Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Dear alumni of the OSU College of Arts and Sciences,

I hope this note finds you well during this challenging time. Now, more than ever, the programs and personnel of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) provide critical resources for Oklahoma State University, the Stillwater community and the entire state as we collectively grapple with the challenges of COVID-19 and racism. CAS is committed to keeping faculty, staff, students and campus visitors safe during the pandemic, and to contributing to improved equity and inclusion in our institutions and communities. A variety of CAS faculty have brought their expertise to the fold, including but not limited to: Dr. Mindy McCann (Statistics) providing statistical modeling of COVID-19 for Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt; Dr. Thad Leffingwell (Psychology) discussing mental techniques we can use to manage during the pandemic; Prof. Lawrence Ware (Philosophy) frankly discussing the instance of institutional and interpersonal racism faced by African-Americans; and countless CAS departments and faculty reinforcing that we are a completely welcoming college in our programs and departments.

COVID-19 has proven itself to be a persistent and resilient disease, which must be taken very seriously. As you no doubt have heard, upon its initial arrival and early in the community spread, OSU took the novel coronavirus seriously by moving all courses online for the remainder of the spring semester and summer term. Moreover, as part of the push to “flatten the curve,” the university closed its doors to all but essential personnel while allowing faculty and staff to telecommute to keep our academic programs active and viable. Our plan is to re-open in a residential sense for the fall semester, which begins August 17. The “Cowboys Coming Back” plan outlines the efforts being taken in terms of social distancing and other individual rules that will be in place to assure good public health on campus for the fall 2020 semester. CAS is working diligently on a college implementation plan that follows from that university-wide framework.

In cities across the United States, record-breaking protests continue to erupt in the wake of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis. Meanwhile in Oklahoma, we are less than one year away from the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which is gaining increasing national attention. That attention has grown exponentially recently, as President Donald Trump held his first campaign rally since the advent of the COVID-19 crisis in Tulsa on June 20. The OSU/A&M Regents also approved removing the name of William Murray from two of our CAS campus buildings, a move which I fully support.

What can CAS do to help the campus, community and state with this perfect storm of challenges and contribute to a dialogue of reconciliation? In addition to continuing to be a welcoming college with truly inclusive programs, there are two areas where we can do more. First, we need to expand our Equity Advocates program, which is directed by our CAS Faculty Fellow for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Dr. Kim Loeffert. Among other activities, the Equity Advocates train the departments and search committees in methods to avoid the effects of implicit bias. I am immensely proud of the impactful work the Equity Advocates have done and I look forward to an even broader impact in the future. Second, I believe that bringing greater attention to and providing additional resources for our small but energetic Africana Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences is something that we can do right now to facilitate this process of healing and understanding. Based on feedback from existing Africana Studies faculty, I have begun conversations with various OSU and external stakeholders to expand that academic program, which leads to a minor, into a full-blown academic center.

Looking with great optimism toward the future, CAS has had a record number of students, 1,086, earn their degrees thus far in 2019-20. Looking to the future, those students will provide key leadership as they join your ranks as CAS alumni. The Class of 2020 faced challenge after challenge and rose to the occasion to meet them all. Raised in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and facing the COVID-19 pandemic at the other end of their upbringing, this group of CAS Cowboys is accustomed to experiencing adversity and overcoming it. In fact, they thrive on it. The truth is that we all need the class of 2020. We need their vision, their hard work, their togetherness, their comfort with trial-and-error—all of those things to move our society forward. How will they contribute? Through their patented and potent combination of individual and collective creativity that will vault our communities and our society into the future. Thank you for welcoming the Class of 2020 into your institutions and communities. Together with all of you, our amazing CAS alumni, I have no doubt that our best days are ahead.

Go Pokes!

Glen Krutz
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences