HR: 1330h
AN: ED12A-0119    [PDF]
TI: Petroleum Geoscience Program at University of Oklahoma: 25 Years of Change
AU: * Slatt, R M
EM: rslatt@ou.edu
AF: Roger Slatt, School of Geology and Geophysics, Univ. Oklahoma, Norman, Okl 73019 United States
AU: Clopine, W W
EM: w.w.clopine@conocophillips.com
AF: William Clopine, Conoco-Phillips Inc., Houston, Tx 77079 United States
AB: The School of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Oklahoma has a long history and tradition of petroleum geoscience education and research. The 1980's and early 1990's downturn in the petroleum industry resulted in significantly fewer students seeking petroleum industry education and careers. Like many U.S. earth science departments, the School looked to geochemistry and hard rock geology to help fill the void. While this new emphasis complimented previous strengths by providing a solid foundation for earth science students, there were unintended consequences. Limited departmental resources caused a rift between traditional and new directions. Many incoming students found course work and faculty research interests differed from those in published recruiting materials. The relative merits of industry support vs academic research grants became an issue in employment decisions. Industry recruiters no longer felt they were working in partnership with the School. Many companies stopped recruiting at Oklahoma, alienating students and past/future alumni. In the mid- to late-1990's the leadership and faculty of the School found a more constructive balance, with strong support from a committed base of alumni. Two senior academic Chairs were filled by faculty with applied research interests and industry experience. In 2000, a third faculty member with a similar background became Director of the School. These additions provided a significant boost to the existing petroleum geoscience program. Other faculty hires provided new basic research directions such as paleoclimatology. These improvements have strengthened both industry and alumni support for the School, and have revived the image of a petroleum emphasis. There is now a very strong list of petroleum-oriented course offerings, improved interaction with the university's petroleum engineering school, company recruiters have returned in force, and alumni support has improved dramatically. At a time of decreasing government support of higher education, alumni financial support has been key to improving the department's overall program. This support has provided the means to substantially increase the graduate student enrollment in terms of both quality and quantity, and has provided many new undergraduate scholarships. Although there are still impediments, the School is approaching a state of equilibrium between applied petroleum (and environmental) education and education in the fundamentals of geoscience. Undergraduate students receive a balanced earth science education, and graduate students are offered a substantial platter of applied and fundamental topics for study and career options. However, with almost half of the faculty having expertise in soft-rock and petroleum geology and geophysics, this program remains the centerpiece of the School.
DE: 6605 Education
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting