Oklahoma State University earns inaugural Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose
Monday, June 24, 2024
Media Contact: Page Mindedahl | Communications Specialist | 405-744-9782 | page.mindedahl@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University is one of just 25 institutions to earn the inaugural Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose.
The distinction, which was recently awarded by the American Council on Education, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University, recognizes institutions that intentionally cultivate leadership abilities among students, faculty and staff.
“OSU is the only land-grant institution and one of three Big 12 members to receive the recognition, which is a reflection of OSU’s commitment to tackling complex societal issues and a deeper understanding of leadership as a public good,” said Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Jerome Loughridge.
OSU Provost and Senior Vice President Jeanette Mendez emphasized the university has always been firmly committed to building principled leaders.
“Our focus is on empowering our students to become ideal graduates and supporting our faculty and staff to best serve students while continuing to elevate OSU as the nation’s premier, modern land-grant university,” said Mendez. “On behalf of OSU, I would like to thank the American Council on Education, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Doerr Institute for New Leaders for recognizing our university with such a high honor.”
Bernard B. Banks, director of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders, said the institute has supported the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation’s collaborative efforts to establish the classification for years.
“We are excited about continuing such efforts in service of improving higher education’s commitment to fostering integrated and intentional leader development for students,” Banks said.
OSU showed excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices supporting dynamic and noteworthy public leadership. The university responded to the classification framework with both descriptions and examples of exemplary institutionalized practices.
“It is a prestigious national honor for OSU to be one of only 25 U.S. institutions to earn the inaugural Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose. The classification reflects both our Cowboy culture following the Cowboy Code, as well as our land-grant mission to serve the people of Oklahoma and beyond,” said Dr. Matt Bowler, MBA director and Hargis Leadership Institute Faculty Fellow. “We cannot overlook the value of the application process, which provides an in-depth assessment of our leadership programming with ways to improve, multiply and coordinate leadership programs across campuses, colleges, functions and interests to the benefit of all Oklahomans.”
OSU demonstrated a steadfast commitment to creating a campus culture of leadership through several learning, teaching and research goals: fostering leadership skills campuswide; enhancing public and scholarly awareness of leadership’s universal benefits while recognizing the social and political contexts in which leadership operates; getting students ready to be leaders for the public good in their careers, communities and society.
“We want to thank our leadership task force, including Hargis Leadership Institute Director, Dr. Josh Taylor, Assistant Director Yokolanda Speight and the rest of the team for their support in this process,” Bowler said.
The 2024 Carnegie Leadership for Public Purpose Classification recipients are:
- Arizona State University
- Boise State University
- California State University-Fresno
- Claremont McKenna College
- Creighton University
- East Carolina University
- Florida International University
- Fort Hays State University
- Gettysburg College
- James Madison University
- Miami Dade College
- Montclair State University
- Oklahoma State University
- Oral Roberts University
- Rice University
- Saint Peter’s University
- San Antonio College
- Simmons University
- U.S. Coast Guard Academy
- U.S. Naval Academy
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Portland
- Valparaiso University
- Wartburg College