Northern Oklahoma College (NOC) is a community college located in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, with additional campuses located in Enid, Oklahoma and Stillwater, Oklahoma. Student enrollment is approximately 2,700. NOC bought the former Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma in 1999, and has turned it into the NOC Enid campus.
History
The history of Northern Oklahoma College began in 1901 when the Honorable James Wilkin realized the need for a college in the Tonkawa, Oklahoma area. Thus, the sixth Territorial Legislature passed an appropriation bill on March 1, 1901 for the establishment of the University Preparatory School at Tonkawa. The doors opened to 217 students and 7 faculty. From 1913 to 1915, it was known as the Oklahoma Institute of Technology.
The school closed during World War I from 1917 to 1919, when Governor Robert L. Williams vetoed the appropriation bill for the biennium. It reopened September 2, 1919, after Gov. James B. A. Robertson signed an appropriation bill for its reestablishment. College-level courses were added in 1921, the college was named Northern Oklahoma Junior College in 1941, and the high school curriculum was phased out by 1951. The school was renamed Northern Oklahoma College in 1965.
During the first two decades, the school served primarily as a "feeder" institution for the University of Oklahoma and paralleled the university curriculum of music, foreign languages, business, literature, and military science. In addition, the school served as a cultural center for the performing arts, a distinction that continues today with the 2006 dedication of the Kinzer Performing Arts Center.
Of utmost importance was the school's first accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities in 1948. Then, with the passage of the Higher Education Code in 1965, the institution received its present name, Northern Oklahoma College, and the three-person Board of Regents was expanded to five members. Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard became the tenth president; he served for twenty-five years and retired as the college's president holding the longest tenure. During his administration the campus underwent an expansive building program. During the last two decades, Northern has expanded its physical plant, broadened its curriculum, increased its student enrollment, and developed campuses in Enid and Stillwater.
Additionally, Northern is a leader among Oklahoma colleges in technological advances in developing multiple on-line and interactive television courses that serve students in rural and remote areas who could not otherwise attain a college degree. The educational achievements of this school, and the opportunities it affords for the expansion of knowledge, culture, and training are manifest in the recognition and support currently and historically given it by area residents and businesses, by state agencies, and by Oklahoma peer institutions. NOC is nationally recognized by the Aspen Institute in Washington DC as being in the top 10 percent of community colleges in the country.
Administration
Dr. Cheryl Evans is in her third year serving as the President of Northern Oklahoma College.
Prior to her position at NOC, Evans served seventeen years at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. For ten years she taught media courses and chaired the communication department on the Alva campus. For the next seven years Evans led the University’s Enid Campus. While at Northwestern, she served as self-study chair for the institution’s 2004 accreditation visit from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. She has served as a peer reviewer for the Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality for the commission since that time.
She was raised in Cherokee, Oklahoma and completed her B.A. in Mass Communications at Northwestern. She finished her M.A. in Communication at Wichita State University and her Ed.D. at Oklahoma State University. While at Northwestern, Evans was recognized with the John Barton Distinguished Teaching and Service Award in 2004 and selected by the Student Government Association as the John Sheffield Teacher of the Year in 2000.
Evans is an active community member having served as the Enid Chamber of Commerce Chair for the 2010-11 year. She is presently an ex officio member of the Tonkawa and Ponca City Chamber of Commerce boards. In addition, Evans chairs the Community Development Support Association Board and serves as secretary of the Integris Bass Health Center Board. Evans is an ex officio member of the Ponca City University Center Advisory Board and appointed by the Governor to the Oklahoma Historical Society Board. In addition she is a member of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence board.
Evans’ honors include Leadership Oklahoma Class XXI, current LOK board member, and serving as a past program chair for Youth Leadership Oklahoma. She is a graduate of Leadership Tonkawa, Leadership Ponca City, and Leadership Greater Enid. She completed Harvard University’s Middle Management Program and Oklahoma’s Educators’ Leadership Academy. She has twice been recognized as one of the Journal Record’s Woman of the Year “50 Making a Difference†honorees. She was selected as a member the charter class of the American Council on Education (ACE) Institute for New Presidents.
Locations
Northern Oklahoma college consists of three campuses:
- Tonkawa, Oklahoma
1220 East Grand - Enid, Oklahoma
100 South University Avenue - Stillwater, Oklahoma
1118 West Hall of Fame
Tonkawa
The Tonkawa campus, established in 1901, serves as administrative center for Northern with campuses in Tonkawa, Enid, and Stillwater. All program oversight in academic, financial, student service, personnel, development, physical plant, and information technology is housed in Tonkawa. Some 2,200 students attend class on campus, by ITV, via online, or at technology centers. The Tonkawa campus is the home of the Eleanor Hays Art Gallery, which hosts exhibits by Oklahoma artists throughout the academic year. It is also home to radio station KAYE-FM, the A. D. Buck Museum of Science and History, and the North Oklahoma Botanical Garden and Arboretum.
