President Martha Burger has been a namesake at OCU for more than a decade.
The Martha Burger Career Services Center, where students can go for help with resumes, internships and career advice, was named after Burger in 2007.
“I think it’s an honor for us to have her name on here,” said Tiffany Smith, director of career services. “And to really recognize her for being the first woman president of Oklahoma City University. I think it’s a huge accolade, but also bringing new leadership, after several years, to our institution. And I think she’s got a lot of great things to bring.”
Smith said the center has used Burger’s name for about a decade, but many people believe it only just happened. She said Burger is an OCU alumna and was a trustee for 10 years, and her work there moved the staff to lend her name to the center.
Sammi Bronow, economics senior, said she didn’t know the center was named after Burger, but she appreciates the help she receives there.
“Career services is a great resource for prepping for interviews and figuring out what internships and jobs are available in the community,” Bronow said. “They helped me format my resume and were super helpful.”
Burger also said she made a donation, which moved the university to name a piece of it after her.
Burger said she made the donation after recalling how the career services office at the University of Central Oklahoma helped her as an undergraduate.
“I studied accounting,” Burger said. “I had no idea where to get a job or how to get a job in accounting. And I went to career services, and they had scheduled all kinds of interviews. They had accounting firms coming to campus.”
Burger attended the interviews and got a job at Arthur Andersen LLP, which Burger said was one of the top accounting firms in the world.
“The reason I chose career services is because it played a significant role for me when it came time to find a job,” Burger said.
Now that she is president, Burger said the weight of the center using her name has shifted to become more comprehensive regarding her various contributions to the school.
The center is located on the second floor of the Meinders School of Business in Suite 200. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“I think it’s just a good idea to show that it’s more than just a lot of the older trustees and older people that have had an influence,” said Paris Thomas, studio art freshman. “It’s current people that are still having an influence on the college.”
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