Edmond physician & OSU alumnus endows OSU zoology scholarship

Thursday, July 3, 2008

(STILLWATER, Okla. July 3, 2008) - Dr. G. Michael Steelman, a 1969 Oklahoma State University zoology graduate, has established the first donor-named endowed scholarship in the OSU zoology department to benefit an undergraduate student.
 
“Dr. Steelman’s gift is greatly appreciated because it is the first of its kind to the zoology department and also it shows his commitment to the university where his education began,” said Kirk A. Jewell, OSU Foundation president and CEO. “We hope his gift will inspire other OSU alumni who subsequently earned advanced degrees to remember their undergraduate alma mater for the fundamental education it provided.”
 
The Dr. G. Michael Steelman Endowed Scholarship was created in hopes of giving OSU students opportunities they would not have otherwise while alleviating their financial burdens.
 
“I feel like I got so much out of my experience at OSU, and I wanted to payback the school and help the department that helped me on my way in life,” Steelman said.  “Maybe I can make a difference in somebody’s life that will make a difference in someone else’s life.”
 
Steelman is a practicing physician in Edmond, Okla., and second generation OSU zoology graduate whose father, Dr. Gerald M. Steelman, graduated from the program in 1938.  After earning his bachelor’s degree from OSU, Michael Steelman attended the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine where he graduated in 1973.
 
Michael Steelman is a past president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and is the only individual to be named Bariatrician of the Year twice by the society in 1993 and 2006. He continues to conduct cutting-edge research relative to health and nutrition, as well as maintaining an active practice.  Michael Steelman serves as editor of the “American Journal of Bariatric Medicine.”
 
“Dr. Steelman's gift is extremely important to the zoology department as we take our program to the next level and will help attract additional highly competitive undergraduates to OSU,” said Loren Smith, head of the department of zoology.   
 
To be eligible for the Dr. G. Michael Steelman Endowed Scholarship, students must be a junior or senior majoring in zoology or physiology in the OSU zoology department and must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.  
 
The Oklahoma State University Foundation serves as the private fundraising organization for OSU, as designated by the OSU Regents. Its mission is to unite donor and university passions and priorities to achieve excellence.
 
For more information on the OSU Foundation, log on to our Web site at www.OSUgiving.com   or call 405-385-5100.