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Higher enrollment figures at Langston University; discussions on the need for expanding facilities, retaining teachers and increasing security in district schools; and new programs and partnerships at Meridian Tech were among the highlights of last Thursday’s State of the Schools luncheon.
The annual event was hosted by the Guthrie Chamber of Commerce.
Guests included Dr. Mike Simpson, Superintendent of Guthrie Public Schools; Dr. Ruth Jackson, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Langston University; and Dr. Doug Major, Superintendent and CEO of Meridian Technology Center.
Dr. Jackson led the discussion on the much higher enrollment numbers at Langston, particularly in its graduate programs, where enrollments there are up 46% across the board. That has enabled Langston to include a new Master of Science in Agricultural Sustainability program.
She also talked of the university’s success with its new, extended schedule, now in its second year after being implemented late during COVID. It meant a shift of the standard schedule by two weeks for the fall semester, so students can have a longer winter break. Nearly half of Langston’s students are from out of state, so this allows for more travel time without feeling rushed during the holiday period.
Dr. Jackson also spoke of Langston’s commitment to helping with critical occupations, particularly nursing. She described the university’s nursing program and its “RN-to-BSN” track, which enables any nurse with a Registered Nurse license to take additional coursework to convert it to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
Dr. Simpson spoke about the district’s construction and expansion efforts.
“A building doesn’t educate kids,” he said,
See STATE OF THE SCHOOLS on page 5 “but the perception and the image of how important education in the community is, is determined by how things look.”
He emphasized the ongoing work in refurbishing and updating of district facilities, such as renovation work at Guthrie High School.
He underscored the need for expansion of district facilities with over 900 new homes platted for development in the district’s boundaries. He also talked about the high influx of students moving in from out of state over the past few years.
Specifically, he addressed some construction delays at the new elementary school building in the existing Cotteral Elementary space in west Guthrie. That expansion is critical to the district, not only because of the age and condition of the current Cotteral building, but also because it will create 200 additional enrollment spots, which will be needed with the residential development in the district.
He also spoke about the district’s efforts in staffing and how to retain quality teachers and find creative ways to provide additional pay for experienced teachers. He also talked about keeping quality support staff and providing raises for them, as well.
Dr. Simpson also spoke frankly about the recent turnover in the upper levels of district leadership, at the building level. However, GPS was able to fill nearly all of those spots from within, which is important, he said.
“We have been homegrowing our leadership, because they understand about our kids, they understand about our culture, they understand about our community,” he said.
Finally, he talked about the importance of school safety and the work in providing greater physical security, such as increased school resource officers and secure vestibules with man-trap capabilities for entrance to school buildings.
Dr. Major then spoke about Meridian Tech’s ongoing expansion in light of the huge influx of student applications from Meridian’s constituent districts. He said that approximately 20% of students from the districts in Meridian’s coverage area are able to take advantage of their courses, and that the number of applicants has been increasing.
He described new programs at Meridian Tech, such as Criminal Justice. Meridian found that local law enforcement had a great need but that most applicants were not ready to move forward. So, Meridian put together a Criminal Justice program from the recommendations of law enforcement at the local and county levels.
He also talked about utility technologies, which is needed due to the lack of local utility talent. Meridian has been working with local utilities, and also with USIC, which has been a critical direct partner in this program. They have essentially established a training and internship program with Meridian in which students are able to learn directly from instructors and with equipment all provided by USIC.
Dr. Major also highlighted Meridian’s growing STEM programs, as well as a partnership with NASA. In a recent project assigned from NASA as part of that program, students were assigned the task of developing creative and innovative methods for creating intravenous fluids for use by astronauts in space. This not only entails recycling of existing water, typically through urine or other wastewater products generated in space, but also purifying that water to a level suitable for use with an IV injection.
Thursday’s event was sponsored by Blake Wimsey of Foundation Insurance and Risk Management.