.
Nancy Pfeifer to the Examiners of Long-Term Care Admins Board.
Vicki Petete to the Oklahoma Accountancy Board.
Sharon Myers to the Air Quality Advisory Council.
Teresa Kay Jackson to the Eastern Okla. State College Regents.
Jenny Hendrick to the Quartz Mtn. Center Board of Trustees.
Deanna Hartley-Kelso to the Board of Juvenile Affairs.
Jane Godlove to the Quartz Mtn. Center Board of Trustees.
Maxine Finley-McFalls to the ABLE Commission.
Jeannie Gault to the Examiners of Long-Term Care Admins Board.
LeAnn Chastain to the State Textbook Committee.
Julie Cohen to the Quartz Mtn. Center Board of Trustees.
Betty Boyd to the OSU-Tulsa Board of Trustees.

Any Oklahoma women I left out? (If so,my apologies.) If you know any of these women, please congratulate and thank them for serving. These aren't honorary appointments; they will work hard, give up a lot of their time and spend some out-of-pocket money serving in these capacities.

Thanks to The Journal Record's Legislative Reporter (http://twitter.com/JRLROK) for tweeting this information!

Terri White Now Officially OK Secty of Health

Congratulations to Terri White who was officially confirmed as Cabinet Secretary of Health yesterday. The motion to confirm was introduced by Sen. Rice. It was approved by the Oklahoma State Senate 47-0. White has served as Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for two years and, before that, she was deputy commissioner of the agency. Here is a story about her appointment last January.

Women in Communications Honor Oklahoma Women

I'm tardy in mentioning the extraordinary women honored last February by the Association for Women in Communications Oklahoma City Chapter. They were Mike Farris, Martha Ferretti, Molly Fritch, Cathy O'Connor, Dr. Marion Paden, and Billie Thrash; you can read about them HERE. The AWC Tulsa Chapter also recognizes women; click HERE to read about their 2008 Newsmakers.

Check out Oklahoma Magazine's May 2009 Issue on Oklahoma Women

The May 2009 issue of Oklahoma Magazine is out and it is entitled "The Women's Issues." Go HERE and register so you can view the issue online. As usual it is a beautiful product. But, more importantly, it is dedicated to issues important to WOMEN.

See especially "Women Helping Women" about programs in Oklahoma tackling some of the worst statistics on the status of women in our state. But also check out "Girls Will Be Girls," "No Boys Allowed," and good articles on women's health including "The Parent Trap" on fertility, "The Unavoidable" on menopause, "It's Different for Women" on heart disease, "Predicting a Heart Attack," "Best Practices" on lifestyle changes, "Close Call" on warning signs of a heart attack, "A Beautiful You," "Adventures in Mommyland," plus 9 pages featuring Oklahoma business women and a special article on "Wine, Women & Shoes" -- three YWCA of Tulsa events June 11, 12, and 13.

There is also a profile on Jane Jenkins (the new President of Downtown OKC Inc.) and another on Arcadia, OK Mayor Marilyn Murrell entitled "A Warrior for Women." It begins, "A quick glance at statistics regarding women in politics shows that Oklahoma lags far behind the national average in the percentage of women involved in local and state government. Marilyn Murrell would like to see this disparity reconciled." Me too! Thank you, Mayor Murrell, for the hat tip to the NEW Leadership program at OU's Carl Albert Center.

I'm a little sad there was no mention of the work of the Oklahoma Women's Coalition but you can't have everything, right? This is an issue worth buying and saving. Kudos, Oklahoma Magazine, for a job well done.

Oklahoma Women Traveling to Rwanda

Oklahoman Terry Neese runs the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women which helps women abroad learn business skills. Her focus these days is Afghanistan and Rwanda. She has several Oklahoma city women (see below) involved as well:

Our upcoming 2009 Peace through Business® graduation in Rwanda will have mentors from the U.S. in attendance! Mary Melon (Publisher, The Journal Record), Martha Parker (IEEW Board Member), Darcie Harris (Founder, EWF International), Desma Reid-Coleman (IEEW Board Member), and Lin Weigel (Chief of Staff for IEEW) will travel to Rwanda on May 1st and will be a part of the graduation ceremonies. They will conduct a mentor lecture series for our students enrolled in the program. The 15 women selected to travel to the U.S. will be announced at the reception where dignitaries will include the Minister of Gender, Minister of Education, Minister of Justice, and U.S. Ambassador Symington. It will be a very festive graduation and a busy week. We want to offer our complete and heart-felt thanks to Eron Nsenga and Holly Hixson for their dedicated efforts to making the Rwandan In-Country magnificent!

Last I heard, Mary Melon, Darcie Harris and Lyn Weigel are all Oklahoma City residents.

Celebrate Earth Day by honoring Kenyan Dr. Wangari Maathai

In honor of Earth Day, watch a videoblog on Dr. Wangari Maathai, who in 2004 became both the first African woman and the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Maathai is from Kenya and knows my dear friend Florence Mubichi.

