President Clancy's Tulsa World Op-Ed… For Our City

A message from University of Tulsa President Dr. Gerard Clancy published in Tuesday's Tulsa World Editorial page

For Our City…

As you look across our country, how often can you align a university's mission with its athletic programs? At The University of Tulsa, we can, and it is to the benefit of our campus and often our city.

The mission of The University of Tulsa is to educate men and women of diverse backgrounds and cultures with the core values of excellence in scholarship, dedication to free inquiry, integrity of character and commitment to humanity. The over 300 TU student-athletes comprise nearly 10 percent of our student body and, in many aspects, they are leaders in living our mission. For example, they bring a wonderful mix of diverse cultures and backgrounds to Tulsa from 31 countries; but our commitment to our mission and to Tulsa goes deeper than that.

Our student-athletes are dedicated to free inquiry and excellence in scholarship. Sixty-five percent of TU student-athletes carry a grade-point average above 3.0. Last year, the captain of the TU cross-country team received a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Our football players are studying in more than 30 different majors including mechanical engineering, biochemistry and computer sciences. Athletic Director Derrick Gragg has taught courses in our business college and this year, assistant director of football operations & recruiting Ravi Savitala will help teach an undergraduate business law class at TU's Collins College of Business.

Our student-athletes and coaches shine bright when we look at their integrity of character and commitment to humanity. Our Athletics Department leaders and coaches have voluntarily taken pay cuts to help the university focus resources on student learning. TU student-athletes and coaches turn out by the hundreds to attend Tulsa's annual Martin Luther King Day parade. They also helped raise money and donated items for Houstonians after Hurricane Harvey. Ashli Montgomery, wife of TU football Coach Philip Montgomery, led the way in raising more than $1 million in the 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer's Disease. And our student-athletes have become leaders in helping prevent on-campus sexual assaults.

At TU, we do not rest on our laurels regarding integrity of character and commitment to humanity. Last week, Gragg, Montgomery and Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum announced an expansion of our For Our City campaign with the Sept. 1 football game dedicated to our hometown heroes including law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical personnel. The Sept. 15 football game will be an official part of the 2018 Walk to End Alzheimer's.

University of Tulsa student-athletes make Tulsa a better place to live in many, many ways. Tulsa, it is now your opportunity to return the favor. I hope you are willing to show these extraordinary young people your appreciation by coming to their games in all of our sports and cheering them on to victory. Do it For Our City!

Gerard Clancy, M.D.
President, The University of Tulsa

President Clancy's Tulsa World Op-Ed… For Our City

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