Three Seminole State College employees were honored at the 58th annual Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges’ conference on Oct. 3 at Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center. During the event, Assistant Professor and Accreditation Coordinator Dr. Deanna Miles was named SSC Faculty Member of the Year; Alecia Bailey, NASNTI Computer Science Specialist, was named Professional Staff Member of the Year; and Alisha Riojas, Bookstore Clerk, was named Support Staff Member of the Year.
Seminole State College will launch two eight-week, for-credit courses in October designed to help students explore and preserve personal history through hands-on creativity and storytelling.
Self-Identity Through Junk Journaling (course code: ART 2301) begins Tuesday, Oct. 14, and meets 6-7:40 p.m. Tuesdays at the Seminole Arts Center, 139 N. Main St. The course is taught by Jamie Worthley, Assistant Professor of English. Through guided prompts, reflective exercises and creative exploration with found materials, students will build personalized journals capturing memories, values and dreams. No art experience is required, and most supplies are provided. The course fee is $100.
Seminole State College hosted a College Transfer Fair on Oct. 1 in Tanner Hall on campus. Students were able to speak with representatives from the University of Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, Oklahoma Baptist University, Oklahoma State University, East Central University, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, the University of Central Oklahoma, Grand Canyon University, BMO Bank, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Navy.
Attorney and former Oklahoma City police officer Irven Box spoke to Assistant Professor of Social Sciences Paul B. Smith’s American Government class at Seminole State College on Sept. 29. Box, whose nearly six-decade career spans civil rights, civil liberties and criminal law, along with TV legal analysis during the O.J. Simpson trials and coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing case, tied his experiences to the class’s study of the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Amendments.
Seminole State College Recruitment Specialist Maddy Potter (center) welcomed Oklahoma GEAR UP students from Ada Junior High School during a campus visit on Sept. 24. Oklahoma GEAR UP, a federally funded program administered by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, partners with 13 school districts and five regional colleges to help nearly 16,000 students prepare for college success.Continue reading “SSC Welcomes Ada Junior High Students for Campus Tour”→
Seminole State College Professor of Government Jeffrey Christiansen addresses a packed audience during the College’s annual Constitution Day event on Sept. 17 in the Enoch Kelly Haney Center Lecture Hall. Christiansen’s presentation, titled “The Story of the Bill of Rights,” explored the historical roots, drafting and enduring impact of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Seminole State College recently hosted 22 business office professionals from 14 public colleges, universities, and agencies across the State for a “Networking Beyond the Budget” workshop and luncheon. The event was held at the Enoch Kelly Haney Center on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Those in attendance included (pictured left to right): Nick Hathaway, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education; Mark McMullen, Tulsa Community College; Melanie Rinehart, Seminole State College; Zachary Dumas, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education; Andrew Boes, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education; Damita Kennedy, University of Central Oklahoma; Cheryl Moudy, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; Nicole McPhetridge, University of Oklahoma; Jon Fields, Redlands Community College; Anita Simpson, Northern Oklahoma College; Audra Biggs, Northern Oklahoma College; Julie Hix, Seminole State College; Michael Allgood, Rogers State University; David Pecha, Northwestern Oklahoma State University; Bobby Fisher, Rose State College; Ashley Bishop, Tulsa Community College; Kent Lashley, Rose State College; Lori Boyd, Southwestern Oklahoma State University; Mark Bisson, Southeastern Oklahoma State University; Brittney Whitsell, East Central University; Chandra Miller, East Central University; and Ryan McCulloch, Tulsa Community College.
Enrollment is now open for second eight-week courses at Seminole State College. Classes begin Oct. 13.
Seminole State College is enrolling now for its second eight-week session. Classes begin Oct. 13, and run through Dec. 13. Enrollment remains open through Wednesday, Oct. 15.
Seminole State College Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Bill Knowles, Assistant Professor Paul B. Smith, J.D, Assistant Professor Dr. Brenda Prochaska and Social Sciences Division Chair Jeffrey Christiansen pose for a photo following a meeting about the College’s Paralegal program, set to launch in the fall of 2026.
Seminole State College has hired Paul B. Smith, J.D. and Dr. Brenda Prochaska as Assistant Professors in the College’s Social Sciences Division. Smith, a former District Attorney for Oklahoma’s 22nd Judicial District, will help the College prepare to launch an Associate in Applied Science in Paralegal Studies in August 2026.
Smith served as District Attorney for District 22 — which includes Seminole, Hughes and Pontotoc counties — from January 2017 to January 2023. He previously held leadership roles in the office, including First Assistant District Attorney and Chief Prosecutor beginning in 2011, and Assistant District Attorney from 1990 to 2011.
During his tenure, Smith prosecuted major felony cases across the district, including a 2017 “no-body” child-abuse murder case — a homicide pursued without the victim’s remains — that drew state and national attention. He also led or participated in appellate and policy work related to jurisdictional changes following McGirt v. Oklahoma. He was admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018, authorizing him to file briefs and appear before the court.
Seminole State College President’s Leadership Class visited Riversport in Oklahoma City on Sept. 4 to learn about the Boathouse District and participate in team-building exercises. Pictured: students take part in the Dragon Boat Challenge on the Oklahoma River, working together to steer.
PLC students test their rhythm and endurance in Riversport’s Boathouse Experience, an indoor rowing simulator.
State Sen. Mark Mann (D-District 46), who represents Del City and parts of Oklahoma City, speaks with students before dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Sen. Mann shared updates on 2028 Olympic events planned for OKC, including rowing and softball, and discussed tourism’s statewide impact. He then concluded his talk with details about student-focused legislation and ways to get involved in local and state government.
