Enrollment Increases for Fall

Enrollment at Northeastern State University rose again for the Fall 2010 term, with the institution announcing a combined enrollment of 9,588 at the Tahlequah, Muskogee and Broken Arrow campuses.

Figures were up 2 percent at Tahlequah, 7.7 percent at Muskogee and 5.5 percent at Broken Arrow.

This fall's enrollment is an increase of 2.9 percent over the Fall 2009 number of 9,318, and this semester's figure is just 53 students shy of NSU's record. This term's freshman class is also large, numbering 1,223.

"We are delighted to welcome nearly 10,000 students," said NSU President Don Betz. "The enthusiasm of our record freshmen class was evident from Rookie Bridge Camp through the First Year Experience to the first days of classes and university activities."

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NSU Graduate Delivers Battenfield-Carletti Lecture

Tahlequah business woman Danielle Coursey, the operating partner of Backwoods Food Manufacturing, gave the Battenfield-Carletti Distinguished Entrepreneur Lecture at Northeastern State University on August 25 in a packed Webb Center auditorium.

Coursey, an NSU alumna, related her journey from running an in-the-home business to overseeing full-scale food preparation and packaging.

Incorporated in 1999, Backwoods Food Mfg. is an FDA licensed and regulated plant that bottles acidified food products such as salsa, barbecue sauce, pickles, relishes, condiments and dry seasonings for over 40 different companies all over the United States. Coursey has grown the company from a small part-time effort at launching a line of food-filled gift baskets called Backwoods Baskets to an 8,400-square-foot full-scale manufacturing facility employing 10 people in rural Cherokee County.

Coursey earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1986 and a Master of Business Administration in 1998 from Northeastern State University. She is a past director of the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center at NSU and has authored a business advice column in the Muskogee Phoenix. Prior to her employment with the OSBDC, Coursey had a long history in retail sales and management.

Established in 2002 through the NSU Foundation by Dr. Harold Battenfield and Dr. John Carletti, the Battenfield-Carletti Distinguished Entrepreneur Lecture Series invites NSU alumni to campus to share their entrepreneurial experiences with students.

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Alumni Among Finalists for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year

Three Northeastern State University alumni along with nine other finalists were announced July 23 by State Superintendent Sandy Garrett for 2011 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.

Carol Hunsperger of Grove Lower Elementary School, Lynette Miller of Jenks West Intermediate School and Leesa Dickson of Claremore Westside Elementary School earned degrees at NSU, which has more alumni represented among this year's OTY finalists than any other Oklahoma university.

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Masonic Fraternity Funds Leadership Endowment at NSU

A new $100,000 gift will be used to support growing student leadership opportunities at Northeastern State University. David Ray, President of the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma, presented the endowment during an August 15 dinner welcoming student university leaders.

The Masonic Leadership Endowment Fund will fund the provision of resources to leadership organizations and programs on campus, such as President's Leadership Class, Honors and RiverHawks Impacting Student Enrollment.

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Cook Named Interim Director of Development, Foundation

Northeastern State University recently named Jerry Cook, director of community relations, interim director of development and executive director of the NSU Foundation beginning Sept. 9.

He will replace John Gyllin, who is leaving for a position as vice president for advancement and executive director of the College of Coastal Georgia Foundation.

"John is a great friend and colleague and I will miss him," said Cook. "Over the past three-plus years John and I worked with an excellent team on federal and state funding issues."

Cook will oversee overall institutional development and communicate with all departments about their funding needs. As foundation director, Cook will manage financial resources to promote and sustain growth of the institution through the support of all stakeholders.

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NSU Named a Military Friendly Institution

By demonstrating an institution-wide commitment to facilitating the transition of military veterans to academic life, Northeastern State University is included in a list of military friendly education institutions compiled by G.I. Jobs for the 2010-11 academic year.

G.I. Jobs' 2011 list of Military Friendly Schools can be seen at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com/2011list. The roll honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools which are doing the most to embrace America’s veterans as students.

NSU has seen a spike in the number of veterans enrolled in recent years—a welcomed challenge shared by other colleges and universities as an estimated 425,000 veterans are now enrolled in higher education institutions nationwide.

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RiverHawk Football Season Tickets Available

The cooler temperatures can only mean RiverHawks Football is right around the corner. The home opener is Saturday, Sept. 11, against Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. Reserved season tickets are still available for purchase.

Please contact the Athletic office at (918) 444-3900 for more information or to purchase your season tickets. There are plenty of good seats available.