Bigbee Sees Expanded Graduate, Research Programs for NSU

TAHLEQUAH Expanding graduate programs, providing more research opportunities for faculty and continuing emphasis on undergraduate programs are some of the major plans of Northeastern State Universitys chief academic officer.

Dr. Dalton Bigbee, NSUs new vice president for Academic Affairs, wants to see the University expand the programs and opportunities it offers to students and faculty.

NSU faculty and staff recently welcomed Bigbee to Tahlequah at a reception held in the NET Building. He began his position at Northeastern on July 1.

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Dalton Bigbee to the community, said NSU President Larry Williams. His 27 years as an educator and leader in higher education will be of great benefit to NSU as we continue to grow and strive to best serve the needs of our students and patrons.

Bigbee began his teaching career as assistant professor of Economics and Finance at Louisiana Tech University in 1979. After six years, he accepted a position as associate professor at Texas A&M UniversityKingsville, where he also held the positions of assistant dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Business Administration, dean of the College of Business Administration, and professor and interim chair of the Department of Economics and Finance. He most recently served as associate vice president for Academic Affairs before coming to NSU.

I am absolutely excited to be here at Northeastern, said Bigbee. This is a wonderful community and everyone is very welcoming. President Williams has assembled an excellent team of people here and I look forward to working with them.

Expansion of graduate programs at Northeastern is one of Bigbees goals. The University currently confers four masters degrees with several program options, eight graduate certificate programs, and the doctorate of optometry.

My vision for the University, which falls in with the strategic plan being developed, is for Northeastern to become a doctoral granting institution, said Bigbee. To do that, we must become heavily involved in research programs.

Bigbee is no stranger to expanding graduate programs; he oversaw the addition of doctoral programs at Texas A&M UniversityKingsville.

An expansion of the graduate college must be part of a deliberate plan, it will not happen overnight, said Bigbee. Plans for expansion will need to be developed, researched, approved and put in place.

Locating additional external funding is critical to the success of graduate programs. Federal, state and private agencies provide funding for research, as well as additional faculty and staff, and Bigbee wants to find ways to tap those funds for use by faculty at NSU.

Part of our job is to manage our resources effectively and maximize the effectiveness of the resources we have while being creative in seeking our new sources of funding, said Bigbee. Grants, donations, professional affiliations and consulting contracts are sources the University can look to for funding.

In addition to developing more graduate programs, Bigbee wants to reinforce high standards already in place at the undergraduate level.

Undergraduate programs are our primary mission and we don't want to lose sight of that, he said. NSU has a long tradition of doing things well. I applaud my predecessors, who have done an amazing job putting together quality programs all over the University, and we will continue to develop those programs.

As NSU continues to experience growth on all three campuses, Bigbee plans to emphasis maintaining the same quality education students already receive by keeping class sizes small and looking ways to add faculty and staff to targeted programs.

In the face of increased enrollment, there is a constant need to add faculty and staff to keep class sizes small, said Bigbee. We want to maintain our student to teacher ratio. We could have classes with 200-300 students, and you can learn that way, but thats not why students come to Northeastern.

The University will continue to build on the positive relationships it has developed with Muskogee, Broken Arrow and Tahlequah as it continues to expand programs.

With additional funding, expanded graduate and research programs and increased enrollment comes greater need to show accountability for how the institution is effectively managing its resources.

Accountability is essential in determining where our resources are needed, said Bigbee. We must demonstrate that we are effectively using the dollars we receive from private, state and federal sources.

Establishing and maintaining close ties with graduates of NSU is an important part of Bigbees vision for the University.

Through our Alumni Association and the Foundation, we keep in close contact with our alumni and welcome their involvement in the University, he said. I am extremely impressed with the loyalty of our alumni and look forward to working with them in the future.

Five years down the road, Bigbee sees a larger, stronger university with additional programs not currently offered at Northeastern.

I think the institution will have a much larger presence in Broken Arrow, while maintaining our commitment to Tahlequah, said Bigbee. In five years, I see as many students on the Broken Arrow campus as here in Tahlequah, but Tahlequah will continue to offer that quintessential college experience that many students look for after high school.