ADA, Okla. – Dr. Shirley Mixon is set to receive East Central University’s inaugural Lifetime Service Award alongside Dr. Gerald Williamson and Becky Isaacs at ECU’s Lifetime Service Banquet on Saturday, March 28 at 6 p.m. in the ECU Foundation Hall, located inside the Chickasaw Business and Conference Center.
Mixon earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Business and Office Education from Grambling State University of Louisiana, a Master of Science (M.S.) in Business Education from Oklahoma State University and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Higher Education Administration from Oklahoma State University.
She began her career with ECU in the fall of 1978 with the Department of Business Education and Office Administration.
“I came to ECU with the intent of staying two years,” said Mixon. “Yet, as you note, all these years later, I’m still here.”
Over the next 48 years, she has remained a steadfast fixture at the university and in the local community.
“I like Ada, it’s just the right size,” she said. “The people in Ada are the nicest people I’ve met, in general. The administration at ECU, way back when I first started, until now, have been very supportive. I like to tell people that I grew up at ECU, professionally.”
When asked how the campus has changed over the years, Mixon said, “When I first came to ECU, Faust Hall and Horace Mann, and the Administration Building were already here, but over the years many new buildings have been built, and the campus itself has filled in.” She added, “I’m really impressed and pleased to see how things have changed over time. Students who come back to look at the campus now can’t believe it.”
Starting as a faculty member, Mixon’s focus was on business subjects, which evolved over the years, alongside the university, to encompass business education and technology, business communication, computer business applications and organizational leadership.
In that time, she has filled a number of roles outside of her faculty responsibilities as well, serving as the Chair of what was then known as the Department of Business Education and Office Technology from 1994-2006, the Director of the Oscar Parker Center for the Advancement of Ethical Standards in Business and Society from 2003-2006 and the Director of the Adult Degree Completion (Reach Higher) Program from 2007-2016.
In 2016, Mixon took on the role of Director and Professor for the General Studies Program, now referred to as the Interdisciplinary Studies Program.
This program is designed to help adult learners complete their degrees. She remains in that role today.
While discussing the Interdisciplinary Studies Program, Mixon gave a firsthand account of how each program evolved into the next, concluding, “Over the years, I’ve been able to evolve and adapt to the changing academic environment.”
Mixon has served on a number of ECU committees as well as participated in campus and community services. She has served as both Secretary and President for Oklahoma Women in Higher Education, serves as a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission, served in various roles in Ada Sunrise Rotary, serves on the Mercy Ada Hospital Board of Directors, serves on the Vestry for St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, served as President of the Philanthropic Education Organization (PEO), served on East Central University Women’s Club and more.
In 2019, she was named the first recipient of the ECU Black Alumni Association’s Trailblazer Award. She is also the namesake of the association’s first endowed scholarship, the Shirley Mixon Trailblazer Scholarship.
For nearly five decades, Mixon has remained committed to working hand-in-hand with students, staff and faculty as the university has continued to grow and prosper.
“The most important type of service is helping students achieve their goals,” she said. “That’s the most important thing I do and why I stay here, because I want to help students move forward.”
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