Words from the Senior Associate Vice-President

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Dear Friends and Colleagues, 

Welcome to the Summer 2025 edition of the OU Outreach Gazette! As always, it is a pleasure to connect with you through this publication and share the remarkable work taking place across our departments and programs.

This season, we reflect on a pivotal moment for University Outreach—our annual State of Outreach meeting, themed Embracing the Future: The Power of Artificial Intelligence. With nearly 300 staff members participating both in person and virtually, the event underscored our collective commitment to innovation, continuous learning, and bold exploration of emerging technologies. I was honored to deliver the 2025 State of Outreach address, where we celebrated our strong financial standing and record-breaking participant engagement of over one million individuals served by Outreach in 2024 alone.

The energy and insights shared during the event, especially through keynote speaker Josh Cavalier’s powerful message on the future of AI in education, reaffirmed our belief that the future of learning is one we build together—with curiosity, courage, and collaboration.

A special thanks to Lisa Pryor for submitting a concise overview of the State of Outreach meeting, and for rolling up her sleeves and assuming the role of Chair of the Outreach Planning Committee. She and her committee did an outstanding job. 

I also want to give a shout-out to Dick Pryor, our illustrative master of ceremonies, for continuing to navigate us through our program with style, grace, and ease. 

This issue of the Gazette highlights many such collaborations and milestones, including the ELQA team’s role in a major literacy grant, EDUTAS’s continued leadership development efforts, and the Center for Public Management’s (CPM) Forge Your Trail program’s transformative work with incarcerated fathers. These stories are a testimony to the passion and purpose that define our Outreach community.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to this newsletter, especially our editor, Mr. William Boni, for his dedication and editorial leadership. Your efforts ensure that the excellence within Outreach is seen, celebrated, and shared.

As we move forward, let us continue to embrace change, champion fairness, and empower one another to make a difference. Thank you for being part of this journey.

Warmest regards, 

Belinda Biscoe, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Vice President for  Outreach
College of Continuing Education
The University of Oklahoma