{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/rr1pg1km9m/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Bill Path Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/700/original/images_%282%29.png?1747944264","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Duration"]},"value":{"en":["00:32:30"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eOral history with Bill Path, President of OSUIT from 2011-2023.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Keyword"]},"value":{"en":["Okmulgee Rising","Presidents"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eOral history with Bill Path, President of OSUIT from 2011-2023.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"provider":[{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["OSUIT Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["OSUIT Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/700/original/images_%282%29.png?1747944264","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/273/737/small/OralHistorywithDr.BillPath%281%29.mp4_1747852689.jpg?1747852690","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - Oral_History_with_Dr._Bill_Path_(1).mp4"]},"duration":1950.05823,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/273/737/small/OralHistorywithDr.BillPath%281%29.mp4_1747852689.jpg?1747852690","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-osuitlibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/273/737/original/Oral_History_with_Dr._Bill_Path_%281%29.mp4?1747852688","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":1950.05823,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Bill Path Oral History Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=0.0,0.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Hello, and this is the Oral History Series from the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. I'm Clinton Girkin, the archivist, and we have a very special guest, our current president, Dr. Bill Path. Can you introduce yourself, please?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=0.0,13.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: Well, Clinton, thank you. First off, it's an honor to be here and to be included in this oral history of the fine institution, OSU Institute of Technology. As you described, the president of the institution, I came here in 2011 and will be retiring here in 2023.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=13.0,35.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Okay, first question. What led you here to OSUIT?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=35.0,40.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: Well, I had been working in two-year colleges since 1985 and had various levels of responsibility at a number of colleges in several different states and I had heard about the reputation of this institution, but never really thought that I would have an opportunity to come and serve as its president. I was the president of a community college in Nebraska when I was approached by the recruiters trying to find the next president here in Okmulgee. And at that point in my career, I was starting to get several offers. And my pat answer to tell you, Clinton, I was telling people that, thanks, I'm very flattered, thank you, but no thanks. I'm very satisfied where I am. But when I started researching a little bit more about OSU Institute of Technology and where it was in the country. I realized this is really a college doing a lot of progressive things for workforce development career-wise, but from a personal perspective, also an institution that was fairly close to where my parents and my wife's parents were living, and it gave us an opportunity to be closer to aging parents. So for personal and professional reasons, we felt like this was the right move for us.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=40.0,113.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Okay, next question. What were your positions before becoming president at OSUIT, and how did these previous positions influenced your presidency?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=113.0,123.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: That's a really good question. Thank you, Clinton. I don't want to bore the audience too much on this because this is really not about me, but since 1985, I've worked for community colleges in Texas and Arkansas and Colorado, Nebraska, and now in Oklahoma, and started out my first position for a the institution that's now called Lone Star College in the Houston metropolitan area. And I worked for a couple of their campuses, started out as an instructor with applied technology courses and as a college counselor. I kind of migrated into more mid-level management positions overseeing counseling services and admission and recruiting services. I took another opportunity later in Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas in the Bentonville and Rogers area. be part of an original administrative startup team for Northwest Arkansas Community College. And I've got to tell you, part of your question had to do with how did my previous positions prepare me. There was no better training ground for a college administrator than to work for a startup community college. And I worked for them for about five years in the early 1990s. When I first came to Northwest Arkansas Community College, it had just been formed by the governor, Bill Clinton, at that point in time. They put together a new governing board and they started hiring their administrators. So when I was hired, we had no buildings, we had no furniture, we had no faculty members, we had no catalog, we were not an accredited institution, but we had the second largest enrollment of any two-year college in the state of Arkansas. So I got to be a part of that. startup process. I got to write their first catalog for them. I got to oversee their accreditation process along the way. I got to hire faculty members and write curriculum. So, in a very short period of time, I was able to gain experience that some people don't gain over their entire career. So, I have a very deep sense of gratitude to Northwest Arkansas Community College. But I moved into more senior administrative type of positions after I completed my doctorate degree at the University of Arkansas in higher education administration. I became a. I then later on went on and became a vice president for academic and student affairs at Ames Community College in Colorado. But then the school in Nebraska, Northeast Community College hired me back to serve as their president. I was the seventh president for that institution. And I served in that capacity for 10 years before coming, before being recruited to come to OSU Institute of Technology.