Recent News

Students in East Central University’s School of Business are participating in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program again this year to provide free assistance to individuals with basic tax returns, particularly those with low and fixed incomes.

The national program is supported by the Internal Revenue Service.

The VITA site will open Feb. 6 at a new location, 1001 N. Country Club Road, where the former Carl Albert Indian Health Facility was located. April 12 will be the last day the assistance will be available.

Stephen Decker, a member of the Tiger speech and debate team at East Central University, placed third in After Dinner Speaking in the “Texas Two Step Swing” Jan. 27-29 at Tarrant County College in Hurst, Texas.

Decker, a sophomore legal studies major at ECU, earned his third trophy of the season in that event.

Thirteen schools from Texas and Oklahoma participated in the tournaments. Decker competed against students from the University of Texas, the University of Oklahoma, West Texas A&M University and Southern Methodist University, among others.

Local high school students and teachers gather before boarding an East Central University bus to return to Pauls Valley after participating in Pauls Valley High School Day at ECU on Jan. 25 [WEDNESDAY]. They met with President John Hargrave, Wendell Godwin, dean of ECU’s School of Business, and other ECU officials to learn about admission to ECU, applying for scholarships and life on campus. The students were treated to a tour of the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center, the Kerr Activities Center and Pesagi Residence Hall.

 A scholarship honoring Dr. Raniyah Ramadan, a promising research scientist from Ada who passed away last July at age 34, has been established at East Central University.

The scholarship was established at the ECU Foundation Inc. by the Ramadan family through the Dr. Raniyah Ramadan Foundation. Her father, Dr. Tawfik Ramadan, provides campus health services for ECU students, and her mother, Siham Ramadan, is an ECU graduate. Three of her five siblings also are ECU graduates.

Jefferson Keel, lieutenant governor of the Chickasaw Nation, will discuss the National Congress of American Indians, which he heads as president, Thursday [FEB. 2] at East Central University.

Keel, who became president of the nation’s oldest and largest tribal organization in 2009, will be the speaker for the Lou Watkins Endowed Lectureship at 7 p.m. in the Estep Multimedia Center in the Bill S. Cole University Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.

For a different spring break, try a trip to France.

Dr. Mara Sukholutskaya and Ben Johnson, faculty members in the Department of English and Languages at East Central University, will lead a 10-day trip to Paris and Limoges, France, from March 17 [SATURDAY] to March 26 [MONDAY].

The deadline to register for the trip, which is part of ECU’s Study Abroad Program, is Jan. 28. Participants will experience French culture and history along with immersion in the French language and can earn six hours of academic credit in French culture or language. 

A fifth “nobody” has been added to the lineup when the Nobodies of Comedy perform Thursday [JAN. 26] at East Central University.

Andrew Schulz will join Erick James, Tim Krompier, Mark Viera, James Johann and Andrew Schulz for the show that begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Ataloa Theatre in the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center.

The Nobodies of Comedy, part of ECU’s fine arts season, is a touring showcase of young comedians, all rising stars who are well known in regions across the country. Their raw, edgy comedy is intended for mature audiences.

The two-year grant has ended that funded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program for Garvin County children, and Smart Start South Central is looking for local “champions” to keep the program going and the books coming to the youngsters.

Smart Start South Central (SSSC) provided the program through a grant from Chesapeake Energy Corporation. The Imagination Library has sent a free, age-appropriate book each month to any Garvin County child who registered, up to age 5. About 190 Garvin County children currently receive books in the mail once a month.