Dean, School of Law

Situated in the state capital, the OCU School of Law operates in a renovated historic building located in downtown Oklahoma City. The downtown location is enhanced by its proximity to numerous government agencies, law firms and service organizations, and provides broad networking opportunities, internships, volunteer programs and entertainment, all within walking distance from the School of Law.

The School of Law’s academic programs and faculty strive for excellence, academic achievement and public service. The law faculty at OCU prepare students to become servant leaders in their local community and the world. Students are passionate about making a global difference by transforming the strategies and resources provided to them at OCU, to contribute to the world.

With a full-time faculty body of 21 and an enrollment of 453 students, the School of Law offers a learning environment that is challenging and supportive. Faculty, students, community members and alumni are closely connected through opportunities for students to contribute in areas such as the Oklahoma Innocence Project and the Judge Alfred P. Murrah Center for Homeland Security Law and Policy Center. With an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the School of Law is committed to providing a world-class education to their diverse student body. The law faculty is committed to the success of their students and prepares students to become servant leaders in their respective communities.

For more information regarding OCU’s School of Law, please visit http://law.okcu.edu/.

Faculty

The faculty at Oklahoma City University School of Law is committed to the intellectual and professional growth of every student. Faculty members hold law degrees from a variety of law schools, including the nation’s most prestigious. Many faculty members also hold advanced degrees and have significant practice-based experience. First Amendment law, environmental law, firearms and Second Amendment law, health law, American Indian law, intellectual property law and national security law are just a few of the areas of focus for our faculty.

Students

The majority of the law students at the institution are residents of the state of Oklahoma (58%); 27% of students are from Texas. The balance of the student body represents 31 states and 5 countries. The student body is 55% female and 45% male. While 59% of the student body reports their ethnic origin as Caucasian/White, 19% report as Hispanic or Latino; 9% report as two or more ethnicities; 6% as African Americans; and 3% as American Indian, Native Alaskan or Asian respectively. Fifty percent of the students did not report any religious preference or indicate no religious affiliation.

Facilities

The School of Law is located near downtown Oklahoma City in a building constructed in 1910 to be the city’s first high school by the same architect who designed the Oklahoma State Capitol. The building features iconic art deco details from its origins with state-of-the-art technology, classrooms, study spaces, courtroom, dining facilities and public areas. The building has played an important role in the life of the city for decades and, because of this, well represents the School of Law’s tradition of more than a century of service and leadership in the community. The school’s Chickasaw Nation Law Library is available to students 24/7 and offers 613,000 titles, including 450 digital study aids.

Special Programs

In Oklahoma, students who have successfully completed half the course hours for a JD, as required by the American Bar Association, are eligible for a limited license to practice law, and those who qualify may appear in court under certain circumstances. As a companion to this state licensing policy, Oklahoma City University School of Law has created close to 100 externship opportunities at municipal and state courts, governmental agencies, corporate counsel offices and nonprofit organizations, where academic credit can be earned in a variety of practice placement sites with field supervisors, operating under the guidance of a full-time director of externship programs.

The Judge Alfred P. Murrah Center for Homeland Security Law and Policy is located in the School of Law. The center examines the unique legal issues central to protecting and securing the nation, with a focus on the prevention of domestic terrorism.

The School of Law houses three clinics: the state’s first and only Innocence Clinic, in which students work under the supervision of a clinical professor on the cases of actual inmates who have viable claims of wrongful conviction; the American Indian Wills Clinic, in which students assist tribal members with basic estate-planning documents; and the Norick Municipal Law Research Clinic, in which students work with city attorneys on legal issues facing a large metropolitan area with a rapidly developing urban core.

Oklahoma Lawyers for Children, a nonprofit organization providing child advocacy legal services, is located in the School of Law, as is the Oklahoma Policy Institute, an independent nonpartisan nonprofit that provides factual information and advocates for fair and responsible public policies.

The School of Law will also lead the planning and serve as the host for the Sovereignty Symposium in 2023. Originally an initiative overseen by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, this center was established in 1988. Expansion of this will be an important initiative for the incoming dean.

The School of Law also offers three joint and paired JD/Masters programs: the JD/Masters in Business Administration, the JD/Masters in Nonprofit Leadership and the JD/Masters in Public Administration.

Established in 1904, Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a coeducational, urban, private university which occupies 104 park-like acres in the heart of Oklahoma City. The university is affiliated with The United Methodist Church and offers a wide variety of degrees in liberal arts, performing arts, health sciences and business, with 59 undergraduate majors and 2 graduate programs, including a J.D. degree through the Oklahoma City University School of Law. OCU enrolls 1,362 undergraduate students and 1,188 graduate students from 45 states and 37 countries. To learn more, visit https://www.okcu.edu/.

