Langston University employees and alumnae were honored at the Fourteenth Annual Ceremony and Banquet of the Oklahoma African American Educators Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 26.
The honorees included recent Langston University retiree Dr. John K. Coleman, alumna Mrs. Carolyn Gay Harris, alumna Dr. Jolly Henderson Meadows, and former Langston University professor Dr, Melvin B. Tolson, who was honored posthumously.
Dr. John K. Coleman
Dr. Coleman attended LU from 1961-65, graduating with honors and earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Mathematics. He continued his education at the University of Oklahoma, where he earned his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physical Chemistry in 1976 and completed post-doctoral studies in 1978. After some time away, Dr. Coleman returned to Langston University in 1993 at the request of the late President Ernest Holloway to serve as the Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences.
Over the past three decades, Dr. Coleman not only served as chair of the Department of Chemistry, but his impact also extended beyond academic metrics. For generations of Langston University students, he has been a mentor, advocate and example – a leader who never stopped believing in the transformative power of education. Many of his former students are now faculty members at Langston University in the Chemistry or Biology Departments, shaping new generations in the same spirit he so faithfully modeled.
Dr. Coleman was appointed the interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences in 2023, and he retired at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year.
Mrs. Carolyn Gay Harris
Mrs. Harris joined Langston University as a majorette in the Marching Pride, which was known at the time as the Langston Lions Band. Her time at Langston University was marked by academic achievement as she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, laying a foundation for her future career in education. Pursuing further academic excellence, she completed a Master of Education degree at the University of Central Oklahoma in 1974.
Mrs. Harris began her professional journey at Spencer High School in Spencer, Oklahoma, where she taught for five years. Her commitment to shaping young minds extended to middle school classrooms for six years, and thereafter to administrative roles as both elementary and middle school principal for another six years. Her dedication and expertise culminated in her leadership as an elementary school principal for a remarkable 16 years. These decades of service reflect a career that spanned a total of 33 years, during which she touched the lives of countless students, faculty members and families.
Dr. Jolly Henderson Meadows
Dr. Meadows earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1974 from Langston University, followed by a Master of Education degree in Reading from Northeastern State University in 1979. She obtained a Master of Education degree in Leadership from Northeastern in 1986 and her Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Oklahoma State University in 1997.
Dr. Meadows began her 51-year career in education at Liberty Elementary in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. She joined Tulsa Public Schools in 1975 when she accepted a teaching position at Riley Elementary School, and she was appointed assistant principal at Patrick Henry Elementary School in 1986. After two years she was appointed principal – a position she held for 23 years. In 2006, Tulsa Public Schools took notice of the impressive academic growth Patrick Henry Elementary School showed under Dr. Meadows’ tenure and assigned her to Monroe Middle School. She was transferred to Gilcrest Middle School in 2007.
As an administrator, Dr. Meadows was known for utilizing innovative and reliable programs with proven outcomes to achieve academic gains. She employed a collaborative approach to empower teachers to become leaders, to disaggregate test data and to research supplemental instructional materials. She retired from Tulsa Public Schools in 2009 and worked as an adjunct professor of urban education in the undergraduate and graduate programs at Langston University–Tulsa. She accepted a full-time position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Tulsa.
Dr. Meadows is also the vice president of the Langston University National Alumni Association-Tulsa Chapter (2021-present).
Dr. Melvin D. Tolson
Dr. Tolson taught English and speech at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, for nearly two decades. In addition to teaching English, he established an award-winning debate team, the Wiley Forensic Society, which became a pioneer in interracial collegiate debates. Beginning in 1930, the team debated against law students from the University of Michigan in Chicago. In 1931, the team participated in the first known interracial collegiate debate in the South against Oklahoma City University. This is the story that inspired the film “The Great Debaters,” starring Denzel Washington.
Dr. Tolson took a sabbatical from teaching in 1930 to study for a master’s degree at Columbia University in New York City. His thesis project, “The Harlem Group of Negro Writers,” was based on his extensive interviews with members of the Harlem Renaissance, which inspired him to write “A Gallery of Harlem Portraits,” his first major work.
In 1947, Dr. Tolson relocated to Langston University, where he taught English, drama, and was a dramatist and director of the Dust Bowl Theater. Students described Tolson as eccentric, driven, fearless and radical. It was not unusual for him to stand on top of a desk and jump off to engage and challenge students during lectures. While at Langston University, Dr. Tolson was elected to multiple terms as mayor of Langston City.
Dr. Tolson’s career in education at the collegiate level spanned 43 years. He died in Dallas, Texas, on Aug. 29, 1966, and is buried in Guthrie, Oklahoma. His award was accepted by Dr. Cindy Ross, Chair of the LU Department of English and Foreign Languages in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Every year on Mother’s Day, Dr. Emily Patterson Harris gets a call from one of her former students.
When that student was younger, he attended and dropped out of two colleges, but Dr. Harris wasn’t having it.
“It took me two years to talk him into coming to Langston University and giving it another try,” Dr. Harris said. “And he did. We had some rough times in there, but he finished, and he calls me on Mother’s Day.”
Not all of her student interactions have been as friendly.
Once, while walking down the stairs at the LU-Tulsa campus, a student stopped Dr. Harris to talk. She knew the student sometimes struggled to balance his schoolwork with his responsibilities as a father, but she also knew he was capable of it.
“He stopped me, and he said, ‘Well, I want you to know that I’m going to graduate, if for no other reason than to get you off of my back,’” Dr. Harris said. She responded with an upbeat, “OK!”
That student did graduate, and he went on to earn his master’s degree, too. She still sees him and talks with him occasionally.
