English & Creative Writing alumnus Robert Graalman Jr. (Ph.D. ’78) has been inducted in the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. Graalman grew up in Fairview, graduating as co-valedictorian in 1964 before furthering his education at Oklahoma State University.
After completing his master’s degree in English in 1972, he entered into The University of Tulsa’s graduate program in modern literature, pursuing his doctorate while teaching and assisting the dean of the Graduate School, renowned Professor Tom Staley. “The English Department was filled with remarkable faculty and students,” recalled Graalman. “I was able to study under big name literary scholars such as Hugh Kenner and Bob Scholes, as well.”
Graalman eventually returned to OSU in 1981, this time as an administrator and volunteer teacher to the next generation of English students. He would go on to direct the Henry Bellmon Office of Scholar Development and Recognition until his retirement in 2012. “Our focus was recruiting talented students and connecting them with opportunities that broadened their experiences,” said Graalman. “We had over 60 students winning national awards and scholarships over a two-decade existence.”
One of the students Graalman helped now serves as dean of UTulsa’s Kendall College of Arts & Sciences: Blaine Greteman, who became OSU’s first Rhodes Scholar under Graalman’s guidance. “I’m an example of the sort of student who would never have applied for, or won, a Rhodes Scholarship without the support and encouragement of excellent advising,” said Greteman. “I was extra lucky, because Professor Graalman was that adviser for me.”
Under his leadership students earned many prestigious awards, and OSU was named a Truman Honor School, praised for its focus on undergraduate research and its course “Windows to the World,” which allowed students to hone their debate skills while studying current events.
The success of the Scholar Development Office led Graalman and his peers to establish the National Association of Fellowships Advisors, where he was elected president at its first convention in 2000. According to his NAFA colleagues, Graalman became a “legendary figure” within their ranks and a driving force in professionalizing fellowships nationwide. The association, now 750 members strong, has continued to develop strong national and international components.
The Scholar Development program that Graalman founded continues to assist students with their undergraduate research, providing summer courses abroad and preparing them to compete for national and international awards. “The office that he created remains a model around the country, as I saw firsthand at the University of Iowa, where the fellowship director attempted to emulate it in her own strategic plan,” remarked Greteman.
“Personally, the recent Hall of Fame designation was an incredible honor and surprise,” said Graalman. “It is a reminder that without UTulsa’s academic prowess and willingness to support students in all sorts of ways, none of this would have been possible.”