Northeastern State University - Tsa La Gi Yearbook (Tahlequah, OK)

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' 9n $ Who 04;!!th Jami Admission process develops into complicated ordeal Each year junior and senior year high school students file into designated testing areas to submit themselves to the pressure of the American College Testing,7 Program 1ACT1. The results from this test All Of these forms must be completed or submitted by their respective parties. Health forms can only he completed by a licensed physician. not by the aspiring; octor'friend of an older brother. The official copy of the high school transcript must be sent directly from the hands of the high school registrar to the admissions office. Hand carried Copies can not he accepted; especially those hearing traces of liquid paper. Whiie trying to fulfill these admission requirements it is definite that some freshman will cry. What happened to the good oid days of the Normal school? In 1909 anyone of good moral character, who has finished the eighth grade was allowed admission into the Northeastern State Normal School. There were no four hour ACT tests to be taken or no twelve year and a diploma from an accredited high school diplomas to be earned high school are the first steps in before acceptance into the school applying for admission to NSU. could be granted. Prospective NSU students are Despite the yearning for the faced with securing that the Office simplicity of the good old days, the of Admissions and Records ease of admission into colleges receives their ACT scores, health vanished with the horse drawn form and high school transcript. carriage. , , 5 gt. 1 i Pheiffer knows what it takes ,a-mf ' ' 1n the fall of 1979, NSU began the twwyeat program ofoptometry and entered its first class of - . M 24 students. Dr. Chester H. Pheiffer, formerly p .2 , ' dean of the College ofOptometry at the University . 9. M of Houston. took the reins of the Division of Optometry in the College of Arts and Sciences as chairman. In juiy 1980, the Oklahoma State for Higher Education ' approved a full fourryear professional optometry program 3 g A including college status and awarding of the OD. degree. As founding dean, Dr. Pheiffer was featured in the journal of .1 u. 3 , ,- - American Optometric Association: Dean Pheiffer brought 3 i ' i '1 together a young and dedicated faculty and administrative staff. . . a group of men and women committed to the primary objective ofthe r x ' college . . . producing doctors of optometry who deliver quality ? -' ' i vision care and who are concerned for the welfare of their patients. 1 He sought faculty who were interested and enthusiastic about t l, 7 '1 teaching and in the production of new knowledge. He looked for ' competence in specialty areas and for those who were able and 4,. :5 , willing to understand and appreciate the differing concepts and 1- i approaches of other faculty. 1 A formal occasion for naming the Optometry Clinic at W.W. , Hastings Hospital the Chester H. Pheiffer Optometry Clinic was held November 26. 1984. in appreciation for the dedication and service Pheiffer has provided the Northeastern State University 3 College of Optometry. uh Mini mag 9

