OSU tops in Native American graduates

Friday, July 23, 2010

Native American students Rachele Adale War, left, and Christina Kitchell, both of McAlester, Okla., celebrate graduation following the Spring 2010 Commencement Ceremony at Oklahoma State University. In the most recent data, OSU is tied for first in the nation in the number of Native Americans who graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

Oklahoma State University is leading the nation in the number of Native Americans who graduate with a bachelor’s degree, according to the magazine “Diverse Issues in Higher Education.”

Citing preliminary data from the National Center for Educational Statistics for 2008-2009, the magazine lists the OSU campus in Stillwater and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah as tied for number one among top degree producers nationwide for “All Disciplines of Native American Baccalaureate” with a total of 370 Native Americans receiving diplomas on each campus.

“Oklahoma is home to about 40 federally and state recognized Native American tribes with diverse cultural backgrounds and proud heritages, and OSU is honored to play a leading role as a launching pad in the education and success of these future leaders,” said Dr. Jason F. Kirksey, associate vice president for Institutional Diversity.

The statistics also indicate OSU is tops in the number of Native Americans who earn degrees in three of five broad educational categories. OSU was first in engineering; biological and biomedical sciences; and business management, marketing and related support services.

The NCES statistics show OSU and NSU were followed by the University of Oklahoma with 258 Native American graduates. Other schools in Oklahoma included in the national top 20 were Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, East Central University in Ada and the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.