By Ellie Melero and Jet Turner
LANGSTON, Okla. –– Langston University President Ruth Ray Jackson announced the university received almost $6 million in additional state appropriation funding for the 2024-25 school year during her State of the University address at the Opening Convocation Ceremony on Thursday.
Two and a half million dollars comes from an increase in the state matched funding for agricultural research and extension.
“This money will be used to fund outreach throughout several counties in Oklahoma, expanding our footprint from 19 counties to 28, bringing educational opportunities and resources to many rural farmers who rely on our services,” Dr. Jackson said.
As a public land-grant institution, Langston University receives federal funding to support cooperative agricultural research and extension through the Sherman Lewis School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. The state is federally mandated to match this funding dollar for dollar. After steadily increasing its funding match over the past few years, Oklahoma has officially reached a 100% funding match for Langston University for the first time, resulting in $2.5 million in additional funding for agricultural programs compared to last year.
The university also received $3.5 million to address deferred maintenance projects. About $2.5 million of this funding will be used to replace the roof at the LU-Oklahoma City campus. The remainder will be used for smaller projects to update infrastructure and address deferred maintenance issues.
During her address, Dr. Jackson also discussed enrollment, retention, fundraising and her presidential priorities.
Langston University experienced a growth of about 2.8% in full-time enrollment compared to the 2023-24 school year. Some of the largest increases came from freshman and graduate enrollment.
Dr. Jackson also spoke about initiatives to improve student retention, such as the introduction of the Lion Success Academy. The Lion Success Academy is a new program which provides an additional layer of support for participating students to aid them through their freshman year.
“Our faculty and staff are diligently exploring new strategies and best practices to enhance student success and ensure that every student thrives throughout their academic journey,” Dr. Jackson said. “Our focus remains not only in welcoming new students, but in supporting all students through to graduation.”
Dr. Jackson also recognized one of the challenges students often face is how to pay for school. Thanks to increased fundraising efforts, the Langston University Foundation provided over $350,000 in student scholarships during the 2023-24 school year.
These fundraising efforts will continue. The next big fundraising event is the President’s Scholarship Gala in October and the Annual Day of Giving in March.
Dr. Jackson also expanded upon her Presidential Priorities during the State of the University Address. Her priorities, affectionately referred to as the Seven P’s, are people, programs, processes, public relations, partnerships, performance and purpose.
People
People refers to Dear Langston’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, donors and its community.
Recently, Langston University lost a beloved member of its community in Assistant Coach and Offensive Coordinator Darryl Mason. A memorial was held for Coach Mason on campus Saturday.
“We see the best of humanity in these moments, and I want to remind each of us that a tragedy does not need to occur for that to happen,” Dr. Jackson said.
Dr. Jackson charged the students to look after and take care of one another, and to look after their own mental well-being by talking to friends, employees or utilizing Langston University’s counseling resources.
Faculty and staff were reminded of their commitment to helping students succeed and retaining them within the institution. The retention of students is closely monitored, and Langston University is continuously evaluating its efforts to find strategic solutions to maximize the success of students.
Dr. Jackson highlighted the student achievements of senior Antwuan Jackson, who recently participated in the Democratic National Convention as an at-large delegate for the State of Oklahoma, and Aniyah Robinson, who earned the prestigious Rohden Fellowship and was named a 2024 White House HBCU Scholar.
This priority also extends to the Town of Langston, and its growing relationship with the university. Recently, Langston University hosted the Oklahoma All-Black Towns State Conference with the Oklahoma Conference of Black Mayors. This event provided an opportunity for community members to exchange ideas and learn more about Oklahoma’s Black Towns.
Programs
Programming refers not only to academics and athletics, but also to the student programming provided by the Division of Student Affairs, the Student Government Association, the Student Activities Board and Residential Life and Housing Services. Langston University offers over 60 registered student organizations, and students are always encouraged to create new ones if they see a gap in offerings.
“At Langston University, we believe in the holistic development of our students,” Dr. Jackson said. “Preparing them to work effectively with colleagues and build relationships that will propel them to future success within their chosen careers.”
Dr. Jackson also applauded the academic programs provided at the university’s six schools. All academic programs undergo regular review, both from internal and external sources, to ensure students are well prepared for successful careers in their fields. Dr. Jackson highlighted two programs which specifically prepare students for high-need careers: the online RN-to-BSN program and the Educator Ramp-Up program.
The online RN-to-BSN program launched last year and allows registered nurses to earn their bachelor of science in nursing in 9 to 12 months. Langston University also offers a traditional nursing program in Langston, Tulsa and Ardmore.
The Educator Ramp-Up program is an accelerated Teacher Education program that allows people with non-educational degrees to become teachers. It is a GEERS funded program.
Lastly, Dr. Jackson talked about the Reach Higher program, which allows adult learners who have earned some college credit but have not earned a degree to go back to school for a bachelor’s in organizational leadership. This program is also funded by GEERS.
Processes
With the enrollment cliff caused by decreased birth rates in the early to mid 2000s approaching, Langston University is looking to stay ahead of the curve and is beginning with its processes.
“We cannot continue to do the same work in the same ways and expect to be successful,” Dr. Jackson said. “The truth is our audience has changed, and the way we do business must also change, both in significant ways.”
A new university-wide committee has been created, charged with reviewing, streamlining and modernizing Dear Langston’s current processes, aptly named the Process Improvement Committee.
Public Relations
The purpose of public relations is to tell the university’s story and amplify the voices of students, faculty, staff and alumni. In pursuit of this goal, the Office of Public Relations launched its “We Roar” campaign last year for which it earned a record 18 awards at the Oklahoma Collegiate Public Relations Association’s annual awards competition.
Dr. Jackson encouraged everyone to share their stories with the Public Relations team to continue to amplify the work and accomplishments of the Langston University family.
“Each of us has a responsibility to protect the brand, share the good things that are happening here at Langston University, and help us continue to elevate the work of our colleagues and students,” Dr. Jackson said.
Partnerships
Langston University is continually working to build and nurture partnerships with people, businesses and other universities.
Dr. Jackson announced a recent effort to partner with the University of Louisville to create pathways for Public Health program graduates in graduate school and other professional opportunities.
Dr. Jackson also spoke about the university’s long-standing relationship with CoBank, which continues to grow stronger. The Langston University CoBank Scholars program, announced in March 2023, created an immersive internship for students at the CoBank Headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Michael Hankins was the first student to complete this internship, and he left a positive impression which has continued to help strengthen Langston’s partnership with CoBank.
“We will continue to build relationships with corporate and community partners in an effort to bring dynamic opportunities to our students and enhance their experience at Langston University,” Dr. Jackson said.
Performance
The newest addition to the Presidential Priorities aims to prioritize performance to measure employee engagement and ensure Langston University is maintaining accountability for that engagement.
“As an organization, we are only as good as the collective,” Dr. Jackson said.
Purpose
Each of these priorities contributes to the overarching purpose of Langston University.
“As one of only nineteen 1890 Land-Grant institutions in the country, our mission of educating students and the community through cooperative extension, research, and engagement remains a constant theme of our work,” Dr. Jackson said. “The people, programs, processes, public relations, partnerships, and performance we strive to achieve through these priorities all support the purpose, which is our students and their success.”
Dr. Jackson concluded her State of the University address by challenging each member of the campus community to continue working to make Langston University better for students and the future.
“Let’s keep the state of our university strong,” Dr. Jackson said.