Dr. Harris has countless stories like these because she’s been working with students for over 40 years. She has worked tirelessly to develop well-defined and relevant programs that will help students get jobs after graduation, and she has also worked to make sure students make it to graduation. From working with them in the classroom to advising those who left to figure out how to come back, Dr. Harris doesn’t give up on her students. She cares about them, and she knows that for many, earning their degree will change their life.
Education is Transformative
Dr. Harris has always believed in the power of education, and she understands better than most that the transformative effects of earning a degree can be felt for generations. Her own family is a prime example. Her maternal grandmother, Emily Alford, only had an 8th grade education, but she was determined to send her children to college. They came to Langston University.
Violet Alford, Dr. Harris’ mother, graduated from Langston University with a B.S. in Business in 1950.
Dr. Harris’ mother, Violet, graduated from Langston University in 1950 with a B.S. in Business. Her father, Lee V. Patterson, Sr., graduated from LU that same year with a B.S. in Industrial Arts. They both had successful teaching careers in Oklahoma, and they made sure their children understood education was important. The message was echoed by Dr. Harris’ aunts and uncles as she and her cousins prepared to go to college, and they eventually passed the message along to their children, too.
Today, the younger generations of the family understand that education is transformative, and Dr. Harris’ son Erick said they all expect to go on to earn the highest-level degrees available for their chosen professions. Four generations after Emily Alford, the average degree in the family is a masters.
“I go back to that initial decision that my grandmother made that a college education was important,” Dr. Harris said. “That one decision has impacted generations of my family.”
It has also, in turn, allowed Dr. Harris to impact thousands of others.
Dr. Harris graduated from her father’s alma mater, Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but she did not follow in her parents’ footsteps to attend Langston University. Instead, she chose to attend Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and her experiences there reinforced her beliefs about the power of HBCUs. She went on to earn her Master of Library and Information Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo before moving to Texas to serve as a librarian at Houston Community College.
After a three-year stint in Houston, Dr. Harris came home to Oklahoma. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Roosevelt Mack, she officially joined the Lion Pride as a librarian at the LU-Tulsa campus in 1981.
Building Something
Langston University’s Tulsa campus opened in 1979. It was the first public institution to offer graduate and upper level higher education courses in Tulsa.
The Langston University-Tulsa campus had been established just two years prior when Dr. Harris joined the staff.
It was the first public institution to offer upper-level higher education classes in Tulsa, and in 1982, it worked together with Oklahoma State University (OSU), the University of Oklahoma (OU) and Northeastern State University (NSU) to form the University Center at Tulsa. Still a firm believer in the importance of education, Dr. Harris was excited to be a part of bringing access to higher education to her hometown.
Serving as a librarian for all academic programs gave Dr. Harris an opportunity to work closely with the students in Tulsa, and she found she enjoyed getting to know them while helping them access the materials they needed for their classes. She was good at her job, and she was soon asked to move to the Langston campus to serve as the Acting Director of the G. Lamar Harrison Library while the school looked for a permanent director.
When she returned to LU-Tulsa a year later, she knew she was ready to take on more responsibility.
She transitioned from the library to a position as an academic counselor. It was around this time that Dr. Wessylyne A. Simpson, Dr. Harris’ aunt who was then the Dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences (SOEBS), was working to expand the program offerings at the Tulsa campus. Dr. Harris worked with Dr. Simpson, SOEBS faculty and Diana Sharp to bring the Teacher Education program to Tulsa.
“We worked on paperwork and made sure we had all the bylaws and everything set up before we could start recruiting students,” said Sharp, who still works at LU-Tulsa as an administrative assistant. “We all put our heads together and started the program here, and it’s taken off ever since.”
Diana Sharp (right) has worked with Dr. Harris since she joined the LU-Tulsa staff in 1983.
Sharp liked working with Dr. Harris right from the start. Her first impression of Dr. Harris in 1983 was of a peppy, happy-go-lucky person who was very easy to talk with. Forty years later, Sharp said that’s still how she’d describe her.
This was the first of many projects Sharp and Dr. Harris would work on together over the years, and Sharp said she appreciated Dr. Harris’ positive attitude and her willingness to try several approaches until they found one that would work. She also appreciated that Dr. Harris knew how to leave work at work, allowing them to form a personal friendship in addition to a professional one.
Thanks to their hard work, they were able to bring the Teacher Education program to LU-Tulsa in 1985. The program was housed on the seventh floor of the building they shared with OSU at 440 S. Houston St., and Dr. Harris took on the role of Associate Director for Teacher Education at LU-Tulsa.
For 12 years, she supervised the teacher education program at the Tulsa campus. She loved working with students and continued to serve as an advisor. In 1986, she also began teaching as an assistant professor in SOEBS, focusing mostly on psychology and education courses.
She went back to school and earned her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from OSU in 1989, and she said she is eternally grateful to the late Dr. Mack for his continual support throughout this time as she juggled work and doctoral coursework. She also wanted to thank Dr. Ernest L. Holloway, LU’s longest-serving president, and Dr. C. Gary Crooms.
“There’ve been powerful leaders, master teachers and mentors that encouraged me and were great at their chosen fields,” Dr. Harris said. “The late Dr. Holloway continually focused on challenges as opportunities. Dr. Crooms taught me to look at those challenges from multiple perspectives.”
Dr. Harris finished her doctorate, completed additional coursework in Behavioral Sciences and became certified to teach Social Studies, Language Arts and Library Media. She took her mentors’ lessons as well as everything she’d learned from her own classroom experiences as both a teacher and student to try to continually improve her own classes.
“What I loved about teaching is just the fact that there’s always more information,” Dr. Harris said. “And I’m a librarian, so I love looking for information. You can never get tired of finding new things or new ways of doing things, and sometimes your students will send you off in a different direction.”
