
It’s a crisp, bright, new year on campus, and we look forward to welcoming students back for the spring semester. We’re kicking things off with a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the inauguration, visit historic sites, and tour museums including the National Museum of African American History and the National Museum of the American Indian. The trip was made possible with a planned estate gift from one of our most loyal supporters, Jenk Jones. A legendary newspaper man, Jenk ran the Tulsa Tribune for decades, starting a Washington bureau and a full-time investigative department that broke major stories with national significance. He wanted UTulsa students to have the same experience of witnessing history in the making. Specifically, he wanted them to attend presidential inaugurations and other significant events. So this year, in addition to using his gift to send the university’s largest-ever delegation to the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature, we decided to organize a trip to Washington.
Students were asked whether they’d like to commit to go see the new president sworn in – no matter who won. And over 40 enthusiastically said yes. So, a group of history and political science faculty, along with me and Associate Dean Danielle Macdonald, will chaperone a group to Washington, where we’ll meet alumni, see the sites, and consider the complexities of democracy and U.S. history from a new vantage point. Most of the students on the trip have never been to the capitol. Many have never been on a plane. All are tremendously excited, grateful, and surprised that a generous stranger would make this all possible for them. Along with me, they’re learning that kind of intergenerational support is what makes UTulsa special. So please consider making or topping up your own gift, and read on about other excitements in the college that have been made possible with your support – including our revitalized Department of Philosophy & Religion and our relaunch of Nimrod as an internationally significant literary magazine.
Happy New Year!
Blaine Greteman
Dean of the Kendall College of Arts & Sciences
The University of Tulsa