NSU’s tech center to be renamed for Roger Webb

TAHLEQUAH More than a decade after his tenure as president ended, Dr. W. Roger Webb will return to Northeastern State University to receive one of the highest honors the institution can bestow.

The Northeastern Educational Technology (NET) building, the capstone accomplishment of his 19 years of service to the institution, will be renamed the W. Roger Webb Educational Technology Center in a dedication ceremony on April 21.

The decision to rename the building, which was approved on Friday morning by the Board of Regents of the Regional University System of Oklahoma NSUs governing body honors the enduring impact that Roger Webb had on the institutions progress from 1978 until his departure in 1997 to become president of the University of Central Oklahoma. He is one of the two longest serving presidents in NSU history.

Everywhere on this campus, and on our campus in Muskogee, there is evidence of the dreams Roger Webb guided to reality, said Dr. Don Betz, NSU president. His vitality and enthusiasm gave direction to the work we accomplished, and the successes continue to impact the university today. Anyone who has attended classes here, worked here, or has connected in any way with Northeastern has benefited from his vision. Roger brought out the best in each of us, and challenged us to live the promise of our creativity in helping students learn and communities thrive."

Today, after more than 30 years as the longest serving university president in the state, Webb is recognized throughout Oklahoma as an innovative and influential leader. The legacy he created symbolizes a golden era in NSUs history. Under his leadership, enrollment at the university nearly doubled from less than 5,000 to more than 9,000, the states only optometry college was established on the site of the former W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital, and NSUs first branch campus in Muskogee opened in 1993.

Among his most visible accomplishments is the six-story NET building that greets visitors where Muskogee and Grand avenues converge at the south entrance to campus. The facility has housed the universitys computing and telecommunications services since 1997. Dedication of the NET was a milestone at NSU; under Webb's visionary leadership, the university laid claim to the distinction of becoming Oklahomas first fully electronic campus at a time when computer networking technology and the Internet were still in their infancy. Centralizing the campus computer system was the culmination of a philosophy that Webb established in the mid-1980s investing in technology to ensure a competitive edge with other universities.

Among the university administrators who supported Webb in that quest was Betz, who joined the NSU faculty in 1971 and was an associate professor of political science when Webb arrived on campus seven years later.

By then, Betz had made an enduring mark on the institution himself, having created NSUs American Indian Studies program, the Model United Nations program, and the Presidents Leadership Class. Under Webbs leadership, Betz would initiate the Sequoyah Institute, the Center for Tribal Studies, and the NSU/Cherokee Nation Joint Coordination Commission, and provide direction for the university relations division for the next 15 years.

From his first day at the university, as he greeted the faculty and students and recognized the potential all around him, Roger Webb set the tone for a new philosophy about how we served the students and the community, and how we viewed ourselves, Betz said. As NSU's president for 19 years, he made an enduring impact on this institution and this region.

Many of the achievements during Webbs administration involved collaboration with Betz and many others on the NSU team.

There was a sense of purpose and vision that motivated the people who worked with him to strive for excellence, Betz noted. I have always appreciated Roger's receptiveness to ideas that challenge the way things are and that inspire creativity. He has a unique capacity for gathering talented and commited people together into effective, service-focused teams."

For those who were involved with NSU in the 1980s, the mention of Renaissance 80, the Kaleidoscope festivals, the first River City Players performances, and the Northeastern Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra sparks memories of a defining point in the universitys cultural and entertainment offerings. Later, the NSU Jazz Lab and NSU Downtown Hoedown (predecessor to Downtown Country) would set the standard for community entertainment.

And outreach initiatives, like the NSU Center for the Study of Literacy, the Living Literature Center, Weekend College, and Great Expectations brought community members to campus for training and advancement opportunities. The NSU Volunteer Center was the first effort to link student volunteers with area service agencies.

The renovation of historic Seminary Hall under Webbs leadership in 1995 confirmed the institutions long range commitment to preserving a unique heritage that dates to the creation of the Cherokee National Female Seminary in 1846.

I am confident that many of the successes yet to come in our second century will have their foundation in the programs and the vision that Roger Webb initiated during his tenure as Northeastern's president and in the quest for excellence and service through collaboration that he inspires as a leader, Betz said.