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TRADTTTQN UtiPHD. A'T'E Location and opportunity combine to entice students Only one half of all college students who seek a baccalaureate degree will actually achieve their goal, according to the US Education Department. If this statement holds true then it is probably that NSU has seen 69,738 students pass across her campus. Since 1909 with the establish ment of the Northeastern State Normal School, precisely 34,869 proud students have accepted their diplomas with joy. What attracted all of those young ambitious students to Northeastern? Was it the location, the educational opportunities or was it the people? Dr. Frank Redd, president ofthe Normal School felt that Tahlequah as a campus location was one of the most beautiful in the southwest. He boasted that Tahlequah was regarded as the most picturesque town in Oklahoma. uThe springs. the surrounding hills and mountains in the near distance all combine to make our school town ideal for its scenic beauty. The value of such surroundings as the home for an institution of learning cannot be overestimatedf was Reddis description. The educational opportunities have expanded from teaching certificates to graduate level programs in education on to professional programs in nursing and optometry. Most people agree that NSU is attractive because of its people. The university is built around caring and sincere faculty who are concerned with the education which they present to their students. NSU has a hometown atmosphere with 7,000 studentSv all of whom are individuals. This is what makes NSU. This is the reason why those 34.869 graduates are proud to be alumni from Northeastern. Going beyond the conventional The Cherokee Nation establish' ed the first free, compulsory, cw educational public school system in the world in 1841. Fires destroyed the original school buildings, but the Female Seminary was rebuilt, completed April 18. 1889. Twenty yearslater, the state purchased the seminary. creating Northeastern State Normal School. Academic standards varied greatly in the Normal School. In ndditiun to the usual courses of academic studies, mathematics. history. English, science. ancient and modern languages. there were the following special departments: Pedagogy. domestic science. agriculture, manual training. vocal and instrumental music. oratory. art and complete commercial course and athletics. While the intellectual and physical development of our students is amply provided for, so also attention is given to moral training. The faculty consists of Christian men and women who, working through the school and in conjunction with the pastors of the different churches of our city. combine to furnish a splendid spiritual environment, according to President D. Frank Redd. in contrast. the 1984-85 catalog states. With a strong committment to a diverse constituency of students, alumni, businesses and the professions in eastern Oklahoma, Northeastern provides programs beyond conventional and formal educational opportunities. Among these services are extension, public service, continuing education and televised instruction. Over the years Northeastern has continually expanded its academic programs. In the 1950's Northeastern emerged as a comprehensive state college, broadening its curriculum at the baccalaureate level to emcompnss liberal arts subjects and adding a fifth year program designed to prepare master teachers fur elementary and secondary schools. By the early 1970's the function of the instituion had been broadened to include degree options in the field at teacher education at both the baccalaureate and the master's degree levels as well as new programs in liberal arts. business and selected service areas. The Northeastern State University College of Optometry opened in 1979 and made history wheti its first doctoral graduates received their degrees in the spring of 1983. With all its changes. President Redd's remarks still fit today - We have an ideal and healthful location 2m unsurpassed faculty and an enthusiastic student body . 8 Mini mag

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TRADTTTGN U.P'D'A'T'E Phulus by Maria Mourr' Homecoming still highlight of year After four years of college one might consider it home. Home- coming is a highlight every year as graduates come back boasting of where their education has taken them, also encouraging the present students to reach even higher. The festive celebration has de- veloped from a one day event to a week-long,y showdown. The queen's title also has changed: whereas she used to be elected by popular vote of- the football team. she is now elected by a campuswide vote. Being crowned queen still holds the honor it originally did of being the prettiest girl on campus. CROWDS PACK THE STAND to cheer the Rudmcn during one of the wettest seasons UVC l' , Ballenger remembers schoolls beginning days Older than Seminary Hall hes a tradition himself Dr. T.L. Ballenger is older than Seminary Hall and M the university itself, but he is still an active part of 0M Northeastern State University and Tahlequah. Ballenger came to NSU in 1914 as a history Qr M professor, five years after state creation of Northeastern State Normal School. previously the Cherokee Female Seminary. He taught at Northeastern for 35 years before retiring in 1951. Being an NSU tradition himself, Ballenger remembers the ultimate college tradition of homecoming as the single biggest clay at Northeastern. According to Ballenger, the celebration was a combination Ofcollege homecoming and the Cherokee annual meeting. They would have a picnic south of Seminary Hall at the foot of the campus by the big spring. It was a social gathering. A lot of Northeastern people would return at this time, he commented. The picnic dinners would be complete with fried chicken and all the trimmings. The day of festivities included a street parade followed with a meeting of former students at an old drugstore in downtown Tahlequah. A group would hang around for a while and later go to the college for a noon lunch. Then they would go to the football game in the afternoon, Ballenger remembered. Celebrating his 102th birthday in December, Ballenger still attends the Redmen football games, is an active participant in Kaleidoscope Week and occasionally visits the NSU library. In his spare time, Ballenger is busy writing. When 1 think of something that hasn't been written and know about it, 1 write it. he commented. He has written about 15 articles for The Chronicles of Oklahoma and is also an honorary life member of the Oklahoma Historical Society. II, V t5 10 Mini mag