The 2025–26 academic year has been a remarkable one for the Oxley College of Health & Natural Sciences, and I’m delighted to share just a few of the highlights with you in this post‑graduation edition. Together, we celebrated 404 new Oxley graduates this May, with 299 bachelor’s, 68 master’s and 37 doctoral degrees conferred. Leading our graduates into commencement was our college flag bearer, B.S.N. graduate Beatrix Caudal, whose campus involvement, academic excellence, service and clinical accomplishments exemplify the best of Oxley. We are proud of each of our graduates and look forward to reconnecting with them at future alumni events.
Our students distinguished themselves across the university and beyond. This year, Oxley was home to two Barry Goldwater Scholarship recipients and six of the 10 Jess Chouteau Outstanding Seniors. Both the homecoming queen and homecoming king were Oxley students, underscoring the breadth of our students’ leadership across campus. At graduation, Charles Brown, Ph.D., from the Department of Biological Sciences was recognized with the university’s Outstanding Teacher Award, a powerful affirmation of the transformative teaching happening in our classrooms and labs.
These milestones are part of a much larger story of impact. Throughout the semester, our students, faculty and alumni were featured regularly in university news for their achievements in teaching, scholarship, clinical practice and service. I encourage you to take a moment and explore these stories.
We closed the spring semester with our annual Oxley Awards Ceremony, honoring faculty, staff and students whose work is truly inspiring — from Outstanding and Rising Star Teaching Awards to Outstanding Research Awards to the Outstanding Staff Award. The highlights of the evening were the departmental student recognitions for academic excellence, clinical practice and service across each department and program. Finally, the Dean’s Excellence Awards were presented to a deserving student and a deserving faculty member. You can read more about the award recipients in our newsletter.
None of these accomplishments would be possible without the steadfast support of families, friends, alumni and industry partners. Your encouragement, mentorship and investment in our students make a tangible difference every day. We are especially grateful for the generosity shown during The University of Tulsa’s 2026 Giving Day, when Oxley departments and programs received more than $200,000 from 121 gifts. Your belief in our mission sustains the work we do and expands what is possible for our students.
When you do what you love, in a place that you love, with people that you love, amazing things happen. Thank you for being such an important part of that story.
RW