Students First
Dr. Harris (far right) served as the Associate Vice President for the LU-Tulsa Campus for almost 12 years.
Dr. Harris was dedicated to her work, and that’s something to which her family can attest. Her two sons spent a lot of their free time at the LU-Tulsa campus and witnessed how hard their mother worked for the students there.
One day, an 8-year-old Erick approached Dr. Virginia Schoats, the campus site director, and told her as much.
“My mom was always working hard,” Erick said. “I had just found out what the word ‘promotion’ meant, and once I realized that I said, ‘Oh, well she deserves one of those.’ And because (Dr. Schoats) was her boss I thought, ‘She’s the one that can give it to her.’”
Not long after, Dr. Schoats did recommend Dr. Harris for a promotion.
In 1997, she became the Associate Vice President for LU-Tulsa, the person who ran the campus. She also served as the Institutional Representative for Langston University to the University Center at Tulsa, advocating for the needs of LU students and faculty while working to improve access to higher education for all Tulsans.
Though her duties and responsibilities changed, her goal stayed the same: to guide students to degree completion.
At this time, the average age of the students at LU-Tulsa was about 34. Dr. Harris recognized early on that their needs would be different than the needs of students at the Langston campus, so she tried to keep their work and familial responsibilities in mind. She, the faculty and staff in Tulsa tried to make it as feasible as possible for students to take classes, offering everything from a bookstore to a registrar’s office on campus so students wouldn’t have to make the drive to the Langston campus.
“We had it set up making sure that once they got out from work, we had every avenue for (students) to be able to take courses so that they would still be able to graduate,” Sharp said. “We made sure the students were happy and taken care of, no matter how many different hats we had to wear.”
Dr. Harris’ motto was to meet students where they were and never take anything personally, and she gave that advice to her student teachers as well as her faculty.
She understood that students, the same as everyone, had challenges in their lives outside of class and were sometimes prone to take that out on their teachers. But she also knew she had to look past that in order to assist them, and she was determined to help them.
“We’re all works in progress,” Dr. Harris said. “I emphasize that we each have our own individual paths.”
Dr. Harris has always done everything in her power to help students make it to graduation.
Students drop out of college for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes they don’t feel they have time to go to class. Sometimes they can’t afford it. Sometimes they just don’t want to do it anymore. If a student dropped out of LU-Tulsa, Dr. Harris wanted to know why.
She would contact them to follow up on why they chose to leave school. Then she would encourage them and brainstorm solutions.
“She would make those calls, and once she got them here, she would do all the rest of it,” Sharp said. “She was making sure that students were taken care of and just trying to get them to realize that, you know, ‘You’re so close. Don’t lose this.’”
Many students returned to school thanks to Dr. Harris’ efforts, and many other students stayed in school for the same reasons.
Dr. Harris recalled that once, an alumnus whom she hadn’t seen in years walked up to her and abruptly told her that he used to hate her. Unflappable as always, she simply responded, “Oh, you did?” He said he really did.
He told her he used to complain about all the work she made them do in her classes. He didn’t appreciate all the readings, essays and other homework she assigned, and it made him resent her during his time as a student.
“And then he said, ‘I just wanted to tell you that I earned my masters,’” Dr. Harris said. “And he told me the program he’d gone through, and he said, ‘If it hadn’t been for you, I would not have made it through that program. And I just wanted to come back and share that with you.’
“That’s the beauty, I think, about Langston University, no matter the campus. There is just a history of balancing those two things of nurturing a student but also having great expectations for those students. ‘LU graduates around the globe serve as leaders, innovators and engaged citizens,’ to quote our vision statement.”
A Lasting Legacy
Dr. Ruth Ray Jackson said Dr. Harris embodies the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., motto: Service to All Mankind.
In 2008, Dr. Harris became the “Gear Up” Program Director and Coordinator for the Department of Psychology at LU-Tulsa. She worked closely with Tulsa Public Schools to design and deliver programs meant to encourage college attendance and completion at Tulsa-area middle and high schools while continuing her work as a professor and the leader of the psychology program in Tulsa.
In 2018, she was appointed Chair of the Department of Psychology for all LU campuses, and in 2019 she became Dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. She has also served, when the need arose, as Acting Dean of University Libraries. Throughout it all, she has continued her efforts to help students learn and make it to graduation.
“Dr. Harris has done a phenomenal job,” President Ruth Ray Jackson said. “Even in her role as Dean, she continues to advise students and to meet with transfer students. Of course, she’s now in a position where she’s solving problems and listening to complaints and concerns from both students and faculty, but she’s consistently energized and ready to meet somebody and help them get to where they want to go.”
Dr. Harris has become known for the positive energy she brings to projects and her willingness to try several routes until she finds the one that will work. Dr. Jackson called her a creative problem solver, and she’s had a lot of experience doing it.
During her 44 years at Langston University, Dr. Harris has tackled lots of challenges, from redesigning curricula to helping develop completely new ones. Though she has almost 40 years of teaching experience, she continued trying out different teaching strategies up until she taught her last class in 2024 because she knew there was always room for improvement. She knows Langston University inside and out, and she has made a lasting impact.
“My mother is one of the most encouraging people that I’ve ever known,” Erick said. “She supports you, but there’s a nice edge to her that will push you and encourage you to keep moving forward. And that’s what she’s done at Langston University.”
Throughout her career, Dr. Harris has been the model of a servant-leader, both in her personal and professional life.
Her youngest son, Christopher, said he’s grateful to have grown up with Dr. Harris as a role model because she inspires him to try to be a leader in his own industry, noting that he often models his own behavior after her in professional settings. He also recognized that his mother’s career at LU has always gone beyond her job descriptions.