OCU Accolades

• Chronicle of Higher Education's "Great Colleges to Work For" list multiple years.
• OCU is currently ranked as a national university by U.S. News & World Report.
• Listed in Forbes magazine’s “Best Christian Colleges” and “100 Best College Buys.”
• Made the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus USA list more than once.

Mission

Oklahoma City University prepares all learners to Create, Lead, and Serve. OCU provides a diverse, inclusive culture committed to producing graduates who think critically and innovatively, communicate effectively, and use their knowledge and talents to make a local and global impact. Oklahoma City University is committed to an education that:

1. Provides students with the skills and confidence to adapt to and excel in a complex and dynamic world
2. Invests continually in its students, staff, faculty, alumni, and programming to enrich academic and co-curricular offerings
3. Fosters partnerships within and beyond the university to enrich lifelong learning
4. Develops informed global citizens ready to engage with their communities and contribute to the world
5. Develops graduates who are ethical, highly employable professionals
6. Honors its United Methodist history and tradition of scholarship and service

Vision

Oklahoma City University will be an innovative academic institution with local impact and global reach and reputation. By providing a student-focused learning environment and an inclusive, values-centered culture that engages the community and the world, Oklahoma City University will be a university of choice for talented and high-potential students, faculty
and staff.

OCU Core Values

Integrity: We hold ourselves and each other accountable to do the right thing in all circumstances.

Respect: We honor the worth of all by treating ourselves and others with dignity and kindness.

Diversity and Inclusion: We strive to understand and embrace our unique identities and perspectives. We take purposeful action to foster a welcoming and supportive environment for all.

Collaboration: We intentionally pursue our common goals with a genuine spirit of community

United Methodist Affiliation

While the university is affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the university’s government and management are vested in its independent, self-perpetuating board of trustees. The university bylaws provide for an executive committee, the members of which include the chairperson and the vice chairperson of the board, the treasurer of the university, the resident Bishop for the Oklahoma Area of the United Methodist Church and the chairs of certain standing trustee committees.

University Strategic Goals

During the 2017-2018 academic year, the university’s strategic planning leadership team engaged in a collaborative and participatory strategic planning process to develop measurable tactics for each approved strategic focus area, with the goal of moving the university forward toward the year 2023. In the fall of 2022, President Kenneth R. Evans launched a comprehensive strategic planning process engaging stakeholders from across the university. The new strategic plan is scheduled to be completed in May 2023.

Accreditation

The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to award six baccalaureate degrees (59 majors), twelve master’s degrees (23 programs), five doctoral degrees and 15 certificates. The university’s most recent decennial reaffirmation of accreditation from HLC was completed in 2021-2022.

The law school is accredited by the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools.

Leadership

Dr. Kenneth R. Evans was appointed the 19th president of Oklahoma City University on July 1, 2021, after serving as president of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, for eight years and as dean of the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma for six years. Dr. Evans holds the doctorate from the University of Colorado; a master of business administration degree from California State University-Sacramento; and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Davis. His research has been published in marketing and business academic journals and he has received national and international recognition for his contributions. Evans has been recognized for his work in the design and implementation of interactive learning experiences and graduate education. The president reports to the board of trustees. OCU has a 46-member board led by chairman Gary Homsey. Click here to view a full list of university trustees.

Faculty & Staff

The university has a full-time faculty of 197 members as of the fall of 2022. To complement the university’s faculty, there are more than 300 full-time and part-time staff positions (non-faculty). The university staff is focused on supporting the educational endeavors of the institution in an employee-friendly environment.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Oklahoma City University is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and intentionally inclusive community. The University seeks and creates opportunities for each person to examine their own beliefs, values and cultures so that, as a community, it can fully embrace the experience, ideas, perspectives and traditions of all who come to learn and work here. The intention is to champion an environment where everyone collaborates to make OCU a place where people from all identities, backgrounds, viewpoints and experiences are embraced, validated and supported. OCU recognizes that its students, staff, faculty and community all benefit from and engage in its best learning, research and community engagement when everyone is learning from and with each other. To learn more, visit the Office of Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion

Alumni

The Oklahoma City University Alumni Association supports more than 40,000 alumni and fosters connections through a variety of cultural, social and community programs. An alumni-led OCU NYC chapter of the association is highly active in New York City, providing opportunities for alumni in the Tri-State area for networking, continuing education and philanthropy, as well as assisting in the assimilation of new graduates into the New York City community. Oklahoma City University graduates can be found around the world serving their communities and carrying forward the university’s tradition of servant leadership.

Schools and Colleges

1. College of Health Professions
2. Margaret E. Petree College of Performing Arts
3. Meinders School of Business
4. Petree College of Arts and Sciences
5. School of Law