The official magazine of the College of Arts and Sciences, Oklahoma State University 2011
Arts and Sciences Magazine is a publication of the Oklahoma State University College of Arts and Sciences. All communications should be mailed to OSU College of Arts and Sciences, ATTN: Arts and Sciences Magazine, 205 Life Sciences East, Stillwater, OK 74078-3015. Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. Title IX of the Education Amendments and Oklahoma State University policy prohibit discrimination in the provision of services or benefits offered by the University based on gender. Any person (student, faculty or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based upon gender may discuss their concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with the OSU Title IX Coordinator, Mackenzie Wilfong, J.D., Director of Affirmative Action, 408 Whitehurst, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, (405) 744-5371 or (405) 744-5576 (fax). This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the College of Arts & Sciences, was printed by University Printing Services at a cost of $7,450/7M. #3281 11/11 2 0 1 1 © OK L AHOMA S TAT E UN I V E R S I T Y 2011 v13 Editor Michael Baker Art Director Paul V. Fleming ’90/’00* Photographers Phi l Shockley Gary Lawson Associate Editor Janet Varnum ’86 C A S . O K S TAT E . E D U This scene, photographed by Phi l Shockley, is from the musical Hair performed at the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts in 2011 and presented by the Col lege of Arts and Sciences’ theatre department. COVER Gena Timberman oversees the Amer ican Indian Cul tural Center & Museum, a $170 mi l l ion project in Oklahoma Ci ty. Like many of her fel low Col lege of Arts and Sciences grads, Timberman uses the lessons she learned at OSU to prosper in her career and personal ly. See story p. 10. Cover photograph by Phi l Shockley Writers Matt El l iott Lorene A. Roberson ’84 Sylvia E. King-Cohen ’81 Stacy Pettit ’09 Media and Alumni Relations College of Arts and Sciences Lorene A. Roberson ’84 Dean College of Arts and Sciences Peter M.A. Sherwood Associate Vice President for Development College of Arts and Sciences Jason J. Canigl ia s t a f f 18 Characters Co l l ege o f Ar t s and Sc i ences f acu l t y membe r s a r e a h i gh l y d i s t i ngu i shed and d i ve r s i f i ed cas t , i nc l ud i ng t h r ee new Regen t s P r o f esso r s . 2 Synopsis OSU ’s t a l en t ed a l umn i pe r f o rm on h i gh -p r o f i l e s t ages , whe t he r i n Ho l l ywood , Ok l ahoma C i t y o r t he a r ena o f t he mi nd . 32 Reviews A l umn i , f acu l t y and s t uden t s comb i ne t o become l eade r s i n t he i r f i e l ds and make t he wo r l d sa f e r, mo r e comp r ehend i b l e and mo r e p l easan t . p l a y b i l l *YEAR INDICATES OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES GRADUATES.
Farewell from the Dean Peter M.A. Sherwood Dean, College of Arts and Sciences It has been my honor to serve a college of 24 departments covering the fine arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences. Since I started as dean in July 2004, the college has established two new doctoral programs and one master’s program and has more planned. I am proud of the exemplary teaching in the college, which is responsible for 55 percent of all the instruction at Oklahoma State University. An excellent team has surrounded me during my tenure and for that I am grateful. The 700 dedicated faculty and staff members that are integral for the success of the college have my heartfelt gratitude. I also wish to express my deep appreciation for the continued support provided to the college by so many donors. Current funding levels are approaching $12 million annually. This generosity fuels the college’s future vision and serves to promote our programs and research in Oklahoma and around the world. Many new interdisciplinary centers have been established in the past seven years. I take great pride in the college’s significant increase in research activities and a corresponding growth in proposals to funding agencies and major grants. It is my pleasure to present this issue of the College of Arts and Sciences magazine. It includes stories exemplifying the best of OSU — educators, scientists, artists, alumni and students committed not just to personal success but to giving something back to the college, their community and the world at large. Stories like “Under the Microscope” illustrate how world-class research, individual mentoring and dedication to address Oklahoma’s unique issues come together at the College of Arts and Sciences. Our cover story on Gina Timberman showcases the alumna’s dedication to cultural heritage and education. I am privileged to be a part of OSU and its continued tradition of excellence. T h e m i d d l e o f 2 0 1 2 w i l l ma r k m y 4 2 n d y e a r a s a f a c u l t y memb e r a t a n umb e r o f i n s t i t u t i o n s b o t h i n t h i s c o u n t r y a n d t h e U n i t e d K i n g d om . I t w i l l a l s o ma r k e i g h t y e a r s o f s e r v i c e a s t h e O S U C o l l e g e o f A r t s a n d S c i e n c e s d e a n . I h a v e b e e n c o n s i d e r i n g m y f u t u r e p l a n s f o r s ome t i me a n d h a v e d e c i d e d I w i l l r e t i r e f r o m m y p o s i t i o n a s d e a n a t t h e e n d o f J u l y 2 0 1 2 . I t i s l i k e l y I a l s o w i l l r e t i r e f r om my p o s i t i o n a s R e g e n t s P r o f e s s o r o f p h y s i c s a t t h e s a m e t i m e , w h i c h d e p e n d s o n w h e t h e r I c a n p u t i n p l a c e a p l a n t h a t w i l l c o m b i n e r e t i r e m e n t w i t h r e s e a r c h i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h o t h e r s u r f a c e s c i e n t i s t s . Gary Lawson PORTRAIT Authored or co-authored more than 210 publ icat ions è Given more than 130 invi ted research lectures è Served as major professor to 26 doctoral and three master’s degree students è Di rected work of 12 postdoctoral fel lows è Served as journal edi tor and on edi tor ial board of six journals è Research supported by 35 grants è Fi rst-class honors bachelor’s degree, St. Andrews Universi ty in Scot land è Forrester Pr ize and I rvine Jubi lee Medal for best undergraduate performance in chemistry è Doctor of science degree, Universi ty of Cambr idge è Royal Society of Chemistry fel low è Inst i tute of Physics fel low è AVS-Science and Technology Society fel low è Regents Professor, OSU è Universi ty Dist inguished Professorship, Kansas State Universi ty è Downing Col lege and Sal ters Company fel low, Cambr idge Universi ty è Surface scient ist, Newcast