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SEMCC Hosts Native American Visitation Day

Guest speaker Phillip Billy visits with students.  

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern Oklahoma State University held its 8th annual Native American Student Visitation Day at the McCurtain County campus on Feb. 17.

The event is traditionally held on Southeastern's main campus in Durant, but this year's event was held at the branch campus so Native American high school students in the area could share in the experiences of the event.

SE's Native American Center for Student Success worked with Bruce King, Associate Dean of the McCurtain County campus, in coordinating the event, which included representatives from Eastern Oklahoma State College, Southeastern staff, and staff from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma to provide services to the attendees.

Fifty students from Smithville, Broken Bow, Idabel, Hartshorne, Jones Academy and Fort Towson attended the event. Students had an opportunity to gain valuable knowledge by attending informative workshops focused on two degree programs. EOSC provided information on its degree program in nursing and Southeastern hosted a workshop on teacher education.

Phillip Billy, a 1984 graduate of Broken Bow High School, was the keynote speaker. He earned his Associate of Science degree at Murray State College in 1986, then enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he attained the rank of Sergeant. He received his Bachelor's of Social Work degree in 1994 from the University of Oklahoma and completied his Master's of Human Relations degree at OU in 2007. Billy has worked in the substance abuse and violence prevention and counseling fields for many years. He is now the Northern Region Leadership Training Manager for the Chickasaw Nation.

Billy's message covered "values and challenges." The first challenge of the day came with students volunteering to participate in the Turtle Dance. Although it is a dance, the experience was quickly related to teamwork and to family.

Chris Wesberry, Coordinator for the SE Native American Center for Student Success, said, "Phillip made an impressive connection with the students from the beginning."

Southeastern is among the national leaders in the percentage of Native American graduates, the overall number of Native American graduates, and Native American graduates in Education and psychology. Southeastern has a long and successful history of providing higher education opportunities for Native American students. The University service area covers significant parts of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations and partners with the tribes to provide specialized services for all Native American students.

Wesberry said, "We want to give special thanks to Choctaw Chief Greg Pyle and Assistant Chief Gary Batton for their continued support and the donation of T-shirts. Also, special thanks to the Idabel Youth Advisory Board for volunteering for the event."

For information on Native American programming at SE, contact Wesberry at 580-745-2376 or cwesberry@SE.edu.

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