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=123.0,292.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Okay. Next question. So how did you feel succeeding Dr. Klabenes as the longest serving president? Was there any pressure to continue his legacy at OSUIT?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=292.0,302.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: I actually had an opportunity to meet Dr. Klabenes about a year prior to his retirement. And it's an interesting story. We were both delegates for two-year colleges visiting China. So we were looking at different polytechnic institutions that were operating in China. We actually met in Beijing. And we had an opportunity to share a cab, to have several conversations together. We even climbed up to tour the Great Wall of China together. So he and I had a unique meeting, but at that point in time, I never dreamed that I would be given the opportunity to follow him and his presidency at OSU Institute of Technology. I learned early on that this is a very unique institution, and it's not just Bill Path or Bob Klabenes that has made this a great institution. You have to go back and, or the director before Dr. Klabenes came on or Keith Covelle, the first director, there's been a rich history of strong leadership on this campus for many years and it's truly an honor for me, Clinton, to be in that line of leaders here at this institution.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=302.0,377.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: So how did you feel at the state of OSUIT when you started your presidency?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=377.0,386.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: When I first arrived at OSU Institute of Technology, one of the things that I recognized right away is that this was a college that had an identity crisis. That's the best way that I can describe it. If you go back and look at the history of the school, they'd have gone through four or five different name changes and it started out not even offering college credit. And then of course it started adding two year to... or bachelor's degrees. So it had changed and it evolved tremendously over the years. I had a couple of names that kind of led to a nickname of the Tech and a lot of people in the community were still just referring to this campus as the Tech, but it hadn't gone by a name like that in a number of years officially. So one of the things that I tried to do when I first came here was to help the institution find a sense of identity and through a number of meetings with different groups, we came up with the tagline that this institution is the state's only university of applied technology. We are part of a university system here. We are focused on applied technical training, hands-on learning, if you will. And that makes us very unique in the state of Oklahoma. And if you look around the surrounding states, it makes us unique in the entire country as well. We are unparalleled. at this campus with regard to the type of training that we do and the quality of graduates that we produce. So we really tried to lean in to the unique mission statement of the institution and the unique purpose of why we were here and focus on applied learning as opposed to theoretical learning. This was an institution that really needed to focus on what we did well. A lot of times in higher education, there's a lot of different entities trying to pull them in several different directions. And when you don't do one thing well, but you're trying to do too many things, you really aren't focused on the mission. So I'm very proud of the fact that this institution, since I've been here, has really buckled down and focused on workforce preparation and workforce development.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=386.0,517.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: OK, next question. What programs do you feel had the most improvement during your tenure?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=517.0,522.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: That's a hard question to answer, Clinton. Let me just say it's kind of like a parent trying to choose their favorite child, their favorite son or daughter. There has been so many programs across this campus that have grown and that have. Because we are so focused on applied technical learning and workforce development, programs on this campus tend to come and go. And if they don't grow stronger for the workforce preparation that they're doing or the needs within industries, they oftentimes will go away. And we've seen that happen here on this campus, but your question had to do with some of the ones that are stronger now. Born out of the state's revenue shortfall that we started seeing in 2015, OSUIT tried to change our focus towards productivity of all of our programs. And I told all of the deans at that point in time that our new goal needed to be to break even financially on everything that we did at this institution. And I'm very proud of what the deans and the faculty did at this campus. Starting in 2018, we were using a different data set. We were looking at the the productivity of the institution and the academic staff was able to make some decisions to start making each of our programs profitable. And if I was to single a couple of them out, I would tell you that the Nursing program, I've been involved with a lot of nursing programs at a lot of schools over the years and nursing programs are never profitable. They're very expensive programs to operate, but our program is breaking even on this campus. And that is, and our faculty and our dean and our director in that area deserve a tremendous amount of credit for turning that around and being as resourceful as they possibly can in order to remain profitable as one of our programs. Another program that I would single out has to be our Culinary program. Culinary programs, again, all across the country are notorious for losing money because of the cost of food and the cost of supplies for the program like that. But because of the resourcefulness of our chefs in that particular program area, we've been able to make that a break-even program as well for the institution. But faculty all across this campus have reduced the number of section hours to force more students into fewer classes to become more profitable. We've reduced the number of elective courses to narrow the choices that students have in order to become more profitable. We've looked at the schedule to identify times of day that are most popular with students, and have really turned the tables to make sure that every single course that we offer, every single section of every course and every degree program is profitable from a, not only from a quality perspective of instruction, we've always done that well, but now also from a, from a financial perspective.