OU Engage

As president of the University of Oklahoma, I have the opportunity to work with some of the most outstanding young people from around the state, nation, and from more than 95 countries.  From this close contact with our students, I can tell you that there is something special about this generation.  They place a great value in the sense of community and have a strong desire to give back to their communities.

The university cultivates this desire by encouraging students to give back to the community through various community organizations and fostering participation in ongoing university-wide opportunities such as the Big Event and Arbor Day picnic. Our students will take what they see on our campus as a model for communities all around the world in which they live and work.

Our service learning portal, engage.ou.edu further provides service-learning opportunities by matching students and academia with community agencies and tracking their efforts. Through this Web site and the conversations encouraging community engagement, we are creating opportunities for students to do academic work outside the classroom and into the community so that they can have authentic education that will have a meaningful impact in the world.

As a research university we also realize our leadership role in community and our capacity to advance research that benefits our world.

Industry and government collaboration with University of Oklahoma researchers achieves impressive discoveries and technological developments. These mutually beneficial partnerships lead to economic growth and improvements in the quality of life in Oklahoma, the nation, and around the world.

Our Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth provides an environment for researchers, entrepreneurs and students to collaborate in growing, strengthening and diversifying Oklahoma’s economy through the nurturing of technology-based enterprises.

As one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world, the National Weather Center houses 12 OU, state and federal organizations with more than 650 employees, faculty, researchers and students.  Information learned here helps reduce loss of life and property to hazardous weather.

The mission of the University of Oklahoma is to provide the best possible educational experience for our students through excellence in teaching, research and creative activity, and service to the state and society. Being a part of service learning allows us to help build better communities while improving teaching and learning for faculty and students developing them as citizens, leaders and lifelong learners.

Sincerely,

David L. Boren
President