“You recognize the sacrifice almost after the fact,” Christopher said. “She could have had positions and titles that would’ve paid more at other institutions and in other states, but not everything is about financial gain.
“It’s having us grow up around our grandparents, and from a career perspective, it’s saying that you can have a positive impact on people’s lives and be that role model of what leadership looks like.”
She is a longtime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Dr. Jackson, a fellow AKA, said Dr. Harris embodies their sorority’s motto: Service to All Mankind.
Dr. Harris said it’s not hard to find ways to serve because they will usually find you. Now, after four decades of service to Dear Langston, she is finally ready to retire. Her last day will be June 30, though she jokes it will really be “the 12th of never.”
“I’m sure I will (miss teaching),” Dr. Harris said. “But I’m sure that I can find all kinds of creative things to do.
“I say, ‘Don’t look back. You’re not going in that direction.’”
Dr. Harris will retire from Langston University after 44 years of service on June 30.
By Jet Turner, Assistant Director of Communications
Dr. John Coleman received a call from the fourteenth president of Langston University, Dr. Ernest Holloway, in 1993. Holloway’s gregariousness led their conversation all over the place, but his message was clear: the students at Dear Langston needed additional support.
Coleman left his position as an assistant professor at Hudson Community College in New Jersey after that summer and journeyed back to his home state of Oklahoma. He only planned to stay for a couple of years, but his dedication to helping students be their best kept him on Langston University’s campus. After 32 years of service and mentorship, Coleman will retire at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 academic year.
His career as the Chair of the Department of Chemistry at LU has been dedicated to teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects and equally to seeing that students learn to excel in academics and life. His influence can be seen all over the University and, more importantly, in its students.
Beginnings
Coleman grew up around educational excellence in Boley, Oklahoma.
Today, the historically Black town might seem unassuming, but when Coleman was growing up in the 1940s and ’50s, the town was described by Booker T. Washington as the “finest Black town in the world.” Many of the individuals Coleman grew up around had their doctoral degrees or some other form of higher education, including his parents.
Boley’s significance in education parallels no other Black town in the nation, historian Currie Ballard said in a 2017 article by The Oklahoma Eagle.
This meant Coleman was always surrounded by excellent teachers. One of whom was Holloway, his future president, who taught chemistry at Boley Junior High in the 1950s.
“Holloway knew what was happening in Boley and how we got prepared,” Coleman said. “You always have someone who is going to help you. You didn’t have to rely on just your resources at home.”
Community is where Boley found its strength, and Coleman carried that lesson with him throughout his academic career.
Coleman always expected to go to college, and Langston University was a natural choice.
Coleman began his freshman year at Langston University during the 1961-1962 academic year.
He began his freshman term during the 1961-1962 academic year. Buildings like Sanford Hall and Moore Hall still stood proudly where they are today, although their functionality was different from their modern day uses.
During his time at LU, he served as the freshman class president and was a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Even though LU had been around for almost 75 years by the time Coleman graduated in 1965 with his bachelor of science in chemistry and mathematics, students still had to march at the Oklahoma State Capitol every year to fight for the university to remain open. Coleman was an active participant in these efforts.
Just as obtaining his undergraduate degree was expected for Coleman, working toward an advanced degree was a natural next step. He began his PhD in Theoretical Physical Chemistry at the University of Oklahoma in 1972.
OU was still integrating, and undergraduate Black students especially were facing discrimination at the hands of some students and employees. Coleman became a graduate advisor to the Alpha Phi Alpha chapter on campus during this time.
“There were cannons pointed south and all kinds of things going on,” Coleman said. “But we did a lot of things with students to try to help students feel more comfortable. We did a lot of tutoring. We did a lot of whatever, trying to make the students come in and be successful.”
Growing up in a Black town and attending a Historically Black University helped Coleman understand the importance of community. At every opportunity, Coleman shared that community with others.
Coleman graduated from Langston University in 1965.
He earned his PhD in 1976 and concluded his postdoctoral studies at OU in 1978.
Coleman was briefly a researcher at Halliburton Company before traveling east to become an assistant professor at several local institutions. First at Bergen County Community College in Paramus, New Jersey; then at City University of New York, and finally at Hudson Community College, where he received that call from Holloway.
Returning Home
Upon returning to Langston University, Coleman immediately got to work.
Coleman’s years of experience teaching STEM courses provided insights into the problems that frequently impede student learning. He encountered students’ wide-spread practice of what he calls “plug ‘n play.” Plug ’n play is when students use a solved “example” problem as a model and plug in variables from the new problem to find a solution. This bypasses the need to learn and apply core concepts.
Coleman developed and adopted instructional strategies embedded in a process he calls Competency Performance Recording for Learning (CPR-L). His CPR-L teaching and learning process has had a positive impact on student academic performance for his over 30-year career at Langston University and is the basis for how he approaches educating his students.
Dr. Alonzo Peterson, Vice President for Academic Affairs, witnesses Coleman’s commitment to Langston University’s students almost daily. Coleman can often be found on campus until 9 p.m. or later, depending on how many students still need help.
“He’s by far one of the smartest people I know,” Peterson said. “His ideas are very, very innovative. He spends a lot of time with students, hours and hours.
“One of the things I recognize from his tutoring processes is that he doesn’t give students answers. Students may ask, ‘how do you do this?’ and he responds, ‘well, how do you think we do it?’ And then he will go back and talk through the problem for them to solve it, not him. Some people are dispensers of knowledge, he is a facilitator of knowledge.”
