Oklahoma City

DeVry University Oklahoma City Celebrates First Graduation

DeVry University Oklahoma City celebrated its first graduation on Saturday, June 21 at the Petroleum Club of Oklahoma City. The inaugural graduating class included students earning bachelor's and master's degrees.

"Our faculty and staff have worked hard to provide our students with the knowledge and experience they need. We have no doubt they will succeed in the careers ahead of them," said Tim Turner, dean of Oklahoma City center.

Graduates heard a keynote address from Robert Steinerd, the founding dean of DeVry University's Oklahoma City location. Steinerd has an extensive background in higher education, business technology and business management.

Retirement Turns into Fulfilling Second Career for Local Magazine Editor

After 41 years of teaching English and journalism at Edmond Memorial High School and other Oklahoma City schools, Carole Heitz was looking forward to a relaxing retirement. All of that changed when a publisher asked her to be the founding editor of distinctlyOklahoma.

Heitz originally declined the offer, however, the publisher refused to take "no" for an answer. The publisher knew Heitz would get the magazine off the ground and running successfully due to her decades of teaching writing and grammar, and the national award she won as faculty advisor and district coordinator of a high school newspaper.

Working for distinctlyOklahoma has offered Heitz a way back to her true love of journalistic writing. In addition to her work with the magazine, Heitz went back to teaching. "Teaching has been such a big part of who I am for so long, I just couldn't give it up," said Heitz. As an adjunct professor at DeVry University, she shares her passion for writing with her students.

As for her future, Heitz hopes she will be doing the same thing 10 years from now. "I guess I'm just not cut out for retirement!" said Heitz.