le Universi ty è Senior lecturer, Kansas State Universi ty è Chemistry department head, Kansas State Universi ty è Universi ty Dist inguished Professor Emer i tus of Chemistry, Kansas State Universi ty è Visi t ing associate professor, Universi ty of Cal i fornia, Berkeley è Visi t ing professor, Universi ty of Bar i in I taly è Visi t ing scient ist, Kodak è Visi t ing scient ist, CSIRO Nat ional Measurement Laboratory in Sydney, Austral ia è Program off icer, Analyt ical and Surface Chemistry for Nat ional Science Foundat ion è Outstanding Performance Award, NSF è President ial Award for Outstanding Department Head, Kansas State Universi ty è Associate edi tor, Surface Science Spectra è Edi tor ial board, Surface and Interface Analysis è Treasurer, Appl ied Surface Science Division è Board of di rectors, AVSScience and Technology Society è Board of di rectors, Creat ive Oklahoma è Former president, DaVinci Inst i tute è Commissioner, Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparat ion n ABOUT DEAN SHERWOOD
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OPPOSITE OSU Col lege of Arts and Sciences alumnus and actor James Marsden arr ives at the Los Angeles premiere of HOP held at Universal Studios Hol lywood on March 27, 2011, in Universal Ci ty, Cal i f . Photograph by Barry King/Fi lmMagic LEFT James Marsden as David Sumner and Kate Bosworth as Amy Sumner in Straw Dogs. Photograph by Steve Diet l © 2011 CTMG Inc. 3 Actor James Marsden spent three life-changing (if a bit hazy) semesters at OSU. James “Jimmie” Marsden spent three semesters at OSU and barely started on a broadcast journalism degree in the College of Arts and Sciences. But that was all he needed to chase his dream of being an actor. “OSU was very much in my blood,” he says. “I would’ve stayed had I not had this feeling of the sooner I get to try acting, and the younger I am, the better. I have great memories about Stillwater and Oklahoma State. In a lot of ways it still feels like it’s home for me.” Much of Marsden’s memories of college are, shall we say, hazy, he admits with endearing honesty. He says he coasted through his freshman year in 1991 and was more interested in socializing than anything else. The Making of an Actor “But I needed that,” Marsden says, “because I was not that kind of person in high school. I needed that to accomplish what I was about to try.” Marsden was born in Stillwater but grew up in Oklahoma City, where he went to Putnam City North High School. His father, James Marsden, is a well-known food-safety expert at Kansas State University. When his son was young, the elder Marsden traveled across the country and worked in Washington, D.C., for a meat-packing industry trade association. The actor’s mother, Kathleen Marsden, worked in an Oklahoma City school’s nutrition program where she still works today. His parents met when they were students at OSU but split up when he was 9. A talented drama student in high school, Marsden remade himself in Stillwater. He was a popular freshman pledge at Delta Tau Delta. The tight-knit group of guys made him come out of his shell. “I remember things like sneaking out and meeting up with a sorority somewhere and putting a couple of kegs in the backyard,” Marsden says. He remembers doing the Freshman Follies and Spring Sing where he showcased a rich singing voice. Then came his sophomore year. His friends had chosen majors. They were taking serious looks at their futures. He was doing the same. He wanted to be an actor and knew he would have to leave college to get it done. Otherwise, in a few years he’d be committed to a career path and a lifestyle he knew wasn’t for him. CONTINUES STORY BY Matt Elliott
BELOW James Marsden stars as David Sumner in Straw Dogs, a thr i l ler released in September. Marsden plays a Los Angeles screenwr i ter who returns to the deep South wi th his wi fe. Whi le tension bui lds between them, a conf l ict emerges wi th locals. Photograph by Steve Diet l © 2011 CTMG Inc. 4 OSU was very much in my blood. I have great memor ies about St i l lwater and Oklahoma State. In a lot of ways i t st i l l feels l ike i t’s home for me. — James Marsden, actor
5 It turned out the agent was legit. Marsden was soon auditioning for roles each week. Because dad was footing the bills, all Marsden had to do was focus on his career. Marsden began with small roles on television shows such as Saved by the Bell: The New Class, The Nanny and Party of Five. He did television until landing his first major starring role alongside Katie Holmes in the 1998 horror film Disturbing Behavior. Over the years, his roles became bigger and better. He had a prominent role in the hit television series Ally McBeal. He was Lon Hammond in the classic romantic movie drama The Notebook and found serious fame as the comic book superhero Cyclops in the X-Men film series. Audiences swooned over his talent, screen presence, strong voice and good looks (Marsden also modeled during his career for fashion companies such as Versace). Then came hits like the musical Hairspray, Enchanted and his role opposite Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses. This year has been one of his best. He played the lead role in the film HOP, an animated film grossing more than $100 million as one of the biggest movies of the spring. When he was interviewed for this article, Marsden was in Brussels, filming an American version of one of the most successful Belgian films ever, The Loft, part of a new direction in his career branching out into grittier roles. The movie is a Hitchcockian tale of a group of friends, a love nest and a murder. He jumped at the film’s twist-turning script, the opportunity to bring it to American audiences and the chance to work with Belgian director Erik Van Looy. “I haven’t seen a good thriller in a while,” Marsden says. “I’m such a fan of them. I wanted to see a good one made.” The Loft is part of a strenuous schedule of shooting during the last half of the year, including a starring role with actress Susan Sarandon in the quirky film Robot and Frank. On top of that, Marsden stars alongside Kate Bosworth in Straw Dogs, a thriller released in September. Marsden used to remark during interviews that he’s in that fame sweet spot in which he didn’t get recognized much when he went to the grocery store. That has long since changed. The toughest part, he says, is the time he has to spend away from his family, including his two children. He hasn’t been back to Stillwater since he left more than 20 years ago. He goes home to Oklahoma City each year to visit family during the holidays and sees some of his fraternity brothers regularly there. “A lot of my memories of Stillwater are with the fraternity,” he says. “Lots of people go abroad and travel to Europe after high school. I got to hang out at OSU. And it was great.” He decided he was going to Los Angeles to make it big. “I don’t know if it was courage or just complete ignorance, to be honest,” Marsden says. “It was like I wasn’t thinking it through that much. Maybe that was to my advantage,” he says. “It was sort of against what most people do growing up where I grew up. A lot of people dream of doing that. Rarely does anybody actually pursue that or find success in it. I wasn’t someone who played by the rules, anyway. I wasn’t conforming to any sort of ‘this is the way you’re supposed to do it — this is the way your life is supposed to turn out for you.’ I was just open to all possibilities.” Marsden’s parents supported him all the way. “Telling them I wanted to go to Hollywood was kind of like telling your parents you’re going to Vegas to win the jackpot,” he says. “They saw talent in me. They thought, ‘This probably isn’t the one we turn into a CPA.’” Marsden made a deal with his dad to take care of his rent and expenses for a year in Los Angeles. His dad knew an agent in Los Angeles. If it didn’t work out in a year, he’d come back to OSU and finish school.
6 Addiction specialist and alumnus Kent Hutchison searches for new drug and alcohol abuse treatments. STORY BY Matt Elliott PHOTOGRAPH BY Jonathan Castner Addiction affects millions of people each year in the United States and costs the American economy billions of dollars in lost productivity. Leading the fight against drug and alcohol addiction is College of Arts and Sciences alumnus Kent Hutchison, one of the nation’s foremost experts in how genes, drugs and controlled substances affect our brains. “It’s all about the interplay between genetic risks and exposure to alcohol and drugs,” Hutchison says. Hutchison is a clinical psychologist with the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Mind Research Network, an Albuquerque, N.M., high-tech imaging center. Hutchison studies therapies, the addicted brain and what keeps the brain hooked. He also examines how genes determine treatments’ effectiveness. He uses MRI technology to see what brain areas seem most linked to addiction. “Addiction is a very complicated thing that involves changes in brain genetics and social-environmental factors — all of which change over time. This starts when people are young, and, as psychologists, we see them when they’re 55 or 60 years old. Ideally, you want to study them when they’re 16 and follow up in the next 40 years, but that’s really hard to do.” He has found that genetics and social environments account for much of our vulnerability to addiction. “One of the things that’s always fascinated me is how some people can never quit,” he says. “What is it about some people that lets them quit easily or never have the problem in the first place, while other people develop the problem and never recover?” If the medical community can understand those things, he says, then it might develop better treatments. Hutchison’s work comes as understanding of addiction is evolving. Once considered a result of personal weakness, addiction increasingly is thought of as a brain disease. Hutchison’s area of study is part of a growing field in psychology. The result has been a rise in new treatments and research into whether old treatments for other disorders work with addiction. “There’s been a huge explosion in terms of our ability to look at genes and identify new potential treatments,” he says. “Most treatments today are modestly effective. Even patients who receive the best treatments are likely to relapse in one year.” The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Cancer Institute have funded his research to the tune of millions of dollars. Drug companies have shown interest in his work, funding his screening of their products against different types of drug addiction. CONTINUES At the Forefront of the Mind
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8 Hutchison’s success began thanks to an OSU College of Arts and Sciences professor. Hutchison was a computer science major in 1986, but he took psychology courses and developed an interest in how people tick. Then-professor Frank Collins took him under his wing and let him research alcohol abuse. Collins’ field was clinical psychology, which merges science and clinical work to help people suffering from mental disorders. The subject fascinated Hutchison, and its clinical side appealed to his personality. “Because of that I ended up getting a position as a grad student working on research in smoking and alcohol. My doctoral work was in alcohol abuse, too. All of that was because of opportunities I had as an undergrad.” He finished his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees by 1995 and landed a prestigious post-doctoral position at Brown University in Providence, R.I. He credits OSU with giving him the early clinical background that helped him succeed. In 1998, he was hired at the University of Colorado, one of the nation’s leaders in addiction studies. In 2007, he moved to New Mexico and joined the Mind Research Network. He returned to the University of Colorado in 2011 but remains the network’s neurogenetics director and chief science officer. “In the next five years, hopefully, we should see more progress in terms of increasing treatments’ effectiveness,” he says. Hutchison has published articles in journals including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Psychopharmacology, Neuropsychopharmacology, Twin Research and Human Genetics, Addictive Behaviors and the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. His wife, Angela Bryan, is also a psychologist at the University of Colorado and studies risky behavior. The two frequently collaborate on projects. Kent Hutchison wi th a group of Universi ty of Colorado students studying addict ion and the mind. Hutchison, a Col lege of Arts and Sciences alumnus, is a cl inical psychologist studying how drugs affect our brains. PHOTOGRAPH / UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER. What is i t about some people that lets them qui t easi ly or never have the problem in the f i rst place, whi le other people develop the problem and never recover? — Kent Hutchison, addict ion special ist and cl inical psychologist The Mind Research Network is located in Albuquerque, N.M., where Arts and Sciences alumnus Kent Hutchison studies the connection between the brain and addiction. PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY THE MIND RESEARCH NETWORK.
