History of the ES Graduate Program 1977-2003

The ES Program was developed by Dr. Norman N. Durham in 1977 in response to faculty’s and students’ desire to work cooperatively on environmental problems and concerns from multiple disciplinary perspectives. The Graduate College assumed responsibility for the program in 1982 when Dr. John D. Vitek, Associate Dean of the Graduate College , became the Director of the Program. Under Dr. Vitek’s tutelage, the Program thrived with more than 60 students working on their M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The Program’s students were in home departments such as Agricultural Economics, Economics, Leisure Studies, Plant and Soil Sciences, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Forestry, Geology, Geography, Political Science, Educational and School Psychology, School of Teaching and Curriculum Leadership, Sociology, and Zoology. Five thrust areas were developed, which included water, renewable natural resources, energy, environmental education, and policy. Each thrust area defined recommended courses. Faculty such as Jim Lawler, Ted Mills, Lowell Caneday, Michael Smolen, and Jack Vitek supported the Program by teaching the core courses, most often without compensation.

Dr. Paul Matthews, served as   Associate Dean of   Multidisciplinary Studies and ES Program Director from 1993 through 1995.  The Environmental Institute was also founded in 1993. From 1994-1995, Dr. Will Focht was hired as the first research fellow within the Institute. In 1995, Dr. Gary Ostrander became Associate Dean of Research, Director of the Environmental Institute, and Director of the Environmental Science Graduate Program. Dr. Ostrander hired a permanent Program Coordinator and an instructor for environmental science core courses. Dr. Anne Cross taught  ENVR 5100 and ENVR 5300 courses. The development of ENVR 5100 was motivated by an outside review board recommendation.

Dr. Edward Knobbe took over as Director in January 1997 and served until December 2001. He worked under the Vice President for Research as the Associate Dean of Research, Director of the Environmental Institute, and Director of the Environmental Science Graduate Program. Under his administration, the Program established several specializations including environmental management, disaster and emergency management, and environmental chemistry, toxicology and risk assessment.

Dr. Timothy J. Pettibone, Dean of the Graduate College assumed leadership of the program until a new Director could be found. Together Dr. Pettibone and Dr. Focht re-structured the Program with the establishment of a Steering Council and three standing committees.

Dr. Will Focht became Director in August 2002. Under his leadership, the Program has elevated admission standards; addressed curriculum and admission issues that had remained unresolved over several years; instituted environmental awards; increased enrollment from 77 to 104; established an external Environmental Programs Advisory Board; built databases for students, faculty, alumni, and employers; redesigned the web sites, logos, and flyers; opened communications with Deans and Vice Presidents; established five new specializations; and developed a new strategic plan.        

The Environmental Science Graduate Program has graduated 300 students from 1977 through 2004. Most have found employment in large corporations, federal and state government, educational organizations, non-profit organizations, and consulting firms with an average salary more than $50,000. Over 25% of the graduates have been awarded a Ph. D.

  HISTORY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN TULSA  

The ES program started in Tulsa at the University Center at Tulsa (a consortium of NSU, Langston, OU and OSU) in 1993 under Dr. Paul Matthews, then the Director of the Environmental Science Graduate Program. The growth of the program was slow at first, including no more than a dozen Environmental Science students and offering only three courses per year from Arts and Sciences and Engineering. After OSU-Tulsa was founded, the ES Graduate Program flourished with increased support. The program now reaches more than 40 students and a rotation of at least 20 courses.

 With the innovation of specializations, OSU-Tulsa is the leader in environmental management and relies on adjunct faculty such as Ken Ede, Sarah Kimball, Marcia Bates, Ed Rossman, Dru Meadows, and Chuck Bell.  Faculty from Arts & Sciences,  Business, Education, and Engineering also teach courses that Es students take.        

The ES-Tulsa program maintains three permanent offices at OSU-Tulsa. The Program Coordinator makes bi-weekly trips to Tulsa to advise students; the Director travels to Tulsa at least once each month. In addition, a half-time Tulsa program recruiter and half-time Tulsa program development officer have also been hired. An office for student use is also available. 

As of Fall 2004, 25 students have graduated from the ES program in Tulsa .