OSU Center for Executive and Professional Development, faculty members earn regional outreach awards

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

(October 8, 2008   Stillwater, OK) - The OSU Center for Executive and Professional Development and two Spears School of Business faculty members have received awards from the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA). Award recipients will be honored at the UCEA Regional Conference held in Kansas City Oct. 15-17.
 
James G. Hromas, associate professor of marketing and director of OSU International Education and Outreach and the OSU School of International Studies, will be honored as the recipient of the 2008 Great Plains UCEA John L. Christopher Outstanding Leadership Award. The purpose of the John L. Christopher Outstanding Leadership Award is to provide recognition for outstanding leadership in the UCEA at the regional level as exhibited by participation in regional activities and programs.
 
Hromas has been a driving force within OSU Outreach and a catalyst for change bringing OSU to regional, national and international recognition through his outreach efforts. Hromas previously was director of Business Extension in the Spears School at OSU. He served on the UCEA board of directors from 1999 to 2001 and 2007 to present. He has served as regional representative on the Regional V Executive Committee. In September 2008, Hromas celebrated 40 years of service with OSU Outreach.
 
Patrick B. Dorr, OSU Haskell Cudd professor of accounting, was awarded the 2008 Great Plains UCEA Excellence in Teaching Award. Dorr has achieved excellence in outreach education by offering programs through the CEPD for more than 30 years. His expertise is in programs such as “Income Taxation of Estates” and “Trusts and Estate, Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Taxation.” Dorr also has taught in the Spears School’s Summer in London study abroad program for 7 years. His work with Beta Alpha Psi, as well as service provided in the community, has made him an outstanding award recipient.
 
In addition, the OSU Energy Conference sponsored by the Spears School and the CEPD won the 2008 Great Plains UCEA Non-Credit Program Award.
 
The 2008 Energy Conference featured Boone Pickens and President Burns Hargis in an interview-type format. This conference in 2008 attracted more than 465 people. Many key CEO’s of energy companies and Oklahoma oil and natural gas companies in the Oklahoma City area as well as Houston and Dallas participated in this conference. Speakers at the 2008 conference were the chairman and CEO of Devon Energy; the chairman, president and CEO of OGE Energy Corp.; and the president of completions and production division from Halliburton Company. An emerging biofuels industry panel also addressed the status of biofuels in Oklahoma with representation from OSU and the Oklahoma Deputy Secretary of Energy. Plans currently are underway for the 2009 Energy Conference.

Founded in 1915, UCEA is the principal U.S. organization for continuing higher education, the Association assists institutions of higher learning and affiliated nonprofit organizations to increase access through a wide array of educational programs and services.

The CEPD is housed in the Spears School of Business and offers more 250 programs annually to approximately 15,000 people. These programs include public and on-site programs and conferences, distance learning and on-campus supplemental credit courses, study abroad and travel courses, executive and professional development, and retreat and conference planning. For more information, please call 1-866-678-3933 or visit cepd.okstate.edu