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11 An Inclusive Spirit College of Arts and Sciences alumna and Choctaw Nation member Gena Timberman uses the sense of community she experienced at OSU as she navigates her job and life. On a day where the temperature is well over 100 degrees, Gena Timberman is cool and composed as she shows visitors the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum. From the glass, steel and zinc visitor center in Oklahoma City, the 1996 OSU alumna points at a symbolic American Indian mound composed of more than a million cubic feet of red dirt. She explains the Courtyard of the Wind consists of lighted pillars with flutes inside them. She talks about the tradition behind the concept of fire, which honors the past, rejoices in the present and anticipates the future. The 37-year-old is the executive director of Oklahoma’s Native American Cultural and Educational Authority, a state agency created in 1994 to build and operate the center and museum sharing the experiences of Oklahoma’s American Indian population. The job involves overseeing a $170 million project that includes a 125,000-square-foot museum, a 250-acre park, a 43-acre commercial center and a 4,000-square foot visitors’ center. The construction, however, is incomplete. In May, the Oklahoma Senate failed to consider bond legislation to fund the project, leaving the project in limbo after more than six years of building. Many would find the delay discouraging. For Timberman this is a journey she will see all the way through. “It is not if we are building, but when.” UNDERSTANDING WHO SHE IS Timberman is well equipped for the uphill trek. Fresh out of law school, a 24-year-old Timberman was asked to work on the museum project. Twelve years later, she knows statistics by rote and quotes them to legislators and laymen alike. The museum would have nearly a $4 billion impact on Oklahoma as a cultural tourism project. Cultural tourists, those who visit museums and sites, spend 36 percent more than other tourists such as conference attendees, and stay 50 percent longer. The museum is expected to open in 2016, a year behind schedule. Despite the delay, Timberman keeps the fires burning. “In Oklahoma, we started out as a collision of cultures and today that has grown into a collaboration of cultures. This is an exciting time to be an Oklahoman and to be a part of this journey,” she says. Timberman’s journey started in a city where church, home and society were united. Mustang, Okla., which is surrounded on four sides by Oklahoma City, would grow from about 10,000 people in 1990 to more than 17,000 in a couple of decades. Despite the growth, Timberman said she found “a spirit of inclusivity.” She attended church camps, took part in community events, and ran track and cross country at Mustang High School. Timberman’s mother worked for the Federal Aviation Administration. Her father was a part-time student for 10 years while working full time at the Dayton tire plant. He graduated with a degree in electrical engineering a year after his daughter entered law school at the University of Oklahoma. “My father was the most influential in terms of me seeking higher education,” Timberman says. “He has a commitment to working hard and to being a dad.” CONTINUES STORY BY Lorene A. Roberson ’84 PHOTOGRAPH BY Jason J. Caniglia
12 From her paternal grandmother, whose first language was Choctaw, she learned about her heritage. Timberman’s grandmother was part of the U.S. government’s plan in the 1900s to assimilate Native Americans by placing them in boarding schools. Timberman has always understood who she is. “Being Choctaw has always been a part of my identity,” she says. “My childhood home was an average, everyday Oklahoma home in terms of how it looked. We had no notable Native American art, but what we had was the feeling and sense of being Choctaw.” ‘MANY TRIBES. ONE SPIRIT’ Timberman participated in a creative writing competition for high school students held at OSU in 1991. She didn’t win the competition but the overnight stay on campus made an impact. “It was my first time on a university campus and I had an opportunity to really explore,” she says. During the college search process a year later, she and her father returned to Stillwater. “It’s daunting looking at opportunities that the world has placed in front of you. Going off to college was like going to a foreign country for me. There was the big question of ‘What do you want to do with your life?’” Timberman and her father met with Pete Coser at the OSU Multicultural Development and Assessment Center, now called the OSU Inclusion Center for Academic Excellence. “Thankfully, we had a great meeting with the inclusion center folks. We felt there would be a positive native community at OSU. The strong support they offered was very attractive to me as a Choctaw girl from a small town in Oklahoma.” As part of the federal workstudy program, Timberman worked for the inclusion center, interacting with students from every culture imaginable including Vietnamese, Hispanic and other Native American cultures. “It was great to meet with people from around the world and other native people from outside the state,” she says. Timberman served as president of the OSU Native American Student Association and received its Outstanding Contribution to the Native American Community Award. The group’s motto — “Many Tribes. One Spirit” — suited Timberman. In 1996, she served on the inaugural planning committee for Orange Peel, a now defunct annual pep rally at OSU that featured comedians Bill Cosby and Norm McDonald and pop artist Dog’s Eye View. Timberman’s involvement at OSU was a stepping-stone to her current job. “To be able to plan all these events and meet so many