Record-breaking class of 2028 welcomed at Cowboy Kickoff
Monday, August 19, 2024
Media Contact: Page Mindedahl | Communications Specialist | 405-744-9782 | page.mindedahl@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University welcomed a record-breaking freshman class at Cowboy Kickoff last Friday inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
OSU President Kayse Shrum expressed her excitement for the class of 2028 to be on campus.
“We've been waiting all summer for you all to get here. Stillwater just isn't the same without you. I'm always excited having the students show up,” Dr. Shrum said. “I don't know if you know it, but you are the largest freshman class in Oklahoma State University's history.”
Shrum encouraged students to look outside their comfort zones in the coming weeks and provided some advice on how to make their experience on campus positive.
“Challenge yourself to do something that you've never done before, to learn something new, things that test you as a person. I promise you that when you become comfortable being uncomfortable, you will find success,” Shrum said. “The second, I think, is very understated in our times, and that is be kind. The world can be harsh at times, so let's give ourselves some grace and give grace to others. You never know how much a smile or a regular act of time can change somebody's life. You never know when somebody needs you to be that person.”
Cowboy Kickoff allows students to learn a few things about their academic journey at OSU. Freshmen were introduced to the Cowboy Code, along with the OSU fight song and alma mater.
New men’s basketball coach Steve Lutz also spoke at the event, giving away two pairs of custom shoes to lucky students and inviting them to invest in each other and support each other's indevours.
“Everybody in this arena needs one another, I'm telling you, we all need one another,” Lutz said.
Josh Holliday, Cowboy baseball coach and 1999 alumnus, also spoke to students. Holiday discussed the importance of helping fellow classmates, never knowing who you may meet along the way.
“I sat in the front row of my classes. I encourage you to do it, but I would walk into my American history class and see this girl, and on my way out, I would see her again,” Holliday said. “I didn’t have the confidence to introduce myself to her… three years later, we went on a blind date together, and 23 years later, she’s my wife.”
For the third straight year, OSU broke its freshman enrollment record and propelled itself as the state’s largest university system, which includes OSU-Stillwater, OSU-Tulsa, OSU Center for Health Sciences, OSU Institute of Technology and OSU Oklahoma City — nearly 36,000 students.