DURANT, Okla. – The Southeastern women’s basketball team has claimed a share of the Great American Conference regular season championship – a first in program history.

The Savage Storm defeated Ouachita Baptist 76-55 Saturday afternoon, to finish the season 19-7 overall and 16-6 in GAC play. The sixteen wins in conference play are a program best since joining the GAC in 2011.

Southeastern will enter the GAC tournament as the number one seed and will play eight seed Southern Arkansas at 8 p.m. on Thursday in Bartlesville in the quarterfinals. The winner will advance to play on Saturday at 5:45 p.m. in the semi-finals.

Southeastern enters this week with a number six ranking in the NCAA Division II central region with two more sets of rankings still to be released. The top eight teams in each region will advance to the NCAA tournament.

The faculty of the John Massey School of Business at Southeastern Oklahoma State University kicked off a series of “Member Masterclasses” for the Durant Area Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

The masterclasses are designed to give Durant-area businesspeople a hands-on approach to effective business strategies. They are open to members of the Durant Area Chamber of Commerce and the Durant Main Street Association as a professional development opportunity in conjunction with the John Massey School of Business and its embedded Texoma Region Economic Empowerment (TREE) Center.

Monday’s masterclass was presented by Dr. Eric Kennedy, department chair of Management and Marketing and interim chair of Accounting and Finance in the John Massey School of Business, and covered branding, including brand identity, messaging, brand recognition and more.

Upcoming Member Masterclasses in the 2025-26 academic year include:

• Monday, October 6: Social Media, presented by Dr. Courtney Kernek, associate dean of the John Massey School of Business and Chickasaw Nation Endowed Professor of Business Management
• Monday, November 3: Quickbooks, presented by Dr. Rhonda Richards, interim chair of the John Massey School of Business
• Monday, February 2: Business Strategy, presented by Dr. Lawrence Silver, John Massey chair in Marketing
• Monday, March 2: AI for Business, presented by Alisha Ridenour, assistant director of the Center for Instructional Development and Technology, and Dr. Eric Kennedy

Reservations are required for all masterclasses, which are available to current members of the Durant Area Chamber of Commerce and the Durant Main Street District.

Information on joining the Durant Area Chamber of Commerce and reservations for the masterclasses is available at www.DurantChamber.org.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Former Southeastern Oklahoma State University president and current Chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education Sean Burrage is one of 10 inductees into the 2025 class of the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame, as announced by the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society.

The 31st annual induction ceremony and banquet will be held on Monday, November 3, 2025, at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Nigh University Center Grand Ballroom.

Burrage served as Southeastern’s 20th President from 2014-19 and has been the Chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education since December 2024. Under Burrage’s leadership at Southeastern, the university streamlined operations, including establishing a shared vice president position with Murray State College, and significantly increased both undergraduate and graduate enrollment.

Burrage is the fourth Oklahoma Chancellor with ties to Southeastern. The first Chancellor – M.A. Nash – taught at Southeastern, the second Chancellor – E.T. Dunlap – graduated from Southeastern, and the eighth Chancellor – Glen D. Johnson – served as president at Southeastern from 1997-2006.

“On behalf of the Southeastern community, I extend heartfelt congratulations to Chancellor Sean Burrage on his upcoming induction into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame,” said Southeastern Interim President Dr. David Whitlock. “During his tenure as President of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Chancellor Burrage provided visionary leadership and laid the groundwork for many of the successes we enjoy today. We remain beneficiaries of his foresight and dedication to advancing higher education. On a personal note, I am grateful for his longtime friendship and the support he has consistently shown throughout the years.”

Burrage becomes the 17th person associated with Southeastern and fifth former Southeastern President to be inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame including those who were students, instructors or administrators at SE:

• Henry G. Bennett, 1994 (SE president from 1919-28)
• Sean Burrage, 2025 (SE president from 2014-19)
• Leonard Campbell, 2001
• Bill H. Darnell, 1995
• E.T. Dunlap, 1994
• Anthony A. Echelle, 2009
• Gordon Eggleton, 2019
• C. Henry Gold, 2015
• Ann Holloway, 2024
• Glen D. Johnson, 2016 (SE president from 1997-2006)
• Bill Lillard, 1994
• Adolph Linscheid, 2023
• John Massey, 2004
• Buddy Spencer, 2022
• Roy Troutt, 1994
• Larry Williams, 2005 (SE president from 1987-97)
• Kate Galt Zaneis, 2022 (SE president from 1935-37)

This is the fourth consecutive year Southeastern has been represented in the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame’s induction class. Burrage and 2016 Hall of Fame inductee Glen D. Johnson notably served as both Southeastern President and state higher education Chancellor.