In 2003, Coleman received a grant from the National Science Foundation which started Langston’s Integrated Network College (LINC) for STEM program. This program provided scholarships for students in STEM fields and required them to participate in research on campus and across the country. They would then present that research at conferences.
The goal of the LINC program was to produce more minority students in STEM fields who would then earn their doctoral degrees. This program was exceedingly successful.
LINC boasted a 92% graduation rate, with 60% of those students going on to earn graduate degrees. Many of these were earned at major universities that include Vanderbilt, University of Kansas, University of Texas, Baylor University, Johns Hopkins and more.
The students’ participation in summer research internships at institutions that include Johns Hopkins, University of Texas, Stanford, Cal Tech, University of California at Berkley, University of Oklahoma and more. Their research work generated over 300 Abstracts. Their participation in competitive research presentation events throughout the U.S. earned over 50 top awards.
These STEM professionals now hold prominent positions in both industry and education, including achieving success as entrepreneurs.
According to RTI International, of the STEM PhDs awarded in the U.S. in 2021, 5% went to Black scientists, even though the U.S. population is 12% Black, showing the disparity in the field.
Coleman was also encouraging students to stick with the STEM field, even if they did not think it would be for them.
Dr. Ryan Johnson, a former chemistry major and now professor at Langston University, was one of these students.
When Johnson began attending LU in the early 2010s, he was not interested in attending college, much less becoming a chemist. Even though he showed up to Dear Langston as an undeclared major, a mistake in the system had him listed as a chemistry major.
Wanting to change his major, Johnson was told to speak with Coleman before deciding.
That one conversation changed his life.
“He convinced me to stay,” Johnson said. “He told me I was doing well in my other STEM classes, and I was on track to take Chem I anyway. I took it the following semester and ended up staying with chemistry. Kind of weird, right? How those little conversations can change the trajectory of your life.”
As part of the LINC program, students had to at least apply for graduate schools as their undergraduate degrees concluded. Johnson had no intention of earning his doctorate, but another conversation with Coleman convinced him to apply to Louisiana State University, one of the leading producers of doctoral-prepared Black chemists in the nation.
Coleman was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. during his time at Langston University.
Innovation was another one of Coleman’s missions in the classroom.
Coleman was an early adopter of integrating technology into the classroom at Langston University, something that stood out to Dr. Byron Quinn when he was being taught by Coleman at Langston University.
“Even back in the early ’90s, at the beginning, he was at the forefront of this,” Quinn said. “He was working with really the first iteration, first generation, of tablets and PCs in the classroom, so that students could write and do homework on them and digitally turn them in.”
But Coleman’s impact is much farther reaching than the borders of Langston University’s campus.
About a year after his return to teaching at LU, Coleman set out to build strong science and math foundations when he received a grant to establishthe Langston University Summer Math and Science Academy.
It was here, when she was 14 years old, Dr. Lindsay Davis met a Black chemist for the first time in her life.
She hated chemistry.
“It was the hardest thing ever,” Davis said. “But Dr. Coleman had such an eloquent way of communicating chemistry. And so, by the end of that camp, I knew I wanted to be a chemist.”
She attended the Math and Science Academy many more summers after that. Her familiarity with the campus, its scholarship opportunities and its faculty led Davis to enroll at Langston University.
She took her first class with Coleman, Organic Chemistry, her sophomore year. It is still the most difficult course she has ever taken.
More than a third of black STEM PhD holders earn their undergraduate degrees at HBCUs according to American Institutes for Research.
But Coleman’s student-centric approach helped her through the class. She took three more classes with him throughout her time at LU and, after graduating, like so many of his students, was convinced by Coleman to pursue her doctoral degree.
“That took a lot of convincing, and there were a few mechanisms that helped me to go off and produce my PhD,” Davis said. “But Dr. Coleman being the first chemist I ever met inspired me to get a PhD.
“When you are able to see the representation in front of you, I think it either consciously or subconsciously inspires you.”
Because of Coleman’s influence, in 2021 Davis went on to become the first Black chemist to graduate with their PhD from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Legacy
Johnson, Quinn and Davis are just a handful of the students Coleman not only encouraged to go and earn their doctoral degrees, but to come back and teach at Langston University.
Quinn is currently the Chair of the Biology Department at Langston University, working closely with Coleman each day and utilizing the lessons he learned in using technology in the classroom to instruct his students and conduct world-renowned research.
Johnson just returned to Langston University as a professor in the chemistry department and is now providing the same mentorship, guidance and expectations Coleman gave to him as a student.
Coleman was voted “Most Intellectual” in 1965 alongside Louvenia Stidham.
Davis is not only a professor in the chemistry department but also leads the Math and Science Academy at Langston University, bringing her journey full circle. Now, she gets to be the same inspiration to the students who attend each summer that Coleman was to her as a teenager. She may even be the first Black chemist some of them meet.
“I hope I even have (a legacy),” Coleman laughed.
But his legacy is unmistakable. Coleman has built his own community of educational excellence at Langston University, in the STEM field and across the world.
His mission has been to ensure Dear Langston’s students have the support they need to lay the foundation for a brighter future. Now, Coleman gets to wrap up his career as the Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, where he is still buildingprograms and methods that will lay firm foundations and help educate students for the long term.
Langston University President Dr. Ruth Ray Jackson, who formerly served as the Vice President for Academic Affairs, has seen the impact of Coleman’s time at LU. She said regardless of his position, he has intentionally remained engaged with his students, ensuring they are well-prepared when they leave Langston University.
“I think that his lasting legacy really is his quest for knowledge, not just for himself, but for his students.
Dr. Clyde Montgomery, Jr., a retired Langston University professor and academic leader, was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the University of Central Oklahoma on Monday evening.