Kristy Stewart with Norman's Women's Resource Center Receives National Honor

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) has announced the 2009 recipients of the Visionary Voice Award. This award recognizes the creativity, hard work, and dedication of individuals around the country working to address and prevent sexual violence. Winners are selected by their respective state, tribal, or territory anti-sexual violence coalitions and represent a wide range of individuals doing this critical work at the local level. Twelve individuals were honored this year including Kristy Stewart of Oklahoma. According to the NSVRC website,

"Kristy Stewart has been Coordinator of Crisis Services at Women’s Resource Center in Norman, OK, since 2002, having served as a women’s advocate since 1984. She quickly advanced from Intake Worker to Women’s Advocate to Supervisor to her current position. Kristy is actively involved in the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, especially in the area of legislative initiative and technology development. Kristy led her agency’s efforts in developing a model rape crisis center on the campus of Women’s Resource Center that has set the standard for sexual assault services in Oklahoma."

Congratulations, Kristy! The NSVRC provides resources and information on sexual violence to rape crisis centers, state, territory and tribal coalitions, allied organizations, agencies, educators, media and the general public.

Oklahoma Supporting Single Mothers Pursuing College Degrees via "SMART"

Today there are more than 25,000 single parent students attending Oklahoma colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, these are women balancing parenting, college and jobs.

SMART is an acronym for Single Mothers Academic Resource Team; SMART is committed to identifying pathways for all single parents who wish to complete a higher education in Oklahoma.

Why should this matter? There are a multitude of reasons:

~ Assisting single parents improves graduation rates for Oklahoma's colleges. This generates a multiplier effect: new college graduates with families are more likely to stay in Oklahoma and become a part of our professional workforce. Those campuses that make a multi-sector effort to be “adult-friendly” see increased enrollment because they appeal to the 31% of Oklahoma college student who are 25 or older.

~ Households led by single mothers collectively face daunting economic challenges: affordable housing, appropriate child care, health care benefits to name just a few. Many women are forced to rely on federal and state assistance programs and yet still live below the poverty threshold. In Oklahoma, nearly one in four children lives in poverty[1] and one third of all Oklahoma children are raised in homes where no adult has an education beyond high school.[2] Yet, we know that parental income level is the best predictor of a child’s educational attainment. A college education provides a family with the earning power to move out of impoverishment and off of assistance programs that costs Oklahoma taxpayers millions annually. Federal and state governments pay up to $2,000 less per year on social services for persons who have a college education.[3] Considering the nearly 30,000 single parent students in Oklahoma, we are on our way to saving $60 million dollars annually in social services.

~ Supporting single mothers as they complete their higher education goals diminishes the dismal statistics about Oklahoma women including the fact that not even 1 in 7 completes four or more years of higher education.[4] At the national level, less than 5% of single mothers graduate from college. [5]

~ A college education for single parents is not only about better jobs and increased incomes. Historically, college graduates are more active in our political processes and contribute more of their time and resources to their communities because they exhibit a greater awareness of current political and social issues, community needs and government policies that impact their lives. Overall, college graduates pay more taxes, are less likely to be imprisoned and enjoy better health and health care coverage.[6]

~ Most importantly, a parent with a college education models a legacy for their children where goal setting and academic achievement are valued. It sets a new tradition: In this family, we go to college.

SMART is the result of collaborative funding on the part of the Women’s Foundation of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) and GEAR UP. It is seeking to identify and advocate for pathways that enable single mother students (SMS) to complete their higher education goals.

There are programs already in place at many of Oklahoma's public college campuses that assist single mother students. One of these is Project Second Chance (PSC) at Oklahoma State University – OKC Campus (See Appendix B).

PSC, housed at The Learning Center and under the direction of Karen Kruse, is the state’s longest established program to assist single parent students. This program offers a myriad of services to approximately 1,000 single parent students annually including completing financial aid forms, supporting an emergency food pantry, family-friendly campus events and a Single Parent’s Student Association. Karen secured seed money through grants and then, by demonstrating how effective her programming had been, was able to receive additional support from the campus itself.

There are many excellent ways to make a difference on our college and university campuses and many of these interventions are cost effective. Consider, for example:

· Advertising the pediatric services available at your campus health center

· Providing a basket of children’s books at academic advising offices

· Designating a portion of married/graduate student housing for single parent students

· Starting an organization for single mother students

· Providing faculty mentors for single mother students

· Adding high chairs to common eating areas

· Reviewing the hours of operation, costs and waiting lists at community child care centers

· Advertising the children’s literature available for check-out at your campus library

· Offering textbook scholarships to eligible single parents

· Providing budgeting workshops and financial education (including financial aid advisement)

· Offering a new student orientation session that is family-friendly

· Encouraging student organizations to take on service projects that meet the expressed needs of single mother students

· Hosting holiday events on campus specifically geared toward families

· Developing a graduation plan for single parents where they can visualize the milestones
they must achieve to complete their degree

Most importantly, research indicates that all Oklahoma campuses offer services for single parent students but they are not doing a good enough job marketing these resources to their student population. Each campus should consider:

~ What can we include in admissions packages?

~ Where do we need to advertise to reach single mother students?

~ What minor modifications can we make right now?

The SMART Team invites colleges across Oklahoma to join them in this statewide effort. 25,000 families are depending on you to help them achieve their college dreams.

[1] Women’s Foundation of Oklahoma, wfok.org.
[2] Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “Unrealized Health Potential: A Snapshot of Oklahoma, “ commissionhealth.org
[3] Cunningham, Alisa, “The Broader Societal Benefits of Higher Education,” Solutions for our Future. Solutionsforourfuture.org.
[4] Women’s Foundation of Oklahoma, wfok.org.
[5] National Center for Health Statistics, 2002.
[6] Cunningham.

Source. "Dr. Erin Taylor, Academic Affairs, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education?" (Paper entitled "The SMART Pathway")