Born in Durant and raised in Antlers, Burrage is a member of the Choctaw Nation and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a juris doctorate from OU. He and his wife, Julie, a Tulsa native and nonprofit consultant, have four sons.

In addition to his past presidency of Southeastern, Burrage was managing partner with the Taylor Burrage Law Firm in Claremore. He served two terms in the Oklahoma State Senate, representing Rogers and Mayes counties, during which he served as minority floor leader from 2011-14. He was vice president for executive affairs and chief of Staff at the University of Oklahoma after he departed from SE in 2019 until his appointment as Chancellor in 2024.

During his tenure as a state senator, Burrage represented approximately 80,000 constituents, authored or co-authored over 50 bills that were enacted into law, and served on several legislative committees and task forces, including the 2008 legislative task force on Oklahoma’s Promise.

Burrage has been a member of numerous boards and committees, including the State Regents’ Blueprint 2030 Strategic Planning Committee and the 2017 Task Force on the Future of Higher Education; Gov. Mary Fallin’s Education Advisory Committee; the Rogers State University Foundation; the University Hospitals Authority and Trust; and the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. He served as associate bar examiner for the Oklahoma Bar Association and was named among the Best Lawyers in America and as a Super Lawyer, both designations conferred by his peers. He was a Litigation Counsel of America Fellow and an Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership. In 2007, he was voted the Higher Education Alumni Council’s “Best Newcomer Legislator of the Year.”

The 2025-26 performance calendar for the Musical Arts Series at Southeastern Oklahoma State University has been set, with five concerts slated.

The 53rd Season of the Musical Arts Series is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Oklahoma Arts Council, Steger Piano Institute, and the Clark and Wanda Bass Foundation. All performances will be held in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.

2025-26 Musical Arts Series Calendar (all performances at 7:30 p.m.)

• Tuesday, September 23: Min Hee Kim and Hamin Kim
• Thursday, October 2: Christopher Besch and Michael Leavitt
• Thursday, January 29: Malaimare, Lee, and Dikener Trio
• Thursday, March 5: Duo Cantabile
• Saturday, April 11: The Brian Piper Quintet (in conjunction with Southeastern JazzFest)

The calendar opens on September 23 with the duo of Min Hee Kim on flute and Hamin Kim on cello.

Dr. Min Hee Kim, a Carnegie Hall soloist and faculty member at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, UT Dallas, and Dallas College, is a leading advocate for flute performance and education. With three performance degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, she is known for her innovative research on jazz language in flute repertoire and has been featured at major flute festivals and conventions nationwide. A prizewinner of the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition, Dr. Kim is also a respected clinician and educator, regularly working with top organizations like the National Flute Association and the Dallas Symphony.

Hamin Kim is a dynamic and expressive cellist whose career has taken him to world stages such as London’s Royal Albert Hall, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, and other historic concert venues across the world. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, he brings a global perspective and emotional depth to his performances. In addition to his solo work, he performs with the Kim Quartet alongside his siblings, sharing their familial musical bond with audiences across the globe. Hamin also serves on the music faculty at Dallas College, where he mentors the next generation of musicians.

DENVER, Colo. – Southeastern Oklahoma State University associate professor of curriculum and instruction Dr. Mila Zhu’s new book series Ludic Scholarship debuted at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.

International academic publisher Peter Lang’s booth spotlighted the textbook Freedom to Play: A Ludic Language Pedagogy Primer and drew strong interest from scholars working in gaming, play, and innovative inquiry—many saying they had “finally found a home” for this work.

Dr. Zhu’s authored monograph, StrataPlay Methodology, is now in typesetting and will anchor the series’ methodological foundation. A third textbook is in production, and an edited volume, Parent-Scholars in Practice, currently has an active call for chapters.

