East Central University
Centennial Address

Dr. Duane C. Anderson
Interim President

March 25, 2009

One hundred years ago today then Governor Charles N. Haskell signed the legislation creating East Central State Normal School. The creation of that institution, the forerunner of today's East Central University, fulfilled the dreams of the citizens of the fledgling city of Ada. Constructed on land donated by Chickasaw Dan Hays, the campus would bring together four groups of people who today still support our endeavors - the citizens of Ada, the Chickasaw Nation, the community of educators, and students with dreams of the future.

These early visionaries knew that education opened the doors of opportunity that led to a better life for the young men and women who came forth to attend the Normal School to finish high school or to become teachers at the small towns and rural country schools throughout east central and southeastern Oklahoma. They came here filled with hope and they emerged better men and women than when they entered because they had seized the essence of life in America: a good education, a decent job, and intellectual meaning for their lives.

This university is steeped in riveting history and tradition that echo through the halls and across campus. From modest beginnings in 1909 when the first classes were held in local churches to the beautiful campus of 2009 that boasts many venues for educating the 21st century student, East Central University has moved with the times. ECU stands in high esteem before today's Ada citizens, our Chickasaw Nation friends, and the state's education community.

We treasure the history and traditions of East Central University, but we also strive to change, update and move into the 21st century with the new technology that expands the classroom walls to encompass the whole world. As we celebrate the past 100 years, current students may be as amazed at the ECU of 1909 as the 1909 students would be amazed at the world of 2009. All students who enter East Central University today are connected to our storied past. Just as the students of long ago came to East Central State Normal School desiring more for their lives, students today come with the same desires. They may access their futures with different technologies, but the desires are very similar.

Now, one hundred years later we stand upon the shoulders of those early teachers and students. Although we gaze backward today in their honor, we also look forward to the start of our second century. We will capture anew the optimism of 1909. We will grasp the heritage of our predecessors. And we will propel ourselves into the future with a new determination to honor the past through dedicated teaching, exceptional scholarship, and meaningful service.

Teaching, scholarship, and service must lead to student learning that befits a life in the twenty-first century, just as the education of those early teachers at East Central Normal School prepared them for their careers in the new state of Oklahoma. In matching the determination of the men and women of a hundred years ago who began the journey that has brought us to this day, let us aggressively pursue a vision for our second century that will provide renewed energy to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.