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=522.0,696.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Okay, next question. What was your proudest accomplishment during your tenure?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=696.0,700.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: In short, my proudest accomplishment I say is the development of the Bachelor of Technical Leadership for this campus. Background on that. As I've told you before, I've been working in associate level granting institutions, two-year colleges for my entire career. And one of the major challenges that students that complete an Associate of Applied Technology or associate of applied science degree face is that when they want to advance their education to pick up a bachelor's degree, they're frequently told by a four-year college that they have to start their coursework over again because they did not take the right freshmen or sophomore courses. I've seen this for many years, for decades now, as a challenge for thousands and thousands of students at two-year colleges, technical colleges, and community colleges. And one of the things I wanted to do here at this institution was to work with the faculty and work with our corporate advisors to develop a curriculum that would allow a student that has completed an associate in applied science degree to pick up where they left off to continue their education to receive maximum credit for the courses that they've earned in order to finish a bachelor's degree in a very short period of time. We pulled together a brand new advisory committee from across the campus. We built this, the course work from the ground up to best assist the types of students that are advancing their careers in these technical program areas so that they could advance into management. A lot of businesses and corporations, they like to hire from within. We've been hearing for a number of years that we have a workforce shortage. We not only need to hire managers that can manage finances and resources. We also need managers that understand the technology that drives our industry. So they want to hire from within, but a challenge that a lot of businesses have is that their corporate policies require their managers to have a bachelor's degree. So when they start looking at their line technicians, they need to find people that can pick up a bachelor's degree. So that was... how the Bachelor of Technology and applied technical leadership was born. That was a problem that we set out to solve. We also needed to create a degree program that was flexible enough so that a student wanting to complete their education in this degree program did not have to quit their job, move back to Okmulgee. So we made this an entirely online degree program as flexible as we possibly could. So these people that were already in their career could pick up- their education and continue their livelihood at the same time. This has been a rapidly growing enrollment program for OSUIT and I'm predicting in the future that this will this will probably become the largest single enrollment program that this campus has ever seen. But the BT and applied technical leadership is certainly one of the highlights of many that I've seen since I've been at this institution.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=700.0,887.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Okay next question, what was your relationship with the rest of the OSU system?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=887.0,894.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: Well, it's certainly an honor to be part of the Oklahoma State University system. This is the original land grant system for the state of Oklahoma. And I think in many ways, this particular campus, this OSU Institute of Technology here in Okmulgee, perhaps it best defines what the original intention of the land grant mission is for colleges in that category. This institution by legal definition has become a constituent agency, which means that we are fairly autonomous. And for the most part, the OSU system has left the leadership alone on this campus and served as a pass-through organization for state accreditation and other needs. But we're seeing more and more that this campus of the OSU system here in Okmulgee has thrived of being a separate institution, while some of the other campuses and other parts of the state maybe have struggled a little bit more. So we're starting to see a movement now for the OSU system to embrace each of their separate constituent agencies to make them actual branch campuses. And so I'm excited to see what that's going to involve for OSUIT moving forward.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=894.0,974.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Okay, next question, biggest challenge of your tenure?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=974.0,979.