Dr. Montgomery was one of 11 inductees honored at the 30th annual Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame Banquet.
A dedicated servant to Dear Langston, Dr. Montgomery held many titles at the university over his 47-year tenure before he retired as the Vice President of Academic Affairs in 2019. His academic leadership had a significant impact in the STEM fields, created several important partnerships, secured accreditations and initiated programs that focused on professional development.
President Ruth Ray Jackson (left) said Dr. Clyde Montgomery, Jr., (center) was committed to academic excellence and institutional advancement during his time at LU. Dr. Jackson succeeded Dr. Montgomery in his role as Vice President for Academic Affairs when he retired in 2019, and Dr. Alonzo Peterson (right) now serves in the position.
“Over the course of 47 years of distinguished service to Langston University, Dr. Montgomery has made an enduring impact on the institution,” said Dr. Ruth Ray Jackson, President of Langston University. “Throughout his tenure and regardless of his position, he exemplified an unwavering commitment to academic excellence, student achievement and institutional advancement. Dr. Montgomery served as a role model to numerous students, faculty, and staff. His dedication to developing future leaders in higher education is truly exceptional, and I am personally grateful for the invaluable professional guidance he has extended to me.”
Under Dr. Montgomery’s leadership, Langston University secured more than $6 million for state and national grant-funded projects, which led to an increase in LU students who pursued graduate degrees in chemistry and biology among other positive outcomes. Additionally, Dr. Montgomery helped forge partnerships with various institutions that greatly benefitted both Langston University students and Oklahoma high school students, such as his collaboration with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to create a Math and Science Academy.
Dr. Montgomery, in an endeavor that ultimately saved the university thousands of dollars, pioneered the university’s implementation of technology throughout campus. He also instituted several professional development programs for faculty and instructors.
Dr. Montgomery accomplished all this while also serving in the United States Army and Army Reserves for 30 years.
When Sheila McGill agreed to come out of retirement and return to work at her alma mater, she only intended to stay for four months. Thirteen years later, she officially retired… again.
McGill served as the Director of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at Langston University from 2011-2024, and after delaying her retirement one last time in March, her last day as a university employee was June 27.
“I believe God led me back here,” McGill said. “That was my assignment, but I think my assignment is complete and I feel good. I hope that if I made an imprint, I hope it’s a positive one that, you know, that my heart showed through all the things that we did.”
McGill began her career in financial aid as a student at Dear Langston. Like many, she participated in the Federal Work Study Program to help pay for expenses while in school. She worked in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships on the third floor of Page Hall while she studied criminal justice.
During her time as a student, Dear Langston quickly became a special place to McGill and she was in no hurry to leave. An active member of the campus community, McGill was crowned Miss Langston University in the Fall of 1978. She even participated in the 1978 sit-in protests at the Oklahoma Capitol to save the university when state legislators considered closing the school down.
Sheila McGill (back row, 3rd from the left) participated in a sit-in at the state Capitol on March 1, 1978. Students were demonstrating to gain more state funding for Langston University. Photo courtesy of The Oklahoman.
When she graduated in December 1978 and the Office of Financial Aid asked her to stay on as a receptionist for the spring semester, she gladly accepted. When a position opened for a financial aid counselor that summer, she decided to apply.
From 1979-84, McGill worked as a financial aid counselor. It wasn’t what she had ever pictured herself doing, but she enjoyed the work, she enjoyed helping students, and she felt she had found her calling.
“I tell students, ‘Do not knock federal work study,’” McGill said. “It can give you some valuable work experience, as well as help you pay your bill.”
As time went on, McGill knew she was ready to grow in her career, even if that meant leaving Dear Langston. Eventually, the position of assistant director of financial aid at Central State College opened. McGill applied, and Central State hired her.
She spent the next two years at Central State, now known as the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), before accepting the position of director of financial aid at Cameron University. Three years later, the director position at UCO opened and a mentor encouraged her to apply.
McGill returned to UCO in 1989 and worked as their director of financial aid for 20 years before retiring at 50.
“When I retired, my plan was to be done with financial aid,” McGill said. “Financial aid was going through some major changes during that time, and I thought, ‘This is a good time to get out’ and I did so.”
Although retired, McGill wasn’t ready to stop working just yet. She worked as a census worker for two years, and she enjoyed getting to know her state better. She had no intentions of returning to work in higher education, but life had other plans for her.
In 2011, a friend asked McGill to be the temporary director of financial aid at Langston University. McGill couldn’t say no.
“One of the things that made me say yes to Langston was being able to come back to where I started,” McGill said. “This is where I started my career, and the opportunity to come back and give back to the place that got me started, that’s one of the things that I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to do.”
McGill (center) poses with the members of the Financial Aid office at the 18th Annual President’s Scholarship Gala in 2023.
That temporary position became a full-time position, and McGill was Dear Langston’s financial aid guru for 13 years. During that time, she impacted a lot of people, especially students.
Nacasaw Coppage, the assistant director of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, said it was well known that if a student came in to ask McGill a financial aid question, they would often walk away with a life lesson, too.
“Her impact is her wealth of knowledge,” Coppage said. “If you are a student, you may come in with this one issue, but she explains it and she produces the knowledge where she surrounds it. So when you walk out of her door, you’re positive of the fact of, ‘OK, I can begin this process now. I know what I’m trying to get to, and I’m going to get to that.’”
Her wisdom and encouragement were not reserved just for students.
Coppage said McGill was a well-rounded leader, asking her team members hard questions and pushing them to get out of their comfort zones and grow. Coppage herself is a testament to the quality of McGill’s mentorship.
