In a statement released in January, OCU announced that the late oilman Thomas E. Barnett of Oklahoma City donated more than one million dollars through his estate to OCU’s Meinders School of Business.
According to Interim Dean Russell Evans, the unrestricted gift will allow the business school to move in a new and exciting direction.
In an interview with the Oklahoma City Sentinel, Evans said that the unrestricted gift was a huge deal.
“Our vision is to offer students a distinctly Oklahoma City business experience in the heart of the business school. We’re exploring ways we can integrate the business community into innovative classroom collaborations and onsite experiences that provide substantive job and industry exposure,” Evans said.
Barnett, affectionately known as Mr. Oilfield, served in the Marines before returning to his home of Oklahoma City to work at Oilfield Specialty Distributors while attending business school at OCU in the evenings. After graduating in 1972, the Shawnee native rose through the ranks to become owner and CEO of the company. A jazz musician as well as a businessman, Barnett is remembered for his kindness, honesty, and humor, and survived by his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and others.
“Because of Thomas Barnett’s donation, our students will graduate feeling a deeper connection to their community,” Evans said. “They will graduate with a unique set of experiences not only to be professionally successful but to give back and meaningfully serve their community.”
The Meinders School of Business prepares students to be socially responsible leaders in a global economy through teaching excellence and faculty scholarship in business practice and disciplines. To learn more about their mission and to view more updates on the School of Business and how they plan to use Barnett’s contribution to further their students’ education, visit okcu.edu/business.
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