Jenlink Named NSUBA Interim Dean

BROKEN ARROW Dr. Christee Jenlink, assistant dean of the College of Education, has been named interim dean of Northeastern State University's Broken Arrow campus, effective January 4, 2010. She will serve in the role of chief operating officer until the search for a permanent appointment is completed.

She assumes the top campus leadership role at Broken Arrow that has been held by Dr. Ed Huckeby since 1999. Huckeby was named president of Southwestern Christian University last month, and will take the helm there in January.

"Christee Jenlink comes to this very critical position with a strong background in leadership and education, and a deep commitment to fulfilling our mission to helping students become socially responsible global citizens," said Dr. Don Betz, NSU president. "She has experience in the Broken Arrow and Tulsa communities, and is widely regarded as a responsible leader in the field of higher education. I am very pleased that she is ready to step in to a key leadership role at our Broken Arrow campus."

She assumes her new duties in the wake of a university-wide enrollment surge that has resulted in a 6.6 percent increase in the number of students attending classes this fall at NSUBA, bringing enrollment there to 3,269. Across NSU's three campuses, enrollment is up 5.5 percent, with a headcount of 9,318.

"People find out we are an excellent university, and once they enroll here, that they are getting an excellent education," Jenlink noted.

"We focus on offering programs that are convenient for non-traditional students. We've expanded our weekend, block and blended classes to provide more options for them, and will continue to pursue opportunities that make college convenient. And, we constantly seek feedback from our students to see how we can best help them complete their college education," she said.

Jenlink's connection to NSU began in spring semester of 2000 as an adjunct instructor in the department of Teacher Education, when classes at the newly-created branch campus were still meeting at South Intermediate High School in Broken Arrow. She joined the faculty in the fall as assistant professor of Education.

A native of Carmen, Okla., she began her career as a public school administrator at Skelly Elementary School where she was named assistant principal in 1996. A year later, she was appointed principal of Cherokee Elementary School in Tulsa and served there four years.

She is a graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State University, where she earned a bachelor of arts in Music Education and a master of education in Music. She holds a doctor of education in Educational Administration from Oklahoma State University.

At Northeastern State, she now serves as associate professor of Education, in addition to her duties as assistant dean of the college, and teaches graduate level courses in school administration.

Chief among Jenlink's leadership roles at NSU is her service on the University Planning Group, which is currently reviewing the institution's strategic plan. Earlier this year, she chaired the committee that revised the university's mission, vision and core values statements. She also serves on the Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Steering Committee, a group convened by Betz to prepare for NSU's re-accreditation site visit in 2011.

"This campus means a great deal to me because I understand what it means to the community," Jenlink said. "I value the faith and trust that the city of Broken Arrow and the surrounding communities have placed in us to bring educational opportunity to this area, and the potential to contribute greatly to the growth and development that is already taking place here."

In addition to her teaching, administrative and research activities at NSU, Jenlink serves on the board of directors for the Happy Hands Learning School for Hearing Impaired and Communicative Disorders in Tulsa and on the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce Workforce Readiness Task Force.

10/2/2009

Published: 2009-10-02 00:00:00