President Robert Henry prepares to plant a Cherokee Chief Dogwood tree on the Quad Lawn in Honor of Chief Wilma Mankiller for the 2011 Memorial Tree Planting. More than 100 trees were planted on campus during his presidency.
President Robert Henry connected to the campus community through videos, conversations and campus greenery.
His ideas and programs connected OCU students, faculty and staff with their administrators and the school’s history.
Henry will retire as the 17th university president effective June 30. Martha Burger will assume the role the following day.
At the beginning of his presidency, Henry introduced himself to the campus community through videos in which he improvised characters. His videos included his cat Zoe going through the enrollment process at OCU, a Jurassic Park-themed campus tour, a one-man safari, and “Nubs,” a friendly campus squirrel running for the provost position.
“I said Nubs the squirrel had ‘worked his tail off for the university and looked at the campus from every possible angle,’” Henry said. “Poor old Nubs must have passed into that great oak tree in the sky because we haven’t seen him for years.”
Henry said he thought the videos would be a way to communicate with students before the campus knew him.
“My son was an acting major here at OCU, so I’ve always been a bit of a ham,” he said. “I wanted to show the students that, despite my serious job, I had a sense of humor. The students here always play along and agree to participate in the filming when I ask.”
Another fun way to meet students was through Hava Java cards, Henry said. Hava Java cards are coupons that students can redeem for a free coffee or soda at Market at Alvin’s. Henry started handing out the cards in 2011.
“When students have bake sales outside the caf, I usually buy some baked goods and pass them out while students are eating lunch,” he said. “I sit down with the students, talk to them for a while and give them a Hava Java card. Every now and then, I figured they’d need a caffeine hit.”
Beth Woodall, vocal performance senior, said Henry has become an iconic figure at OCU.
“Who will be the main character of Lip Sync now?” Woodall said. “There’s always a President Henry who gets kidnapped or treats us to some morsel of wisdom at the end that reminds us to be a star.”
Henry said he hoped to improve campus life by planting trees to make the campus as beautiful as it could be. More than 100 trees were planted during his presidency, and OCU was given a Tree Campus USA recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation for outstanding commitment to urban forest management last year.
Some of the trees are dedicated to former trustees and university officials to keep OCU’s history alive, Henry said. Henry also helped organize the planting of a community garden on campus.
“One of the first things God did was plant a garden, the Garden of Eden, so it seems like that’s a bit of a divine directive,” he said. “The chefs use the community garden from time to time, and trees add so much and give shade and make things cooler. Some of the trees are old friends.”
Henry said one of his favorite campus improvements was the installation of the Chickasaw Warrior statue in 2011. Kelly Haney, law alumnus, told Henry about the sculpture at a funeral where Henry was speaking, and they discussed the idea for a sculpture garden with native stones and plants. Native American communities continue to host gatherings around the statue.
President Robert Henry guest lectures for former professor Dr. Brooke Hessler’s Honors Composition 1 class in Fall 2011 at the Chickasaw Warrior Garden on the quad. He read poetry from N. Scott Momaday’s “The Way to Rainy Mountain.” Hessler was quoted saying, “He has such joy as a teacher. I was really inspired.”
“Oklahoma was never supposed to be a state. It was supposed to be the home for the five tribes and other tribes, and we owe so much to Indian culture and agriculture,” Henry said. “The U.S. has not been good to its First Nations, but the First Nations were good at collective effort.”
One of his most cherished memories is when the Kiowa nation gave him an honorary Kiowa membership, Henry said.
“The Kiowas are known for their painting and storytelling,” he said. “I like to tell stories too. I feel deeply honored by that.”
Henry’s friend, Dr. Scott Momaday, a Kiowa artist and writer, came to OCU to read some of his poems. Momaday was one of the many guests proudly brought to campus in the last few years, Henry said.
Other speakers Henry brought to campus include Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, renowned humanitarian; Justice Sonya Sotomayor, associate justice of the Supreme Court; Dr. Matt Mountain, president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, and Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder of aerobics.
Henry said his main regret is not being able to teach more classes during his presidency.
“I was only able to teach two classes, but I enjoyed that,” he said. “There’s so much work to do, so I try to look for other ways to find time with students.”
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