Learn more or propose a project: Series page: https://www.peterlang.com/series/lsc

Completing a degree in higher education is an incredible accomplishment that, in most cases, is not met without challenges – academically, socially and emotionally. While every student’s collegiate journey is different, Southeastern Oklahoma State University is committed to providing a wide breadth of services meeting the needs of each and every Southeastern student.

As part of that commitment, Southeastern has partnered with TimelyCare – higher education’s most trusted virtual health and well-being provider – to offer students free and equitable access to mental health support, medical care and basic needs assistance. The partnership is an extension of campus health and counseling center resources, with a goal of improving student well-being, engagement and retention.

The need for 24/7 access to high-quality care has never been more important. According to a report by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation, 69% of students in bachelor’s degree programs who considered dropping out cited emotional stress as their reason.

The partnership with TimelyCare allows Southeastern to deliver a hybrid model of care in collaboration with on-campus resources.

Through TimelyCare on their phone or other device, Southeastern students can now select from a wide-ranging menu of virtual care options from licensed physicians and counselors in all 50 states – at no cost and without the barrier of traditional insurance – including on-demand and appointment-based medical care, on-demand mental health and emotional support (TalkNow), appointment-based mental health counseling (up to 6 sessions each academic year), health coaching, basic needs assistance, care navigation, peer support community, and digital self-care content.

Additionally, faculty and staff have access to support that empowers them to guide students to TimelyCare resources to help students achieve a sense of well-being, live healthier lifestyles, and improve their mental health. 

“At the forefront of our commitment to student well-being is the priority of health and safety. TimelyCare’s user-friendly platform, convenience, and immediacy make it easier than ever for our students to access on-demand support,” said April Lehrling, interim vice president for student affairs and director of student wellness at Southeastern. “TimelyCare enhances our campus resources by making care more readily available to students when they need it, limiting the spread of illness, reducing the stigma of mental health issues, and granting peace of mind to students and their families.”

Mental health directly impacts student retention and academic performance. TimelyCare is proven to support better outcomes, including:

• Clinically significant change by students’ third scheduled counseling or psychiatry visit for those who entered care with severe depression or anxiety symptoms.
• Swift and significant impact for those students with clinical symptoms, dropping a severity ranking (e.g. moderate to mild) by their third scheduled counseling visit.
• Nine out of 10 students say they would recommend TimelyCare’s services.

“With more than seven out of 10 students reporting that they experience mental health challenges  such as stress, anxiety or depression, expanded access to virtual health and well-being interventions like TimelyCare has never been more important,” said Luke Hejl, CEO and co-founder of TimelyCare. “Ultimately, supporting students, educators, and staff means providing access to care whenever and wherever they need it.”

About TimelyCare

TimelyCare is the most trusted virtual health and well-being solution for learning communities, offering personalized, clinically proven care that fosters student success and delivers life-changing outcomes. Through a seamless, easy-to-access platform, TimelyCare provides a comprehensive range of services—including a crisis line, mental health counseling, on-demand emotional support, medical care, psychiatric care, health coaching, success coaching, basic needs assistance, faculty and staff guidance, peer support, and self-guided wellness tools. In partnership with more than 400 campus wellness teams, TimelyCare ensures that millions of students have direct, anytime access to high-quality care. Recognized as a Princeton Review Top 5 Need to Know Organization for Mental Health Awareness, TimelyCare drives measurable improvements in depression and anxiety, empowering students on their wellness journey and supporting healthier learning environments.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s Summer 2025 graduating class of graduate and baccalaureate degree and certificate recipients was celebrated on Friday, July 25, and Saturday, July 26, in Bloomer Sullivan Arena.

The Summer 2025 graduating class resets the record for the largest summer graduating class in the university’s history, with 590 students graduating – 105 baccalaureate degree recipients, 461 graduate degree recipients, and 24 certificate recipients. There are representatives from 39 states and U.S. territories, nine countries, and 17 sovereign tribal nations.

Within the graduating class, 239 graduates have indicated first-generation status, with 24 indicating legacy status – having a parent or grandparent who previously graduated from Southeastern. Over 87 percent of the class is graduating with a degree in Oklahoma’s critical occupation listing.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University awarded honorary Doctor of Business Administration degrees to John L. Massey and Greg L. Massey on Friday, July 25, during the commencement exercise for graduate degrees at Bloomer Sullivan Arena.

