Associate professor approved

Kanika Capel, wife of OU men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel, was approved as an associate professor of law by the OU Board of Regents at its meeting Tuesday. Capel, a graduate of Duke University and Yale University law school, will begin her tenure in fall 2010.

President named for the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences

Paul B. Bell, Jr., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and vice provost for instruction, assumed the presidency of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences at its annual meeting in Baltimore, Md.

The council is the largest national association serving deans of colleges of arts and sciences. The Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences has 1,500 members representing 450 colleges and universities that serve four million students. It promotes professional development opportunities for academic deans as well as the centrality of liberal arts and sciences in U.S. higher education.

Arts leadership award goes to OU drama professor

Rena Cook, drama professor, was named the 2009 Irene and Julian J. Rothbaum Presidential Professor of Excellence in the Arts at OU. The annual award recognizes exemplary leadership in the arts and arts education.

Cook is as associate professor of voice, speech and dialects as well as Performance Area coordinator in the OU School of Drama. As a professional dialect coach, she has worked shows including “Cabaret,” “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” “Great Expectations” and “The Grapes of Wrath.” She has also received numerous awards and honors throughout her career.

OU donations to United Way exceed $200,000

OU student organizations have helped donate more than $211,000 to United Way of Norman, and money is still coming in.

That amount came in part from efforts of sororities and fraternities, including Kappa Alpha Theta, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Phi Lambda, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The organizations combined their homecoming float budgets to host a Halloween carnival, totaling almost $7,000 in donated funds.

Gamma Phi Beta President Jackie Shultz presented a check for $6,858 to United Way at the organization’s November meeting. The sorority raised the money at its annual Chili Cookoff.

“It starts at the top with Dean Ken Evans and Athletic Director Joe Castiglione,” said Jim Wade, United Way Campaign co-chairman. “Their vision for the OU drive got the entire campus involved. And it took the effort of everyone- faculty, staff and students- to push OU over $200,000.”

United Way has reached about 75 percent of its goal of $2.15 million, and anyone can donate at www.unitedwaynorman.com. The campaign ends Dec. 17 with a celebration at Embassy Suites in Norman.

OU Libraries to sponsor national

librarians’ conference

OU Libraries will sponsor its annual 2010 national librarians’ conference March 4 and 5 at Embassy Suites in Oklahoma City.

The conference theme is “Climbing Out of the Box: Repackaging Libraries for Survival,” and will feature lectures on current issues libraries are facing today.

Registration deadline for the conference is Feb. 19, and full details about the conference are available at libraries.ou.edu/conferences.