Coppage worked under McGill for 10 years, starting as a financial aid counselor and, with McGill’s guidance, working her way up to assistant director. But Coppage isn’t the only one who has benefited from McGill’s leadership.
Coppage’s role as assistant director has taken her out of the office for conferences and other professional development opportunities several times, and she has met many people on these trips who know McGill and can attest to the valuable lessons she’s taught them.
“That’s kind of amazing to me,” Coppage said. “Even though you’ve only been at Langston, UCO and Cameron, your touch is widespread. It is more than just those institutions. You’ve touched people that went on and became directors for other institutions. It’s really amazing to see.”
Over the past 13 years, McGill has helped shape the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships into the well-oiled machine it is today. While sad to see McGill go, Coppage said thanks to McGill’s leadership throughout the years, she knows the Office will continue to provide students with high-quality financial aid service.
McGill said though she won’t be on campus as regularly, she hasn’t gone too far. Her granddaughter is a freshman at Dear Langston this fall, and McGill plans to come back to support her and continue to support her alma mater.
“I want to leave with a huge, ‘Thank you!’” McGill said. “Thank you, Langston, for the opportunity to jumpstart my career. This was not my plan, to go into financial aid and for financial aid become a career. That was God’s plan.
“But to circle around and bring me back to Langston, I believe that was part of His plan as well.”
McGill (center) poses with past and current members of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships during her retirement reception.
Langston University’s Public Relations team walked away with 18 awards at the annual Oklahoma Collegiate Public Relations Association (OCPRA) Awards Ceremony on July 15, including five Grand awards. It was the most awards won by a single institution.
This year’s awards competition received a record total 662 submissions across 37 categories from 31 departments/divisions at 24 institutions, making it the most competitive OCPRA awards competition to date. The competition included teams from Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Central Oklahoma and more.
Langston University’s 18 awards are the most awards the university has won in a single year at OCPRA. Senior Graphic Designer Brandon Clemoens earned nine of the awards.
“It’s crazy to think about, but I remember a time when I would go to this conference and I wouldn’t even leave with an honorable mention,” said Clemoens, the longest-serving member of the team.
This year’s awards haul is reflective of the hard work done by LU’s Public Relations team to roll out the university’s “We Roar” campaign, which launched in October. Aspects of the campaign have included commercials, podcasts, video series, and traditional and digital advertising.
Langston University won awards in graphic design, photography, videography, social media, writing and web design categories. The team won five Grand (1st place) awards, five Excellence (2nd place) awards, five Achievement (3rd place) awards, and three Honorable Mentions.
Grand Awards
The “We Roar” Campaign won first place in the General Campaign category at the 2024 OCPRA Awards Banquet. Components of the campaign included commercials, podcasts, video series, and traditional and digital advertising.
Campaign (General) – “We Roar” by the Langston University Office of Public Relations
Video Featurette – “We Roar” Commercials by the Langston University Office of Public Relations and 1577 Productions
Holiday Greeting – Black History Month by Brandon Clemoens
Poster Design (Sports) – Another Historic Lions Basketball Season by Brandon Clemoens
Social Media Campaign – “We Roar” Student Video Campaign by Ellie Melero
Excellence Awards
Brandon Clemoens “Fear the Roar” Sports Photos won second place in the Series Photography category at the 2024 OCPRA Awards Banquet.
Cover Design – “Fear the Roar” Homecoming Fan Guide by Brandon Clemoens
Stationary & Business Cards – Langston University’s 17th President’s Stationary by Brandon Clemoens
Series Photography – “Fear the Roar” Sports Photos by Brandon Clemoens
Viewbook – 2024 “We Roar” Viewbook by Brandon Clemoens
“Curtain Drop” by Brandon Clemoens won third place in AI Innovation at the 2024 OCPRA Awards Banquet.
AI Innovation – “Curtain Drop” AI Miss Langston University Pageant Images by Brandon Clemoens
Bright Idea (Alumni/Fundraising) – We Can’t Do It Without You, Lions by Jet Turner
Events/Promotion – “All In” Langston University Homecoming by the Langston University Office of Public Relations
Web Design – Langston University Website by the Langston University Office of Public Relations and the Design Group
Honorable Mentions
Brandon Clemoens earned an Honorable Mention for his 2024 Spring Concert poster design.
Poster Design (Culture & Fine Arts) – 2024 Langston University Spring Concert Poster by Brandon Clemoens
Portrait Photography – A Proud Graduate by Brandon Clemoens
Shoe String – Graduation Recap Video by Ellie Melero
“As Oklahoma’s only HBCU, Langston University delivers a high caliber education and an incredible student life experience,” said Director of Public Relations Heleen Sheets. “Our Public Relations Team is so proud to promote our institution and share the people, stories and brand that define us.
“We were excited to represent Dear Langston at the OCPRA Conference and to have our work recognized among our peers.”
Dr. Corey Moore recently accepted an invitation from the Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to serve on the advisory committee for the newly confirmed director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Dr. Moore is a professor and founding chair of the Department of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies at Langston University as well as the principal investigator and research director at the university’s two Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs). Under his direction, the RRTCs serve as centers of national excellence in disability and rehabilitation research and capacity building.
The NIH is the United States’ national medical research agency, as well as the largest public funder of biomedical and behavioral research in the world.
After Congress’ recent confirmation of Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli as the new NIH Director, Dr. Moore officially accepted the invitation to serve on the advisory committee to Dr. Bertagnolli. The advisory committee consists of up to 20 members representing various universities and corporations in the United States.