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: Now, again, that's a tough one because there have been a couple of quite extraordinary challenges that I've had to face as the president here in the last 12 years. I would say that the biggest challenge, the single challenge that we have faced was the downturn in the state's economy that we started seeing in 2015, which resulted in a dramatic decline in state appropriations. And during that time frame, we saw the primary revenue stream for this institution and really all public institutions in Oklahoma change from tax dollars as being our primary revenue stream to student tuition and fees becoming the primary revenue stream. That change we saw here at OSUIT, and it was not because we were dramatically increasing student tuition, we have really not done that. It's because the state of Oklahoma has dramatically decreased the amount of support that they've been giving financially to the institutions, including OSUIT. So that was the reason that we started looking at, at hiring outside consultants. We looked at an outside accounting firm by that time that point in time was called BKD, it's now called Forvis, to assist us to better look at our resources, to make sure that everything that we were doing was being done in a productive manner. We were very fortunate as an institution because we've always had very close relationships with the private sector businesses and industries. And in a lot of ways, we've operated differently from public institutions of higher education because of those close relationships. So we've been able to learn some lessons from our private business partners to help us become more profitable. Another major concern or a major issue that I really would be remiss if I didn't describe for you would be the spring of 2020, we saw something that none of us were prepared for and that was a pandemic. COVID-19, something none of us had ever heard of before, most of us never heard of before, changed the face of education, including higher education. You saw colleges all across the country going to online instruction. And OSUIT had to make that transition as well in the spring of 2020. But for this campus, it was particularly a challenge because of our hands-on learning methodology. And we had to ask ourselves, how do you teach a student to climb an electrical pole or to take an engine apart and rebuild an engine through a flat screen monitor or through your iPhone or something like that? It posed some tremendous challenges to go entirely virtual for an institution like ours that was focused on workforce training and preparation. But I'm very proud of the faculty. They used the resources that were available to them. We had tremendous courage as an institution. I think in the summer of 2020, we were the only college in the state of Oklahoma that was brave enough to go back to live instruction. And we were very careful about doing that. but we were able to go back into our labs, start using them again. But the whole COVID response for OSUIT led to something quite remarkable. As president, I wanted to make sure that something positive came out of the entire COVID-19 issue. And we were looking for solutions so that if anything like that ever happened again, that we would lose the access of our labs, that instruction would not suffer. So we made a decision to partner with an outside firm. We found a company up in Tulsa by the name of Exhalter that was developing virtual platforms for a number of major businesses and industries. They were looking for an opportunity to become more involved with an institution of higher education. We were looking for their talents as well. And it became a tremendous partnership for OSUIT to develop instructional modules that were entirely virtual. So we've been using virtual reality or extended reality modules to provide our faculty members and our students an alternative to live instruction in a lab environment. I think we are certainly one of the trailblazers with this type of technology. We're also in the process of developing a metaversity presence that we're calling the OSUIT metaversity. which will allow prospective students to learn more about the training opportunities that we have on this campus but will allow current students and faculty members to meet in the metaverse to continue education. And this type of technology, born out of the COVID problem that we had with the pandemic, is going to be the appearance of what technical education is going to look like in the future. I'm convinced that someday our grandchildren and great grandchildren, this will be the primary way that they will learn new careers. It's going to be through headsets, it's going to be through some sort of virtual interaction. So this is a very exciting new venture for OSUIT and it was born out of challenges that we faced.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=979.0,1311.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Okay, next question. I know you were involved in the Okmulgee Rising project to revitalize the downtown buildings. Can you tell us about that project?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1311.0,1321.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: Yes, I've been a college president for 22 years now. And so I've been involved with a lot of exciting projects and spoken to a lot of audiences. And I've seen a lot of projects really resonate well with audiences. But the Grand Old Post Office project in downtown Okmulgee is very unique and it was a very rewarding project to work on. I quickly realized when I became president at OSUIT that I was here to make sure that the institution was successful, but part of that meant that I needed to become more involved with the community to make sure that the community was also successful. It would certainly not do for me as a president to be here to watch the institution grow and flourish and to watch the town struggle in decline. And the community of Okmulgee, one of its greatest assets, when I first arrived here, you could drive up and down the main street and it was like a ghost town. Beautiful buildings from the previous decades were just boarded up and not being used at all. And so I quickly realized this is one of the untapped resources of this institution. And here is the president of of a second largest employer in the county of Okmulgee, I had an obligation to assist the community of Okmulgee to return to its strong roots. So we made the decision to go with the board's recommendation to purchase some buildings in downtown Okmulgee to go through the revitalization process. Ultimately, the project that we worked on, it was a building that was constructed in 1918 and it was added on to in 1919. We purchased both of those buildings in 2015. Just as the state's economy was starting to decline, we were making some pretty aggressive moves to revitalize nearly 100-year-old facilities. But our goal was to repurpose the buildings in such a way that we could use them for student housing in downtown Okmulgee. And This has become what we refer to as the Grand Old Post Office or GOPO, because the building used to house the original post office for Okmulgee and several other businesses. Now it houses college students and college students bring a youthful vitality to a part of the community, the downtown region that most needs that vitality of young people. So, since we've developed the Grand Old Post Office project, We've seen a resurgence of popularity and business moving back into the downtown. We're seeing restaurants open. We're seeing shops and businesses and services open left and right. There are very few storefronts that are even open at this point. Because of the community finding again the their roots and how so many things started in the downtown region of Okmulgee to be a source of pride for this institution for many years.