FALL 2012 2012 HOMECOMING OCTOBER 18-21 Alumni a campaign everyone magazine FALL 2012 can support: The University of Tulsa In this Issue Annual Fund features 3 Meet Dr. Geoffrey Orsak, The University of Tulsa’s 18th president. True Blue Nation! Homecoming 2012 8 Welcome to Homecoming 2012 9 Homecoming Schedule of Events 13 Official Homecoming Registration 16 Homecoming Honorees All of the promises, none of the politics. equipment, technology, affiliations departments and travel that benefit students Looking for a campaign that takes the every day. 26 University News 32 Alumni News 34 Class Notes high road? One that cuts through the 42 In Memoriam 44 Bookend rhetoric and produces proven results? Vote for a winner this Election Day. One that puts people first? Give to the TU Annual Fund. 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TO CONTACT US OR COMMENT ON THIS MAGAZINE: COORDINATOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS 918-631-2555 • 1-800-219-4688 • [email protected] On July 1, 2012, Dr. Geoffrey Orsak became The Q: What appealed to you most about the University of Tulsa’s 18th president. Orsak comes opportunity to lead TU? to TU from Southern Methodist University, where A: It wasn’t absolutely clear to me beforehand that this he served eight years as dean of the Bobby B. Lyle was going to be a good fit for me and a good time in my Moving School of Engineering. He previously served as a career. It wasn’t that I was skeptical, but I was enjoying faculty member at George Mason University. what I was doing [at SMU]. And then I hit the ground Orsak achieved notable success at SMU, [here at TU] and almost immediately fell in love with the including a 20 percent growth in faculty, funding campus; how do you not love such a beautiful place? But beyond that, it’s the quality of the people, and it’s been an and construction of two major buildings, some of Forward extraordinary experience getting to know this university. the nation’s highest levels of research funding per It didn’t take long before I realized this is a place where I The University of Tulsa’s new faculty member, consistent operating surpluses, and would love to be. growth of more than 400 percent in undergraduate I think the greatest strength is the community here, president has hit the ground engineering applications. Enrollment growth included in the sense that people really do care about where this raising the Lyle School’s percentage of female university goes. Unlike a lot of institutions where you have running and is ready to write great individuals but the institution hasn’t come together engineering students to twice the national average. as a really great team, this place is already a great team. TU’s next chapter. Orsak is an engineer by training, with bachelor’s, So to have that, you know you’re going to win. master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical and In addition, you’ve just got some world-class academic computer engineering from Rice University. His programs. You’re not nationally recognized simply particular expertise is in signal processing and because everyone is wearing the university T-shirt; you’re information theory. He has led about 30 sponsored nationally recognized because you’ve got programs all across this campus that are extraordinarily well regarded research projects that have advanced the state and distinguished. We’ll continue to build on those of digital technology, and he has worked as a programs as we go forward, but as a comprehensive technology advisor to the U.S. Department of university with great ambition, there’s a lot more that we Defense. can do, and we’ll need the help of all of our friends to be Orsak’s contributions to education are equally able to do it. To go from where this institution is now to distinguished. One of his most visible achievements where we all want it to be is going to be a lot of work. But that’s the fun of the job; that’s where it gets exciting. is the Infinity Project – a nationwide K-12 science education initiative that has reached millions of Q: What are your thoughts about TU’s progress students. At SMU, he also established a colorful in the U.S. News & World Report rankings and engineering outreach program called Visioneering. our #75 standing (as of the 2012 report)? In 2006, the editors of EE Times magazine called Orsak a “true pioneer and visionary” and named him A: The kinds of universities that this institution is now part of — that community — are really the best in the Educator of the Year in engineering and science. His country. It’s great to be part of that club, and as somebody work has brought him several other honors, awards, who is very competitive, I think it’s even more exciting to and key appointments. compete against those great institutions. As they say, “Now Orsak is married to Dr. Catherine Orsak, who has it’s on.” This institution is really ready for that great next extensive administrative and teaching experience in push. the field of psychiatry. They have two children: Mary Elizabeth, 12, and Peter, 8. Q: What are your top priorities coming in? On June 19, we sat down with President Orsak, A: There are some obvious ones that I think we’re who was already running at top speed with his all excited about. The development of the new Tulsa transition into the office of president. School of Community Medicine is going to be incredibly important to the state of Oklahoma. This is a state that really struggles to deliver health care to the greater population. And so, this is the kind of thing that great universities do. Not only do they do path-breaking FALL 2012 2 FALL 2012 3 research and scholarship, but they also look out and they Q: Some might assume, with varying degrees of anything I’ve seen. I’ve gotten e-mails from students asking solve problems that really matter to the people they serve. excitement, that your background in engineering for appointments already. They have ideas about things The other obvious priority is taking advantage and that they want to see implemented on campus. We’re will shape your priorities as president. Can you leveraging the relationship with Gilcrease Museum and scheduling them just as if the mayor called; they are, for the new research that can be done there. This is a museum comment on that? me, just as important as anybody. that has holdings that really are undiscovered. Going to A: I was asked about this during our faculty and that museum is like going to an archaeological dig. It will staff meeting in May. I said at the time, “If anyone is Q: Are your meetings taking you off campus as be decades before we’ve really been able to sift through concerned about me being an engineer, I guarantee you well? everything. But what we do know is that what is there can’t it’s the engineers.” While academically, my tradition is be found any place else in the world. The insights that we in engineering, my presidential responsibilities center on A: Absolutely. I was at the Chamber of Commerce will get about the history of the Americas that come from leadership and problem solving. And really, my passion yesterday, and meeting with the editorial board of the this will really change how we perceive ourselves and how has evolved over time to include these comprehensive newspaper in the morning. Every place where we have an we perceive the development of North and South America. challenges. I’m excited about everything, and I represent influence or can deepen the relationship, I’m going to go In addition, we’ve got all these other programs that the entire university – from the engineers to the professors and make sure they know this is The University of Tulsa.