Southeastern students participate in 2026 Higher Education Day and Oklahoma’s Promise Day at the State Capitol

March 31, 2026

OKLAHOMA CITY – Three Southeastern Oklahoma State University students traveled to Oklahoma City on Tuesday to participate in the 2026 Higher Education Day and Oklahoma’s Promise Day at the State Capitol.

Higher Education Day is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to demonstrate the value and importance of the state system of higher education to Oklahoma’s current and future workforce development and economic growth and to celebrate the Governor and Legislature’s ongoing support of the Oklahoma’s Promise program.

The program opened with a recognition of the Oklahoma’s Promise Program, which offers qualified Oklahoma students an opportunity to earn a scholarship for college tuition.

The Southeastern contingent also met briefly with Sean Burrage, the Chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education and former SE president.

The students then to the offices of local representatives, to thank them for their support of higher education in the state and hear directly about issues important to them.

“I was interested in speaking to the different representatives and their takes on the issues students in the higher education system face,” said Rodger Dixon, a junior computer science major from Armstrong, who also participates in Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature. “As a military veteran who is in college, it’s good to know what our representatives believe and learn how we can advocate for ourselves. This was a very educational day for me, and I hope it was for our representatives as well.”

Students also had the chance to speak with representatives who serve on committees related to their academic and professional pursuits.

“I really enjoyed coming back for a second year to this event, as I felt more prepare for the questions I wanted to ask and the representatives I wanted to visit,” noted Cora McKinney, a junior fisheries and wildlife sciences major from Oklahoma City. “It was great to speak with representatives who sit on the wildlife committee, as there are a number of important issues they’re dealing with in this legislative session.”

“I appreciate the unique opportunity to represent an under-represented group within college students,” said Carson Joe Veenstra, who is a concurrent enrollment student taking a full course load at Southeastern while completing his senior year at Durant High School. “It was great to speak with representatives from our local area and from across the state about issues facing college students.”

The students completed the program from the floor of the House of Representatives for a panel of distinguished speakers from across the landscape of higher education in the state.