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1321.0,1514.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: OK, next question. Tell us about your nonfiction book, Moments of Forever.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1514.0,1521.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: Yes, Moments of Forever was a book that I felt really inclined to write. I wrote the book in 2008. It was actually published in 2009. And at the time that it was published, I think it won every award that could that it could win within the publishing house. But by definition, this book is categorized as a metaphysics book. Metaphysics is defined as the study of... time, space, and humanity. And I don't know anything about time or space, but I am a human and I know a lot about human relationships. And a lot of the writing that I put into this book were things that I used to teach when I taught applied psychology classes in Houston. But it gave me an opportunity to give back to the area of psychology to produce a self-help book for anyone that reads it to discover how they fit within the grand scheme of humanity. And the title, Moments of Forever, kind of refers back to the premise of the book that if we can envision humanity from the dawn of humanity to present day to far beyond into the future as forever, our lives represent but a single moment in forever. We contribute to the grand scheme of humanity. And it's important that we find ways that we can positively contribute to humankind. And the book provides several opportunities for the reader to really grasp the power and importance of their life in the grand scheme of humanity.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1521.0,1625.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Okay, next question. So how do you feel the current state of OSUIT?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1625.0,1630.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: Well, OSUIT is unparalleled in higher education. I've said publicly on many occasions, we really. I do not have any competition for what we are doing, but we work collaboratively with so many different organizations. We have over 700 different businesses and industries that are investing their time and their energy into making sure that our programs are successfully preparing students to enter the workforce. We are growing with enrollments right now. The enrollments that we're seeing for this fall of 2023 are some of the strongest enrollment increase since the 1990s here at this institution. The trades are tremendously hot right now. There's a lot of interest of students and their families for students to learn the skills that are highly valued across the culture. So I think the current state of this institution is extremely strong. as we are working with all 77 counties that have different career techs. They are the primary feeder institutions to this campus. And so the flow of students is stronger than we've ever seen in a very long time. And I'm predicting very positive things moving forward.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1630.0,1712.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: That’s a good segway into our next question. How do you see the future of OSUIT?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1712.0,1718.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: Well, I think if OSUIT remains steadfast with its mission to be a statewide leader in workforce preparation, then this institution is only going to grow. The question that I get asked most often by business leaders, CEOs and HR directors of businesses and industries around the country, the questions they ask me most often, they'll say, Dr. Path, how do I get more of your students to come work for me? They'll tell me that I keep making them good offers when they graduate and they turn me down because they got better offers on the table. And my answer to those business leaders, if you've waited until one of the OSUIT students is graduating, you've waited too long. You've missed the opportunity. You've got to develop a relationship with those students early on to develop some corporate loyalty so when they graduate, they will know exactly who they're going to work for. So as long as OSUIT remains steadfast with its mission and how it achieves and accomplishes and fulfills that mission, it's going to be very successful. And one of the unique things that OSUIT does when it works with businesses and industries is develop sponsorships and the sponsorship model for students allows those students that come to this institution to recognize exactly who is paying some of their bills, some of their tuition, some of their room and board, even buying tools for them, maybe purchasing a uniform, that type of thing. The sponsor might be the organization where the student is doing their internship work while they're picking up their education. If OSUIT can continue being the state's leader in sponsorships and in workforce development, it's going to continue to be the state and national leader in workforce development and workforce preparation.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1718.0,1832.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Okay, I think that’s it for all of the questions. So do you have any closing remarks on this interview?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1832.0,1839.