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OU Online Spring Newsletter, 2023 |
Updates from Gregg Garn, VP of Online Learning |
| It is spring and OU Online has some exciting updates. In the next academic year, we will be launching Adult Degree Completion to help working adults complete their undergraduate degree. We are also excited to partner with colleges at the OU Health Sciences Center to increase graduates in high demand medical professions. We will also introduce mental health counseling services for our online graduates and undergraduates. I am proud of the progress we are making and grateful to our partners who make all of this possible. |
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Updates from Gregg Garn, VP of Online Learning |
Updates from Dr. Gregg Garn | | Coming Soon: Adult Degree Completion | | | | | | Coming Soon: Mental Health Counseling Services |
| | | | | | | Meet the OU Online Student Leadership Team | | | | |
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Coming Soon: Adult Degree Completion | OU Online is excited to launch new undergraduate degrees out of the College of Professional and Continuing Studies (PACS) in fall 2023. The fully online Adult Degree Completion programs will target adult students who have some college credit but never received a degree.
The Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies will include four majors – organizational leadership, criminal justice leadership, healthcare management and business administration. The Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies will allow students, with the help of an advisor, to tailor a degree that matches their career goals.
Applications are live for fall 2023. Admissions requirements include 60 hours of credit with a minimum 2.0 GPA and age 25 or older. For questions regarding adult degree completion or to apply, please visit finishyourdegree.ou.edu.
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Faculty Spotlight |  | | Kirby Cannon, LCSW is currently a coordinator and instructor for the Online MSW Program. She loves helping students understand how their life experiences can make them great social workers. Kirby loves spending time with her family and dog, exploring new breweries, and has recently added chickens to her urban farming adventures. |
| Alumni Spotlight |  | | Brandon Bloomberg was an OU Online student who now has a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership. His highlight was the Experiential Leadership Completion Program. He worked in leadership development for the USDA and was able to apply the most recent theories and strategies to his unit. What he is most passionate about is the OU Club of Baltimore. He is the founding member and president of the club. |
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Coming Soon: Mental Health Counseling Services | OU Online has started the request for proposal process to find a mental health counseling service provider for OU Online students. Pending results of the submitted proposals, we anticipate launching this service for students in fall 2023. More information to come soon. | GradSERU Survey | Your participation in the gradSERU (Graduate Student Experience in the Research University) survey is critical to improve policies, systems, and resources for graduate education at OU. (Dr. Gregg Garn talks about the importance of finishing the gradSERU survey) Completing the survey provides vital information about your experiences that drive change. We understand several surveys being circulated, but please take 30 minutes to complete the gradSERU survey as your responses directly affect graduate education resources. All responses to the survey remain confidential. If you have questions, please reach out to Sherri Irvin, Senior Associate Dean of the OU Graduate College, at sirvin@ou.edu. | May Graduation Reception | Graduating this May? Join us for our OU Online reception on May 12th from 2 pm until 4 pm. Please RSVP here. |  |
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My role at OU Online is to focus on the processes, policies, and procedures that online students must work through when applying, enrolling, learning, and graduating as a OU student. Many of these areas were created with in-person students as the priority and we must adjust and provide the same level of service to online students. I started working with OU Online in October 2019 but have been a full-time employee with OU since January 2012 and on campus since Fall 2006. What I enjoy the most about our work is providing access to education for so many students who wouldn’t have had the ability to be students because of family and work obligations, location, or other barriers that online education eliminates. Everyone should have the access to higher education if they want it and we provide that opportunity to more students every day. A fun fact about me is that I’m a girl dad to two daughters, Laurel (3 years of age) and Leighton (1 year of age), and I have seen every episode of Gabby’s Dollhouse, Cocomelon, Bluey, and Micky Mouse’s Clubhouse. |
| OU Online Staff Spotlight |  | Steven Lee Director of OU Online |
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Meet OU Online’s Student Leadership Team |
| Halito! My name is Lacee Mouser and I am a student in the M.S. Criminal Justice program. I am the leader of the First Generation Affinity Group, and I am excited to lead this group because I know that community is essential to student success, especially for first-generation students. As someone who has attended OU since 2017 for both undergraduate and graduate programs, I hope to share my knowledge of academic, mental health, and other helpful resources available to students. |
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My name is Alex Zoellner and I am the President of the Online and Remote Graduate Student Association (ORGSA). I am excited for connections to be built in ORGSA between students. ORGSA plans to meet periodically over Zoom to create student bonding, lifelong connections, and friendships. Graduate school is a busy time, especially online, and who better understands your journey than other online graduate students? Additionally, the hope is to engage in virtual volunteer events where we can give back to our own communities, even though we are all miles apart. Outside of ORGSA, I am pursuing my M.A. in museum studies with OU Online. My aspirations include anthropological research in museums, uplifting diverse voices, and collaborating with Indigenous communities to better serve their heritage efforts. |
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| My name is Ellie Walker and I am enrolled in OU's Online Graduate Program, and my degree of study is a Master's in Human Relations, Diversity, Equity, and Strategic Impact. I am currently leading the Military-Connected Affinity Group, and I was incredibly excited about this opportunity because it allows me to connect with other OU Online students that are part of/or have been part of Military culture. Military life poses many uncertainties and being able to collaborate with others in that space has been a therapeutic and rewarding experience. My goal for this group is really to cultivate a safe and welcoming space where everyone is free to be their authentic self. Going back to school is challenging enough, and having a group that understands you helps relieve some of the daily stress that comes with balancing all of life's responsibilities. Through casual Zoom meet-ups, this group is able to vent about assignments, share stories, past and present, and get in a few laughs all while building valuable connections. |
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Hello! My name is Samantha Lemley and I am currently enrolled in the Criminal Justice master's degree program! I am excited to be leading the LGBTQ+ and Women Affinity Groups! Issues regarding equity and equality for women and LGBTQ+ is a big passion of mine. During undergrad I was part of Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), and it made a big impact on our community. I am hoping that everyone in the groups feel welcomed and want to make a change!
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 | | My name is Roseanna Bearpaw and I am excited to lead the BIPOC Affinity Group because I would like to help other students to succeed in their educational endeavors. I plan to do this by using this platform as a space to build community, provide support and resources, and lead difficult conversations about our unique situations as students. My hope is that we will leave the university with a small family whose relationships will last beyond our graduation day. |
|  | | My name is Laura Perez and I am in the Master’s in Social Work program and excited to lead the Affinity Group for Persons with Disabilities because I am passionate about advocacy, education, and community. Online learning can be hard, and so can living with a disability. I hope to create a space for group members to feel connected to each other no matter the distance within our OU online community. |
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If you have any questions regarding the affinity groups and/or ORGSA, email sagemauldin@ou.edu. To join an Affinity Group or ORGSA, sign up here or here, respectively. |
Student Support Resources | |
| Meet the Team |  | Hannah Rieger is Director of Student Support Services at OU Online. hrieger@ou.edu |  | Sage Mauldin is Coordinator of Student Support Services at OU Online. sagemauldin@ou.edu |
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| OU Online Virtual Speaker Series Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT
Location: Zoom *More information and an email invite to follow. |
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