The advisory committee makes recommendations to Dr. Bertagnolli, as well as the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Assistant Secretary for Health, on matters ranging from program development and resource allocation to regulation and policy. Dr. Moore’s service on this committee will give him the opportunity to help shape the priorities of the NIH, and he hopes to do so in a way that will positively impact all communities.
“Equity in biomedical and behavioral research conducted at the NIH is critical to optimizing health and preventing and reducing illness for people living with disabilities,” Dr. Moore said. “I am honored to provide my perspective to the board as an investigator who has advanced service and policy research in this area and the research capacity building knowledge base supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities in the scientific workforce across the federal disability and health/rehabilitation research ecosystem.”
Moore’s research has been published in 70 papers and has led to policy advancements. While at Langston University, he has served as a Principal Investigator for 20 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education research, training, and service grants whose combined totals exceed $30 million. He has held the prestigious national Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Distinguished Professor Endowed Chair, and his notable awards include the National Association of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers Distinguished Service Award, the National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns Bobbie Atkins Research Award, the Vernon E. Hawkins Pioneer & Leadership Award, the National Rehabilitation Association Sylvia Walker National Multicultural Award, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc. Outstanding Leadership in Faculty Research Award.
Dr. Moore’s appointment to the advisory committee is effective immediately and will end on Dec. 31, 2027.
Moore (far left) poses for a group photo with the in-person attendees of the 127th NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) meeting. Photo Credit: Marleen Van Den Neste / NIH Record
Langston University hired Dr. Daryl D. Green as the new dean for the School of Business. He began his new position on Jan. 2.
Prior to joining Dear Langston, Dr. Green worked at Oklahoma Baptist University for several years, holding the esteemed Dickinson Chair of Business professorship in the Paul Dickinson School of Business. Dr. Green’s primary research areas are leadership, management, culture and decision-making, and he has taught courses in topics such as system analysis, decision-making, leadership, marketing, project management, social media, strategy, and ballroom and social dancing. His ability to simplify complex concepts in the classroom helped him earn the ACBSP Teaching Excellence Award.
Notably, Dr. Green retired from the Department of Energy in 2016 after more than 27 years in the Environmental Management Program. He managed over 400 projects valued at approximately $100 million.
A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Dr. Green holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Southern University in Louisiana, a master’s degree in organizational management from Tusculum College in Tennessee, and a Doctor of Strategic Leadership degree from Regent University in Virginia. He has also completed several advanced graduate studies and certificates from Southern New Hampshire University and the University of Vermont.
Dr. Green is an accomplished academic and an award-winning speaker and author. His works include the textbooks “Impending Danger,” “Small Business Marketing,” and “Life After Retirement” in addition to numerous articles, which have been cited more than 400 times in well-known academic journals. His insights have been recognized by USA Today, Ebony Magazine and the Associated Press.
“My primary objective is to drive significant growth in our Business School,” Dr. Green said. “Over the next decade, my vision is to welcome 1,000 new students into our program. Innovation, adaptation and strategic thinking are essential to propel us toward this milestone.
“Many of our faculty are already champions of student-centered teaching. We will foster this ethos across the board, tailoring educational experiences to meet the unique requirements of today’s Generation Z students. We aim to provide engaging and practical learning that equips them for success in an ever-changing world.”
Langston University has hired Mr. Chris Kuwitzky to serve as the Vice President for Fiscal and Administrative Affairs – the university’s chief financial officer. He began his new role on Sept. 11, 2023.
Mr. Kuwitzky possesses a wealth and breadth of financial administration experience in both the corporate and higher education sectors. He began his career with Coopers and Lybrand Public Accountants (now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers) in Oklahoma City where he served a wide array of clients in governmental, oil & gas, not-for-profit, and higher education sectors. He would later join the finance staff at the University of Oklahoma in Norman where he rose to the position of Associate Vice President of Administration & Finance and Chief Financial Officer.
After 31 years of service there, Mr. Kuwitzky transitioned to Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, and served as the Vice President of Administration and Treasurer. In this role, his responsibilities included all financial and budgeting operations along with information technology services, the physical plant, human resources, auxiliary enterprises, and oversight of the university police force.
After three years in Topeka, Mr. Kuwitzky returned to Oklahoma to provide financial consulting and contract chief financial officer services to clients, doing business as Live Worthy Financial, LLC.
A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Kuwitzky earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Oklahoma in 1983 and earned the designation of certified public accountant two years later.
Langston University Marching Pride Band Director Mark Gordon received an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Leaders Esteem Christian Bible University on Dec. 17.
Mr. Gordon has been the Director of Bands at Langston University since 2018 and he has grown the band to 275 students. Before that, he had more than 20 years of experience directing bands at the high school and collegiate levels.
His career began at M.B. Smiley High School in Houston, Texas, in 1996. There, Mr. Gordon built the band up to nearly 400 students. After 10 years with Smiley High School, Mr. Gordon returned to his alma mater, Prairie View A&M University, to serve as the assistant director of bands for another 10 years. He then served as the director of bands at Charles H. Milby High School in Houston, Texas, before moving to Oklahoma to take up his current post at Langston University.
Throughout his career, Mr. Gordon has remained involved with the surrounding communities at each of his respective schools through band and choir performances, youth outreach, and involvement at church. He believes his work helping students to graduate high school and find ways to pursue college to be among the top reasons he was selected to receive this honor.
“I am honored and I am blessed to be receiving this honorary doctorate of philosophy,” Mr. Gordon said. “I am blessed to have had the opportunity to work with so many fine students and musicians over the years, and I am thankful that working with them has made a positive impact.”
Mr. Gordon was nominated by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation of Houston to receive this honor. He received his honorary doctorate at a ceremony in the Sans Souci Ballroom in Tomball, Texas, on Dec. 17.
