Business Stars Ep2: Kenneth Evans, President of Oklahoma City University

Dr. Kenneth R. Evans, Ph.D. is the 19th President of OCU, taking over the role in July of 2021. Prior to that, Evans was President of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas for 8 years and Dean of the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma for 6 years.

On this episode, we talk with President Evans about his transition from business to academia, the role of technology in higher education and his vision for the future of the Meinders School of Business within the bigger picture of Oklahoma City University as a whole.

President Evans also details what he learned from working in commercial construction: logistics, analytics, customer service, marketing and sales all as a collaborative endeavor. As the world of business has evolved, via the speed of technology, world politics and global pandemics so should the approach to education recent high school students (domestic and international) along with working adults and those pursuing advanced degrees. His focus today is how to best attract, matriculate and ultimately graduate students truly prepared for the real world.

President Evans also offers his take on the various things that make the educational experience at OCU unique and valuable. He refers to our campus and "intimate" both in class sizes but also a connected community of students. He also praises the Oklahoma City area for the culinary, cultural and entertainment opportunities available to OCU students. President Evans gives us a preview of an upcoming virtual reality addition to the OCU physical campus.

Evans earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California-Davis, MBA from California State University-Sacramento and doctorate from the University of Colorado.

The Business Stars Podcast is produced by the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University to better connect our educational programs to the business community in our city, state and beyond. This collaborative program will feature interviews with some of the best and brightest students, faculty and advisors at MSB along with outstanding members of the business and education community.

The Meinders School of Business is AACSB accredited, placing it in the top 4.5% of business schools in the world. MSB prepares graduate and undergraduate students to be socially responsible leaders in a global economy through teaching excellence and faculty scholarship in business practice and disciplines. Faculty and students engage with the business community, local government and regulatory agencies as part of the teaching-learning process. ⁠okcu.edu/business