OU lecturer on leave over alleged viewpoint discrimination
University says the instructor excused students for one protest but not another, violating classroom standards.
Connors State College in Warner became the ninth Oklahoma higher-education college in three weeks to announce a multimillion-dollar gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, and a 10th appears set to announce its own large gifts from Scott.
Connors State said Wednesday, Dec. 10, it had received a $15 million unrestricted gift – the largest in its history – from Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The school, which opened in 1909 and serves about 2,000 students, is known for its strong agricultural programs and is governed by the OSU/A&M Board of Regents.
“This transformative gift will create a positive and lasting impact for our college and our students by allowing us to pursue projects and initiatives that promote our motto: Building Futures One at a Time,” Connors State President Ron Ramming said.
Ramming, who has announced his retirement at the end of the current academic year, said the gift funds will be managed by the Connors State College Development Foundation, which he said provides support for students through improved facilities, programs, student opportunities, and accessible education.
Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has now given $149 million to Oklahoma higher-education institutions since Nov. 21. Her giving spree started with $17 million given to Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa and Enid.
She’s since given $17 million to Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, $8 million to College of the Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee, $17 million to Seminole State College in Seminole, $16 million to Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, $17 million to East Central University in Ada, $23 million to Carl Albert State College in Poteau and $19 million to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami.
Among those, all but Northeastern State and East Central are two-year institutions. All but the Muscogee tribal college fall under the umbrella of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, who administer a system that legislators allocated $1.13 billion in state funding for the current fiscal year.
“We are deeply grateful for MacKenzie Scott’s incredibly generous gifts to our state system institutions, which recognize and affirm the value our colleges and universities bring to the students and communities they serve,” Oklahoma higher education Chancellor Sean Burrage said. “These investments will positively impact generations of Oklahomans to come.”
Also listed on the website of Scott’s foundation, Yield Giving, is an $11 million gift to “Community HigherEd Institute-Oklahoma Technical College” and another $5 million to “Community HigherEd Institute-Community Care College.” An event is scheduled on Thursday at the private trade colleges in Tulsa, during which a public-relations firm representing the school promises “a major, record-breaking announcement that will have a significant impact on Tulsa’s fast-growing skilled workforce.”
Scott pledged in 2019 to give away most of her wealth, which Bloomberg estimates to be about $40 billion. Since mid-October, she’s given more than $1.2 billion to at least 38 colleges and universities, including the nine in Oklahoma.
