Dr. Kayla Hale, the new president of the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma, spoke to Rotary about her plans for the future of the university and its relationship to the community. The Rotary Club of Chickasha met Thursday, August 10, 2023. Rotarian Mitch Williams led the club in singing "Back in the Saddle Again".
Rotarian of the Day JP Audas introduced the speaker, Dr. Kayla Hale. Having started August 1, Dr. Hale is the 13th president of Science & Arts and its first female president.
She herself had once been a student at Science & Arts. “The whole world opened to me,” she said of her experience there, and how it prepared her for her continuing education and career. “The foundation I got was massively important.”
Her family has deep roots in Grady County. Her father’s family lived in Amber and her father graduated from Chickasha High School. Dr. Hale brought a yearbook with her from the year her father graduated and showed it to those present. As her father was in the military, she moved from place to place frequently, but spent holidays and parts of summer with her grandparents in the Chickasha area. Her family lived very close to campus, so when she graduated high school, she eagerly chose to start her undergraduate degree at Science & Arts/ Thus, she said, taking the job “feels like I’m coming home.”
She told Rotary that she intends to “close the gap” between the university and the community. She wants the campus to be used as a tool to recruit and grow new business in Chickasha. Through community partnerships, she is looking to “elevate” the visions of the city, its businesses, and its schools.
Dr. Hale also answered some questions from those in attendance. When asked about student housing, Dr. Hale confirmed that it was one of her top priorities. She said the university is working with partners to fund and carry out the restoration of Willard Hall, which had been a dormitory previously but cannot currently be occupied. Temporarily, the Stevens Alumni House is also being converted to student housing.
Lunch was provided by Chicken Express.