National Merit Scholars

[bullmarket]

An article I liked from Friday Newspaper in OKC.

"The number one University in the nation with the most freshmen National Merit scholars is OU!

Oklahoma is the only public University in US history to ever rank first among both public and private Universities
in the number of freshmen National Merit Scholars who by the way come to OU from all over the US."

This is David Boren's National Championship

Eat your heart out Harvard and Yale and MIT and Stanford and texass

"As a pacesetter in American public higher education, OU offers a culture of academic excellence,and opportunity. OU students experience a vibrant student life, a diverse community and a beautiful campus, which was the only Big 12 University to be selected
as having one of America's 25 most beautiful campuses.
While OU has all of the opportunities of a large public University, its service and commitment to help students succeed, creates a sense of family more like a small private institution"

 

[soonerdave]

What's been OU's return with all of these NMS? For example do they provide any more money in donations later in life than non-NMS? Certainly someone has to be collecting that type of data. Or, does getting all of these somehow provide additional federal funding for research or something?

 

[bullmarket]

What's been OU's return with all of these NMS? For example do they provide any more money in donations later in life than non-NMS? Certainly someone has to be collecting that type of data. Or, does getting all of these somehow provide additional federal funding for research or something?

Soonerdave I really don't know the answer to your questions.
From what I know David Boren has openly tried to attract the Nation's freshmen National Merit Scholars and he has succeeded.

 

[iasooner1]

Most likely too soon to tell...

 

[Senior Sooner]

Most likely too soon to tell...

Tell Who? (Disclaimer: I am NOT a NMS, ia. Can YOU tell?)

 

[iasooner1]

yOU are in OUr book Ma'am and always will be !

fitty says Hi from his excellent new digs on Monkey Island, America !

 

[Senior Sooner]

yOU are in OUr book Ma'am and always will be !
fitty says Hi from his excellent new digs on Monkey Island, America !

TY, ia! Made My Day!

Tell 'The fitty' that I am still pouting 'cause he didn't say 'bye, or even show up for a hug or a handshake...

Naw...Tell him Hey and to come by and see us. Hope he is Healthy, Happy, and We're still Friends...Board's not the same without him..

 

[krh4sooners]

NMS are a smart lot. They draw in more funds than it costs to go to OU and make money going to school.

 

[iasooner1]

John is keeping an eye on us but alas is still in the penalty box...
Hopefully he gets a reprieve before the season starts

free fitty !!!!!!!!!

 

[Senior Sooner]

John is keeping an eye on us but alas is still in the penalty box...
Hopefully he gets a reprieve before the season starts

free fitty !!!!!!!!!

I second that, ia!

That's Banishment! I can't image what possibly brought down that degree of cruel & unusual...Couldn't his mouth have just been washed out with soap or have had him run some stadium steps?

Tell him if he'll start a new site, we'll put together a tribe and join him...Call it Band of Brothers, and a Sister...

 

[iasooner1]

I just txted this to The Dude; he says "awe she's sweet" and "hello to all the knuckleheads"

 

[veritas59]

I miss having Brother John here, for sure.

 

[Medic007]

I miss having Brother John here, for sure.

All he brought was wisdom, an unparalleled sense of humor, and appropriate verbal abuse of the ill equipped. Why would anyone miss that?

 

[iasooner1]

free fitty, free fitty; Free fitty !!

 

[iasooner1]

He's last seen screaming down the lake in white slacks, cheap sunglasses and a banana boat. There were some scantily clad females along for the ride...

 

[veritas59]

All he brought was wisdom, an unparalleled sense of humor, and appropriate verbal abuse of the ill equipped. Why would anyone miss that?

I guess some just couldn't handle the gravitas of his veritas.

 

[veritas59]

And while we're at it, how about bringing back Tony D?

 

[dekooning]

Do any of the National Merit Scholars stay in the state after graduating?

 

[BawlzDeep]

OU pulled me UCLA, my home state school. I'm 100% OU in everything until I die.

 

[roygbell]

Roughly 67% of all the National Merit Scholarships awarded by OU are awarded to kids from Oklahoma. The remaining 33% come from all over the country. My guess is that the majority of the 33% coming from all over the country come from the DFW Metroplex area. We get lots of kids from the DFW area as that area is as close to OU as any of the higher regarded Texas schools. So, it is natural.

I don't think there is any statistics regarding how many of the National Merit Scholarship kids actually stay in Oklahoma following their graduation from OU or any other state school. Boren has done a great job of selling OU to these kids. However, it isn't all Boren. The legislation creating these scholarship was written and passed by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1988 and signed by then Governor Henry Bellmon.

 

[soonerdave]

Roughly 67% of all the National Merit Scholarships awarded by OU are awarded to kids from Oklahoma. The remaining 33% come from all over the country. My guess is that the majority of the 33% coming from all over the country come from the DFW Metroplex area. We get lots of kids from the DFW area as that area is as close to OU as any of the higher regarded Texas schools. So, it is natural.

I don't think there is any statistics regarding how many of the National Merit Scholarship kids actually stay in Oklahoma following their graduation from OU or any other state school. Boren has done a great job of selling OU to these kids. However, it isn't all Boren. The legislation creating these scholarship was written and passed by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1988 and signed by then Governor Henry Bellmon.

It would certainly benefit the state if they remained in Oklahoma, and while I'd like to see stats on that as well, I'm still more interested to see what monetary return OU gets from these NMS. Maybe just start with those who graduated b/w 2000 and 2010, certainly someone at the university has to be tracking that kind of information.

 

[roygbell]

It would certainly benefit the state if they remained in Oklahoma, and while I'd like to see stats on that as well, I'm still more interested to see what monetary return OU gets from these NMS. Maybe just start with those who graduated b/w 2000 and 2010, certainly someone at the university has to be tracking that kind of information.

The brain drain of good, intelligent and talented kids leaving the state isn't anything new. It has been going on for decades. My high school class had about 75% earn college degrees with most of them leaving the state for better job opportunities. Oklahoma's biggest issue that impacts the "brain drain" is our economy. Our economy is still heavily driven by agriculture and production of energy, oil and gas. These sectors are still in the process of getting more efficient which means they require fewer employees while improving productivity.

At some point in time, Oklahoma will develop a more diverse economy which will provide quality jobs which will slow the brain drain. This is a slow and tedious process and will take a few more decades to solve. Part of the process is keeping our own home grown National Merit Scholars in Oklahoma schools and bringing in others from out of state. While some will leave the more of these kids we keep in state the better off we will be.

 

[roygbell]

While I am at it, there was another piece of legislation passed during that 1988 legislative session that Boren has knocked out of the park. It was a bill that created "endowed chairs" for professors. The bill provided that the State of Oklahoma would match private funds [up to $1,000,000] raised by the University with an equal amount of dollars. Boren really took advantage of this program and has done a great job of creating endowed chairs at OU. This really helps OU in hiring really good people and bringing in the research dollars.