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: Oftentimes people ask me to describe OSU Institute of Technology, and I have a couple of answers that I give people. I say one of the things, if you really want to understand OSU Institute of Technology, you've got to almost unlearn everything that you thought you knew about colleges, institutions of higher education in the first place. We are that much different. We hire unique faculty members. We're not hiring professional instructors. We're professional teachers. We hire professionals who can teach, who can instruct. We hire people with industry experience who have 10, 15, 20 or more years of experience in their industry. They're wanting to give back to the next generation of technicians. We are an institution that focuses on the entire calendar year, not just nine months out of the year, and then give everyone a break for summer. This institution from the very beginning has operated on a 12 year academic calendar that really sets this institution apart. But the focus on applied hands on learning is what really makes this institution special. Job placement for students. I mean graduation rates are very important and our graduation rates at OSUIT are very strong, but what is most important and what remains our focus is what those students do with their degrees after they graduate and OSUIT students for the most part go to work immediately in their chosen career field the day that they graduate and I'm very proud of that and as long as the institution continues to fulfill that expectation for students, it's going to continue to be a great institution.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1839.0,1944.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Clinton Girkin: Yeah, thank you very much for being on here.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1944.0,1947.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/transcript/80112/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Dr. Bill Path: It's been my pleasure. Thank you, Clinton. I appreciate it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1947.0,1950.05823"}]},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Bill Path Oral History 05-22-2025 15:45 [Index]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Introduction","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=0.0,34.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Introduction","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=0.0,34.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 1","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=35.0,112.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 1: What led you to OSUIT?\r\n","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=35.0,112.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 2","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=113.0,291.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 2: What were your positions before becoming president at OSUIT, and how did these previous positions influenced your presidency?\r\n","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=113.0,291.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 2: What were your positions before becoming president at OSUIT, and how did these previous positions influenced your presidency","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Keywords"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=113.0,291.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 3","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=292.0,376.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 3: So how did you feel succeeding Dr. Klabenes as the longest serving president? Was there any pressure to continue his legacy at OSUIT?\r\n","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=292.0,376.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 4","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=377.0,516.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 4: So how did you feel at the state of OSUIT when you started your presidency?","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=377.0,516.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 6","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=696.0,887.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 6: What was your proudest accomplishment during your tenure?","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=696.0,887.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 7","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=887.0,1005.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 7: What was your relationship with the rest of the OSU system?","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=887.0,1005.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 8","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1006.0,1310.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 8: Biggest challenge of your tenure?","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1006.0,1310.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 9","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1311.0,1513.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 9: I know you were involved in the Okmulgee Rising project to revitalize the downtown buildings. Can you tell us about that project?","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1311.0,1513.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 10","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1541.0,1624.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 10: Tell us about your nonfiction book, Moments of Forever.","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Partial Transcript"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1541.0,1624.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 11","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1625.0,1712.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 11: So how do you feel the current state of OSUIT?","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1625.0,1712.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 12","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1712.0,1831.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Question 12: How do you see the future of OSUIT?","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1712.0,1831.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Bill Path's Closing Remarks","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1832.0,1950.0"},{"id":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737/index/89087/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Bill Path's Closing Remarks","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://osuitlibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3305/collection_resources/149127/file/273737#t=1832.0,1950.0"}]}]}]}