diverse people was very educational,” she says. “We always received great support from the faculty. There was such a feeling of inclusivity here, which helped guide me personally and professionally,” she says. “Being OSU LEADS THE NATION IN AMERICAN INDIAN GRADUATES OSU led the nation for a second consecutive year in the number of American Indians who graduated with a bachelor’s degree, as reported in Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Citing data from the National Center for Educational Statistics for 2009–2010, the magazine lists OSU as the top degree producer for American Indian Bachelor’s — All Disciplines Combined with 355 American Indians receiving diplomas. Northeastern State University with 335 graduates and the University of Oklahoma with 241 graduates followed OSU. In Oklahoma, we started out as a col l ision of cul tures and today that has grown into a col laborat ion of cul tures. This is an exci t ing t ime to be an Oklahoman and to be a part of this journey. — Gena Timberman on the Amer ican Indian Cul tural Center & Museum (pictured) JASON J. CANIGLIA
13 involved in these organizations allowed me to work with the broader Oklahoma community today. That has helped me a lot in approaching other tribal communities and getting to know people from tribes around the state of Oklahoma. “At OSU, I learned about a cohesive community and how great it was to be a part of something bigger.” REPRESENTING NATIVE AMERICANS OSU fueled another of Timberman’s passions – literature. At OSU, she was exposed to the work of N. Scott Momaday, who is credited with leading the breakthrough of Native American literature into the mainstream. The English major calls Momaday her “absolute, favorite writer.” She also calls him “friend.” At the 2000 American Indian Sovereignty Symposium in Tulsa, she met with the then-66-year-old writer. “I hold such great respect and admiration for him and his work,” she says. The reading and writing prepared her for a “healthy law school experience” that included an internship at the federal Office of Tribal Justice, which falls under the Department of Justice. Much of Timberman’s work supported the efforts of thenAttorney General Janet Reno. “Anytime Ms. Reno had a speech in Indian country our office was responsible for drafting that speech,” she says. “I had the opportunity to attend several meetings with the attorney general and I was very impressed. She just blew me away. She is a very kind woman and very knowledgeable,” she says. “There is an accessible and sincere side that I really admire. She is a woman of integrity and grace and intelligence and poise.” In 1999, Timberman graduated from law school. Fast-forward 10 years. Timberman oversees the cultural center, and the state agency she heads is encouraged to represent Oklahoma’s American Indian population at the World Creativity Forum in Stuttgart, Germany. The conference would be a stepping-stone for Timberman. She and her staff participated in planning the opening for the 2010 World Creativity Forum in Oklahoma City. She worked closely with the Chickasaw Nation to make sure all 39 American Indian tribes in Oklahoma were represented at the forum. “It was a vibrant and exciting display,” she says. “We mixed it up with beautiful, fancy shawl dancers, drummers, singers and concepts of both ancient traditions and contemporary expression.” Such events allow Timberman to be hopeful about the future of the cultural center. “We have $91 million invested in this project. The project makes sense for the state of Oklahoma and for our tribes. A piece of legislation may have died, but our vision to build a world-class American Indian cultural museum lives on.” Phil Shockley PHOTOGRAPH
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15 Gary Lawson PHOTOGRAPHY “Every day somebody is doing something different,” says the OSU alumnus. “Lindsay Lohan is either in jail, out of jail or thinking about going to jail. Mel Gibson is drunk in a bar in Malibu popping off. There’s never a dull moment.” Tourtellotte is Reuters’ editor-in-charge for entertainment in Los Angeles. It’s his job to be sure his employer, one of the world’s largest wire services, has the scoop on whatever shenanigans occur, in addition to the latest on movies, music and television. It’s a pretty good gig for anybody, especially a guy who grew up in Oklahoma City helping his family in the backbreaking business running apartment buildings in Stillwater. Hollywood Crazy STORY BY Matt Elliott LEFT Bob Tourtel lotte ’84, middle, met wi th OSU media and strategic communicat ions students in spr ing 2010 to discuss his career as an edi tor for Reuters, one of the largest mul t imedia news agencies. His fami ly — his father, Dick Tourtel lotte ’54, and sister, Debra Thomas, f lank the edi tor photographed on the OSU campus ear l ier this year — has a long legacy of involvement wi th OSU. His dad and grandfather were raised in Stillwater, and his grandmother Beatrice Tourtellotte was one of the first women to receive an advanced degree from OSU. She owned the first apartment building in town, he says, and the family home was on Hester Street. Tourtellotte remembers playing with his cousins at his aunt’s house on nearby Knoblock Street. “My brother and sister were here,” Tourtellotte says. “We just gravitated to Oklahoma State.” While managing apartments for his family, he double-majored in business administration and economics after trying his hand at mass communications. He’s quick to note he didn’t double major to impress anyone. He had found a loophole that let him graduate with a double major without taking many more credit hours, he says. CONTINUES Bob Tourtellotte can always count on Hollywood producing enough crazy to keep him on his toes.
