Southeastern Oklahoma State University is located in Durant,
Oklahoma, which is 90 miles north of Dallas, Texas, and 150 miles
southeast of Oklahoma City. In 2009, the University is celebrating its
Centennial with a number of campus and community events.
The institution was founded in 1909 as a normal school to
educate teachers for Oklahoma’s public schools. Since that time, the
University has added disciplines to become a comprehensive regional
university.
Southeastern is one of six institutions governed by the
Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) Board of Trustees and is
also governed by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
(OSRHE).
The University offers 41 undergraduate and nine graduate degree
programs through the School of Arts and Sciences, John Massey School of
Business, School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, and School of
Graduate and University Studies.
Diverse program offerings include teacher education, aviation, and occupational safety and health, to name just a few.
In 2009, the John Massey School of Business earned initial
accreditation in business from AACSB International – The Association to
Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Southeastern is one of only
four universities in Oklahoma accredited by AACSB, and the only regional
university in the state with that distinction. Both the undergraduate
and MBA degrees at Southeastern received the AACSB accreditation.
Southeastern has an enrollment of 4,000 students at seven
locations in Oklahoma and Texas. In addition to the main campus at
Durant, programs are offered at the Southeastern-McCurtain County branch
campus; Ardmore Higher Education Center; Eastern Oklahoma State
College-McAlester campus; Tinker AFB and Oklahoma City Community
College; and Grayson College in Denison, Texas.
The University has a long and successful history of providing
higher education opportunities for Native American students.
Southeastern’s service area covers significant parts of the Choctaw and
Chickasaw Nations and partners with the tribes to provide specialized
services for all Native American students. Southeastern ranks sixth in
the nation in producing Native American graduates in all disciplines.
Southeastern will receive a federal grant of $1.16 million over
the next four years to continue its Native American Excellence In
Education program.
The project, a collaboration between Southeastern and The
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, with the support of the local public
schools, provides support and training for 12 Native American students
in completing a pre-service education program that leads to a Bachelor
of Education degree. Students receive additional training and support
regarding Native American learning and culture. Participants receive
full tuition, fees, books, childcare, laptop computers and living
stipends. After graduating, the students teach in schools with at least a
5% Native American student population.
The grant comes from the United States Department of Education
as part of the Office of Indian Education’s Professional Development
program, which trains qualified individuals to become teachers and
administrators in Indian communities.
Approximately 70 percent of Southeastern students receive some type of financial aid assistance.
In recent years, the University has benefited from a tremendous
upgrade in its physical facilities, with the construction of a new
student union, a new residence hall, new tennis courts, and a renovated
football stadium. A new arena opened in the fall of 2008, and a new
general classroom building is currently under construction.
Southeastern competes in NCAA Division II athletics as a member
of the Lone Star Conference. The University has earned a national
championship in baseball and nine national championships in rodeo
competition.
Dr. Larry Minks is interim president at Southeastern.