I love watching the Olympics – both summer and winter. I am amazed at the athletic abilities of people from around the world, and am reminded of our common humanity as Olympians strive for excellence no matter their background or origin. I also can’t help but shed tear...

A few weeks ago, Janice Gassam’s Forbes article titled “The Biggest Mistakes Women Make When Negotiating Their Salary” touched on a topic that’s come up more than once in my personal and professional circles: salary negotiation. The general facts of the gendered salary...

In academia, we are constantly surrounded by a myriad of voices – they are creating white noise in our small-group discussions, ringing in our lecture halls, waiting for us on the bookshelves and popping up when we type anything using the all-knowing Google (Scholar) s...

Last few weeks of summer reading. #break

“Break” is a word of contradictions, of perfectly pleasant connotations and awful ones. Summer break? “Diet Coke break”? Kit-Kat bars? Simply grand. Heartbreak, breaking bones, Breaking Bad? Not so much fun. 

I supposed one’s knee-jerk reaction to the word “break” could...

I dance every day. Many people might be shocked by that fact, but I do – I dance every day, at least once, in my kitchen. I inherited this from my grandmother Eleanor, my Dad’s mom. She loved to dance and was spotted often at the local dance halls that were quite popul...

Anyone who aspires to a leadership position in higher education has probably taken a seminar, participated in a workshop or experienced some other sort of leadership training or mentoring. But for those who have already reached that top rung on the administration ladde...

The end of the semester is approaching, and faculty all over the country are wrapping up courses, saying goodbye to students and welcoming summers dedicated to research, writing and editing manuscripts for publication, attending conferences, prepping fall courses and h...

I was introduced to Mauve Shelly Kay a couple of years ago through my partner Daniel and quickly connected with her quick-wit, sharp humor and unabashed laugh. One thing you quickly realize when meeting Mauve is her soft approach to very tough topics and how she guides...

This semester I’ve been interning at Sally’s List, a nonprofit in Oklahoma City that helps train and elect progressive women into political office. A big part of my job has been studying the Oklahoma Legislature and tracking some of the best and worst bills that are ma...

I have lived much of my career up in the air. Literally. I have traveled between countries around the world dozens, if not hundreds, of times. I’ve clocked a lot of mileage and consumed countless (barely edible) meals served at 36,000 feet in economy class. Only once i...

When I hear the word “forward” (proFmagazine’s March/April theme), I recall a saying we used in the Marine Corps: “Eyes front!”

“Eyes front” to a Marine means exactly that – keep sight on the mission and look and move forward, alert and attentive. This approach could se...

Credit: Ping Zhu

With the current political climate so volatile and equality being threatened seemingly every day, now is the time to think seriously about protecting equal rights going forward. In her New York Times piece “What is the Equal Rights Amendment, and Why Ar...

A few weeks ago, I wrote a brief piece for proF reflecting on Anne Helen Petersen’s article for Buzzfeed on millennials and burnout. In the article, she linked to a comic called “You Should’ve Asked” (aka “the Mental Load”) by a French cartoonist named Emma, and I have...

Oklahoma educator Clara Luper (1923-2011) was a history teacher who empowered a generation of history makers. Widely recognized as the “Mother of Civil Rights” in her home state, Luper continues to be a standout example of how activism and education can go hand-in-hand...