They put you down on the news f loor. They say, ‘OK, you think you’re a hot shot. Let’s see your smoke. ’ — Bob Tourtel lotte, journal ist 16 After graduating in 1984, he moved to New York City to be a writer. That didn’t work out at first. So he spun his wheels for a while, working for the publishing company Simon & Schuster and later in advertising. He also tried his hand working on Wall Street. His peers were Ivy League grads with more expensive but not more useful degrees. He eventually decided he needed what he called a fancy degree, too, if he was going to make it as a writer. So he went to New York University for a master’s degree in journalism. After finishing his degree, he still couldn’t find work for 2½ years. That is, until one day in 1992. He walked into Reuters’ human resources department looking for a job — any job. The English news service had a huge operation covering American financial markets. They offered him a summer internship and he gladly accepted. “I was a 30-year-old summer intern,” he says. “I always laugh at that now.” Once he had his foot in the door, Tourtellotte worked his way to the news floor, “a real prove-it kind of place,” he says. “They put you down on the news floor. They say, ‘OK, you think you’re a hot shot. Let’s see your smoke.’” His supervisors told him they’d find him a full-time position if he could break news. One of his first assignments was working on the commodities desk writing about things such as traders placing bets on whether the price of orange juice will rise or fall during a period of time. Six months later, he had done well enough to be hired and began writing about treasury bonds. After a year, he learned of an entry-level opening covering small companies in Los Angeles. Those were mostly technology firms specializing in the entertainment industry. Tourtellotte also wrote about early CD-ROM technology, the advent of the DVD and the first wave of Internet-based entertainment. “That introduced me to writing about the studio business — the business part of show business,” he says. Reuters then had an informal entertainment desk in Los Angeles, which allowed Tourtellotte to naturally drift into writing about stars, films and television. His business background gave him a deeper understanding of the subjects. His managers realized his skill. Tourtellotte eventually rose to editor-in-charge for entertainment, a position made just for him. “Now I’m the face of Reuters print in Hollywood,” he says. “I worked my way into it. It’s a job I basically created myself.” Although it’s stressful, he loves his job, in part because of the rapport he has with his reporters and colleagues. During his 19-year tenure, he has met and chatted with some of the greatest artists of the time. Steven Spielberg. Martin Scorsese. Tom Hanks (“Mr. Nice Guy,” Tourtellotte says). George Clooney. People always ask him what celebrities are like in person. The ones with the egos — the Mel Gibsons and Kevin Costners — are exactly how you’d imagine them to be, he says. But when he writes about them, he tries to show their humanity. “Over the years I’ve learned big Hollywood stars and actors are people just like anybody. They have their own issues and their own problems.” Tourtellotte returned to Stillwater last spring for the first time in years, taking leave from work to help his dad during rental season, to recover from a nagging shoulder injury and to visit his sister. In April, he spoke with students in the College of Arts and Sciences. It was the first time in years he missed the famed Cannes Film Festival in France. But he used the time to reconnect with old friends and reacquaint himself with the university he grew up around. “I think I received a really good education here,” he says. “I met a ton of fun people. I had a great time as an undergrad. I suppose at some point I could’ve gone out of state, but I never wanted to, and I’ve never regretted not doing that.”
17 COLLEGE OF Arts & Sciences College of Arts and Sciences Alumni: Stronger Every Day This is an exciting time for the College of Arts and Sciences at OSU. Our college continues to grow and today we have more than 42,000 alumni. The Office of Alumni Relations for the College of Arts and Sciences serves as the constituency to the OSU Alumni Association and, since 1896, has served to strengthen ties among its alumni and friends through its programs and services. For more information or to join the OSU Alumni Association, visit www.orangeconnection.org, or phone Lorene Roberson, media and alumni relations for College of Arts and Sciences, at 405-744-7497 or email lorener@okstate.edu. Alumni Board of Directors President Dr. Timothy Geib, ’98 National Board Representative Dana Glencross ’82/’86 Members Carol Ringrose Alexander ’86 Dr. D. Erik Aspenson ’89 Claudia Holdridge Bartlett ’80 Dr. Carla Britt ’83 Matt Caves ’97 Stacy Dean ’86 Christopher Gafney ’90 Dana Glencross ’82/’86 Lisa Helms-Suprenand ’01 Brian Huseman ’94 Scott Levy ’99 Amy Logan ’97 Theresa McClure ’78 Pam Mowry ’04 David Parrack ’80 Annawyn Shamas ’56 Sara Sheffield-Forhetz ’04 Alumni Liaison Lorene A. Roberson ’84 Office of the Dean 201 Life Sciences East Stillwater, OK 74078 (405) 744-5663 www.cas.okstate.edu Dean Peter M.A. Sherwood, Ph.D., Sc.D. Associate Dean for Instruction and Personnel Bruce C. Crauder, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Academic Programs Thomas A. Wikle, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Research Ron Van Den Bussche, Ph.D. Director of Outreach H. Walter Shaw Director of Fiscal Affairs Renee G. Tefertiller Associate Vice Presidents of Development Jason J. Caniglia John Strah Director of Student Academic Services Amy Martindale, Ed.D.
18 Endowed Chairs and Professorships It’s about understanding the world. It’s about polymers, quantum optics and nation branding. It’s about biogeophysics, 3-D and French women playwrights. And, it’s even about carbonate rocks. But most of all, it’s about understanding the world around us, our place in it and how we can make it better. The College of Arts and Sciences boasts 13 endowed chairs and 13 endowed professorships in a wide range of academic disciplines, from chemistry to journalism to sociology. “Faculty recruitment and retention are important to our college’s competitiveness both in research and teaching,” says Regents Professor Peter M.A. Sherwood, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Endowed faculty positions attract, retain and fund the long-range research of a distinguished scholar or they can support the career development of promising younger faculty.” The faculty positions provide perpetual funds to enhance the holder’s salary, support research and fund related expenses. The funds result from interest earnings on the monies placed in the endowment. A $500,000 donation establishes an endowed chair, while a $250,000 donation establishes an endowed professorship. On the following pages are snapshots of faculty whose research and teaching is supported through endowed chairs and professorships and is making the world better. The Positions Filled Positions Grayce B. Kerr Chair in mathematics: William Jaco Fae Rawdon Norris Professorship in humanities: Perry Gethner Noble Foundation Chair in laser research: Girish Agarwal Noble Foundation Professorship in technology enhanced learning: James Choike AT&T Professorship in mathematics: Igor Pritsker Sun Company Clyde Wheeler Chair in hydrogeology: Estella