Enid
The Enid campus was established in 1999 in conjunction with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) and the City of Enid. The facility had been the home of Phillips University, which had gone bankrupt in 1998. Since its purchase by NOC in 1999, this campus has grown in offering multiple two-year liberal arts degree programs to some 1,200 students each semester. Among the more popular degrees offered are Nursing, Business Administration, Education, Social Science, and Pre-Medicine. The College also has numerous cooperative degree programs in medical and electronic areas with Autry Technology Center the local career technology center. Northern Oklahoma College brings a complete college experience to Enid with varsity athletics, dorms, cultural events and more. The Enid campus continues to expand its faculty, curriculum, and clubs and activities to meet the needs of people in northwest Oklahoma.
Stillwater
The Stillwater campus, established in 2003, serves multiple missions to area students. Primarily a Gateway Program, the Stillwater campus serves students who would otherwise not be admitted to Oklahoma State University. The campus, however, also admits students seeking general education courses that transfer to other comprehensive colleges and universities. Northern Stillwater admits approximately 300 new Students each fall and spring semester, serving some 1,700 students.
Degrees
Associate in Arts Degrees Art Child Development, Communications Mass Communications Option, Communications Theater Option, Criminal Justice Administration, Education-Elementary Option, English, English-Creative Writing Option, Enterprise Development-Business Administration Option, Enterprise Development-General Studies Option Music, Music Business Option, Music Theater Option, Social Science, Social Science Behavioral Science Option
Associate in Science Degrees Agricultural Science, Arts and Sciences-General Studies Option, Arts and Sciences-International Studies Option, Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences-Pre-Medicine Option, Biological Sciences-Pre-Pharmacy Option, Business Administration, Business Administration-International Business Option, Business Administration-Management Information Systems (MIS) Option, Computer Science-Pre-Professional, Enterprise Development-Business Administration Option, Enterprise Development-General Studies Option, Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Health, Physical Education, and Recreation-Athletic Training Option, Mathematics and Physical Science Mathematics and Physical Science-Astronomy Option, Mathematics and Physical Science-Chemistry/Physics Option, Mathematics and Physical Science-Mathematics Option Mathematics and Physical Science-Pre-Engineering Option, Nursing-Pre-Baccalaureate, Pre-Professional
Associate in Applied Science Degrees Applied Technology-Military Science Option, Aviation, Professional Pilot Option, Business Management, Business Management-Entrepreneurship Option Digital Media Animation and Design, Engineering and Industrial Technology-Power Generation Option, Engineering and Industrial Technology-Process Technology Option Graphic Arts, Nursing-Registered Nurse (RN)
Associate in Applied Science Degrees-Cooperative Agreements Electronics Technology, Electronics Technology-Wind Energy Option, Engineering and Industrial Technology-Drafting and Design Option, Engineering and Industrial Technology-Process Technology Option, Automation Tech Area of Emphasis, Graphic Arts, Health Services Technology, Information Technology-Interactive Media Option Information Technology-Network Engineering Option, Information Technology-Web Development Option, Nursing-Registered Nurse (RN), Office Management, Office Management-Medical Assistant Option, Radiography, Respiratory Care, Surgical Technology
Arts Adventure
Arts Adventure is an annual summer program held by NOC.
Digital Media Institute
Digital Media Institute (DMI) is located on the bottom floor of Wilkin Hall. DMI currently operates the Digital Media and Animation Design Program. Digital Media and Animation Design (DMAD) consists of digital film making, 3D modeling and animation, basic graphic design, 3D texturing, motion graphics, and basic web design.
Athletics
Tonkawa Mavericks
The Tonkawa campus has men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball and cheerleading teams. Northern Oklahoma College won the 1979 NJCAA Women's Basketball Championship, 74-52 against Tyler Junior College. The professional wrestler "The Big Show" played basketball for the Mavericks in 1990-1991 before transferring to Wichita State. NBA player John Starks played basketball for the Mavericks during one semester in the 1980s. Pitcher Clint Straka was drafted into the Seattle Mariners in 2006. After NOC, he played baseball for the University of Central Oklahoma, where he was named to the Third Team 2008 National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association Division II All-American Team.
Enid Jets
The Enid Jets were established in 2001, and have had 18 championships, 21 NJCAA All-Americans, and 58 Academic All-Americans. The Jets have men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball and cheerleading teams. The Lady Jets basketball team were NJACC Region II Champs 2010 and 2011. The Enid Jets baseball team were conference champions in 2002, 2003, and 2005. They were Region II champions in 2002 and 2004, and runners up in 2009. They were Southwest District Champions in 2002, and also received 3rd place in the NJCAA World Series in that year.
Notable alumni
- Ruth Muskrat Bronson, (1897-1982) Cherokee educator and Native American rights advocate
- Dale DeWitt, majority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
- Jim Reese, former member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
References
External links
- Northern Oklahoma College official website
- History of NOC from Oklahoma Historical Society