The presentations were made by Southeastern President Dr. Thomas W. Newsom on the recommendation of the faculty of the John Massey School of Business in honor of the Massey family’s contributions to Southeastern over the last seven decades as well as the launch of the JMSB’s new Doctor of Business Administration program next month.

“The conferring of these honorary doctoral degrees upon John and Greg Massey is another way to recognize these fine men, and the entire Southeastern community is grateful for their myriad contributions to our university,” Newsom said. “These are the first doctorate degrees in our university’s history, and I believe it is fitting that two of the greatest supporters of Southeastern’s school of business are the initial recipients.”

“I cannot tell you what an honor this is on behalf of the Massey family. It’s amazing what transformation education can do, and [John Massey] spent his life loving education,” said Greg Massey in remarks at the ceremony. “[John]’s entrepreneurship was all about one thing – serving people – serving customers and taking care of employees. He knew if he did those two things, everything would work out. He loved people, he loved this university, and it’s a great, great honor to be here tonight on behalf of our family.”

John L. Massey grew up in Boswell, Guthrie, and Durant and was a 1960 graduate of Southeastern who served as student body president. He is the only graduate in our university’s history to receive the Outstanding Student Award for three consecutive years.

While a senior at Southeastern, he won his first race for the Oklahoma State House of Representatives, serving two terms in that body and two additional terms in the Oklahoma State Senate. Mr. Massey left the Senate in 1970 to devote full attention to business interests. He owned and established over 20 businesses, including banks, apartments, nursing homes, motels, shopping centers, real estate developments, and laundromats. 

In 1966, he joined the Durant Bank and Trust Company as a director, and was appointed chairman of the board in 1986, and changed its name to First United Bank in 1998.

He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1984 and served as a regent of the Oklahoma State System for Higher Education for a record three terms from 1992 to 2019, when he was named state regent emeritus. Massey contributed $1 million to establish four John L. Massey Endowed Chairs in the School of Business at his alma mater as well as a landmark gift of the Durant Bank and Trust Building in Durant to the university to establish its Main Street Campus.

He was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2004, and in May of 2005, the business school was renamed in his honor. He was also the first-ever recipient of the Southeastern Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

Since Greg L. Massey took over as CEO of First United Bank in 2004, he has made sure to continue to support Southeastern in the same way his father did. This includes the naming of Spend Life Wisely Stadium, the new Marketing and Entrepreneurship labs in the Russell Building, and numerous funds, scholarships, and donations to the university as a whole.

After his father’s passing in 2022, with an initial gift of $7.4 million – the largest single gift in university history – Greg established the John Massey Leadership Scholars Program, a scholarship program which will continue John’s legacy in leadership by providing 40 scholarships to Southeastern students each year.

Greg followed in the footsteps of his father in 1990 at First United Bank and became President in 1993 and has served as CEO since 2004. Today, First United is a financial organization whose purpose is to inspire and empower others to Spend Life Wisely. This purpose includes a holistic approach to life that encompasses financial well-being, faith, health and wellness, and personal growth. First United proudly delivers service to over 350,000 customers through a network of community banks, mortgage offices, insurance agencies, and wealth management firms in over 85 communities across Oklahoma and Texas and has assets of $14 billion and is the third largest bank in Oklahoma. 

Greg served as a board member for the Conscious Capitalism organization, the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma State University Foundation and Imagine Durant. He is also an active member of YPO Gold and Victory Life Church. In 2008, Ernst & Young named Greg their Southwest Region Entrepreneur of the Year. Oklahoma State University has also recognized him as a Distinguished Alumni, and the Spears School of Business recognized him as a Top 100 Graduate and inducted him into the Business School Hall of Fame. He is also a recipient of the Sigma Chi Fraternity Significant Sig award. Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Oklahoma State University and is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking.

“Tonight we’re going to set the record straight and make things right for both John and Greg and do what only is appropriate, and now Greg will have a diploma on his wall from the best university in the state,” Newsom quipped as he surprised Greg Massey with his honorary doctorate.