Atekwana V. Brown Monnett Chair in petroleum geology: Jay Gregg Peggy Layman Welch Chair in strategic communications: Jami Fullerton Harrison I. Bartlett Chair in chemistry: Frank Blum Chesapeake Energy Chair in petroleum geoscience: Michael Grammer Laurence L & Georgia I Dresser Professorship in rural sociology: Riley Dunlap Vacant Positions Fire Emergency Management Program Endowed Chair Vaughn Foundation Professorship Donald Reynolds Centennial Professorship Hannah D. Atkins Professorship for political science and government information Harry Heath-Tulsa Tribune Foundation Professorship in journalism and broadcasting Boone Pickens Endowed Chair in geophysics Welch/Bridgewater Chair in sports journalism Devon Energy Chair for basin research Vennerberg Professorship in developmental disabilities in psychology Vaughn “Trey” O. Vennerberg III Chair in bioinformatics and molecular genetics Vennerberg Professorship in art Doug & Nickie Burns Endowed Professorship in vocal music Masonic Chair in gender studies Houston-Truax-Wentz Endowed Professorship in English Mary Lou Lemon Endowed Professorship for underrepresented voices
19 Regents Professor Frank Blum is interested in how things work. From tennis rackets to golf clubs to fiberglass boats, he wants to make sense of their innards. Blum is an expert in polymers that play essential roles in everyday life. The chair of the chemistry department has co-authored more than 200 publications and has supervised 25 doctoral students. His accolades include an Alcoa Foundation Award and twice receiving the Exxon Education Foundation Award. “In order to create a better tennis racket, we must understand the structural components so we may learn how to design new materials for increasingly demanding applications.” He is heavily involved in the polymer chemistry division of the American Chemical Society, which honored him with distinguished service and special service awards. He is a fellow of the American Chemical Society. Blum earned a bachelor’s in chemistry and a master’s in physical chemistry from Eastern Illinois University. He earned a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. He came to OSU in 2010 from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Gary Lawson PORTRAIT Frank Blum HARRISON I. BARTLETT CHAIR IN CHEMISTRY
20 Regents Professor Girish Agarwal is an expert in quantum optics whose work has been honored with the Max-Born Prize from the Optical Society of America, the Physics Prize of the Third World Academy of Sciences, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize and the Humboldt Research Award. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, the Optical Society of America, the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences and the Third World Academy of Sciences. He built a school of physics at the University of Hyderabad in India. He was the director of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India, for 10 years. He held the Indian National Science Academy’s Albert Einstein Research Professorship and an honorary professorship at the J Nehru Center for Advanced Research in Bangalore, India. He was a frequent visitor to the MaxPlanck Institute for Quantum Optics in Germany. Agarwal earned a doctorate from the University of Rochester where he received the Eastman Kodak Prize. Phil Shockley PORTRAIT Physics Regents Professor Girish Agarwal’s research focusses on fundamental advances in quantum physics at nano scale, precision measurements and high-resolution imaging. Girish Agarwal NOBLE FOUNDATION CHAIR IN LASER RESEARCH
21 Professor Jami Fullerton teaches undergraduate advertising and graduate mass communication courses. Her research interests include the portrayal of gender in advertising, crosscultural communication and advertising education. Currently she is researching U.S. public diplomacy efforts since 9/11. She has published studies in national academic journals including Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, and Mass Communication and Society Journal. She is co-editor of the Journal of Advertising Education. She is former chair of the academic committee for the American Advertising Federation and past head of the advertising division of the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Her accolades include the Women in Communication’s Headliner Award, Tulsa (Okla.) Newsmaker and Billy I. Ross Advertising Education Award. In 2003, she received a grant to study international advertising, specifically the U.S. State Department’s advertising effort in the Muslim world. Research resulting from the grant was published with Alice Kendrick in Advertising’s War on Terrorism: The Story of the U.S. State Department’s Shared Values Initiative. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate from the University of North Texas. “We are looking at how mega-sports events, like the World Cup or the Olympics, affect the international reputation of the nations hosting the games. It’s part of an emerging field called ‘nation branding.’ If host countries understand how those things affect perceptions, they can use that information for economic and political advantages.” courtesy of TulsaPeople Magazine PORTRAIT Jami Armstrong Fullerton PEGGY LAYMAN WELCH CHAIR IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
22 Regents Professor Estella Atekwana’s work has opened a frontier in earth science research: biogeophysics. Her investigations of geomicrobiology — a combination of geology and microbiology — processes have helped pioneer the subdiscipline. Atekwana is studying the transformation of the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 oil spill. Atekwana also has interests in tectonophysics with a focus to incipient continental rifting along the East African Rift System and extensional terranes in southwest Turkey. Like many endowed professors, Atekwana is sought after as a conference speaker and panelist. She has served on panels for the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health and the National Research Council of the National Academies Committee to Assess the Performance of Engineered Barriers. She is involved with the American Geophysical Union, the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Foundation. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in geology from Howard University. She earned a master’s from Howard and a doctorate in geophysics from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Phil Shockley PORTRAIT “I have a project in the Gulf of Mexico looking at how bacteria are breaking down oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Understanding how they do that can make cleanups cheaper and more effective.” Estella Atekwana SUN COMPANY CLYDE WHEELER CHAIR IN HYDROGEOLOGY
23 Regents Professor William Jaco’s career involves understanding the behavior of 3-D objects. He has his own Wikipedia page, which says Jaco works on threemanifolds and is a co-discoverer of the JSJ Decomposition named for its discoverers Jaco, Peter Shalen and German mathematician Klaus Johannsen. Jaco has completed more than 60 reviewed research papers and books, and nearly 250 plenary addresses worldwide. Jaco was executive director and CEO of the American Mathematical Society. His honors include fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, honorary lifetime member of the American Mathematical Society, honorary associate member of the Moscow Mathematical Society and a Recognition for Service to St. Petersburg and Russian Mathematics and Mathematicians. From 1982 to 1987, Jaco served as head of the mathematics department. He is currently the department’s interim chair. He earned a bachelor’s at Fairmont State University in West Virginia, a master’s at Pennsylvania State University and a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Phil Shockley PORTRAIT “I work in three-manifold topology recognizing and classifying 3-D models. Applications include understanding knotting of DNA strands, robotics, surgical reconstruction, special effects and computer simulation, and mining networks.” William Jaco GRAYCE B. KERR CHAIR IN MATHEMATICS
24 Professor Jay M. Gregg brings real-life experience to his students in the Boone Pickens School of Geology. He has worked in the petroleum industry for Sun Company, the minerals industry for St. Joe Minerals Corporation, and the nuclear waste repository program for Westinghouse Hanford Co. Gregg studies sedimentary petrology and geochemistry and applies his expertise to research on the origin of dolomite and the origin and distribution of hydrocarbons and base metals in sedimentary basins. Gregg was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to University College Dublin and was a visiting geology professor at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. He served on the scientific team for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 307. He has authored or co-authored more than 70 professional technical publications on these subjects. Gregg earned bachelor’s degrees in geology and biology at Bowling Green State University, a master’s in geology from Oklahoma State University and a doctorate in geology from Michigan State University. Gary Lawson PORTRAIT “Much of my teaching and research involves carbonate rocks — limestone and dolomite — and how fluids, such as oil and gas, are generated and move in sedimentary basins. This is important to understanding the origin and distribution of petroleum reservoirs in Oklahoma and elsewhere in the world.” Jay M. Gregg V. BROWN MONNETT CHAIR OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
25 Thanks to the research of Regents Professor Perry Gethner, French female playwrights have a prominent place in history books. Gethner, who heads the foreign languages and literature department, has devoted more than 30 years to resurrecting the history of the playwrights. For years, their work was totally absent from anthologies or relegated to just a few pages in history books. Gethner has several other ongoing research projects. His articles focus on a variety of topics including French staging and acting conventions, musical comedy, early opera libretto, religious and didactic themes in drama, and comparisons of male and female authors. He also has published critical editions and translations of plays by such authors as Jean Rotrou and Voltaire, plus several anthologies of works by female playwrights. He earned a bachelor’s from Carleton College in Minnesota and a master’s and doctorate from Yale University. Gary Lawson PORTRAIT “Women have always played a key role in European literature, however, it could be argued that at one point there was an attempt to sweep them under the rug.” Perry Gethner FAE RAWDON NORRIS PROFESSORSHIP IN HUMANITIES
26 Coming to OSU made me feel l ike I always belonged here. I bel ieve the department has the potent ial to become one of the premier stat ist ics departments in the nat ion. — Regents Professor Ibrahim Ahmad, head of stat ist ics department
27 Many professors have long, rewarding careers. Few have taught in or instructed students from as many places as statistics professor Ibrahim “Abe” Ahmad. He’s an ambassador for statistics. “It makes sense,” says Ahmad, one of three College of Arts and Sciences instructors promoted to Regents Professor in 2010. “I grew up in an international neighborhood of Suez, Egypt, near the canal.” From the top floor of his family’s house, he could watch ships pass by in the canal. His father ran a family construction company in Suez and Ismailia. Most of his siblings went into engineering. His mother wanted him to be a doctor. He decided to be the black sheep of the family, he says. “I went to Cairo University’s economics and statistics program thinking I’d become an ambassador,” Ahmad says. “They were just starting it at Cairo, which was an elite college. I ended up being the first and youngest graduate of the college’s first year, 1965.” He was a graduate assistant for Carl Marshall, a visiting professor from OSU, who encouraged Ahmad to attend graduate school at OSU. Ahmad decided on Florida State University because he had family there. He finished his doctoral degree in 1973 and was hired at FSU as an instructor and researcher. A Statistics Ambassador From a child watching ships pass on the Suez Canal to a Regents Professor in an OSU classroom, Ibrahim “Abe” Ahmad has always seen himself as an ambassador. Ahmad has taught students from every inhabited continent on the planet. He is a noted writer who has published dozens of articles. His first paper, a co-authored piece analyzing statistics’ use in biometrics, appeared in a 1974 publication by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. He later delved into survival analysis, looking at machine failure rates and death rates in organisms. He has taught at McMaster University and the universities of Memphis, Maryland, South Florida and Central Florida. His first department head position was over the statistics division of Northern Illinois University in 1987. He also worked for the Florida Auditor General. His visiting positions include posts at Damascus University, the London School of Economics, Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and King Saud University, and Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Fla. His big break, he says, came in 2005 at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., where he had an endowed chair and professorship in the math department. It was a prestigious appointment at one of the nation’s top math schools. He came to OSU in 2008 because the program presented a challenge that appealed to him, he says. It was also a chance to return to a statistics department and live in Stillwater, with a lower cost of living for his retirement. He also knew many of the department’s faculty members. “Coming to OSU made me feel like I always belonged here,” Ahmad says. “I believe the department has the potential to become one of the premier statistics departments in the nation.” He is repairing the department’s budget after the 2008 recession and branching out into risk analysis. He is working on adding a certificate program in bioinformatics, the practice of using statistics to solve problems in molecular biology. He also wants to expand the department’s ties to budding research programs in Saudi Arabia and add faculty members. That should bring in more students and grow the department, he says. “Good students give you the reputation you need once you’re in the marketplace,” he says. Ahmad edited the Journal of Nonparametric Statistics for 15 years. He has also been consulting editor for the Journal of Reliability and Applications. He is an elected fellow of the American Statistical Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Statistical Institute and the Royal Statistical Society. Matt Elliott WORDS Gary Lawson PORTRAIT
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