Higher education leader dies at 90
Higher education leader dies at 90

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From Staff Reports

Published: November 3, 2007

Thurman White, a leader in higher education in Oklahoma, died Thursday.

He was 90.

During his career, White, of Norman, was a vice chancellor for educational outreach for the State Regents for Higher Education, executive director of the Oklahoma Network of Continuing Higher Education and vice president of continuing education and service at the University of Oklahoma.

"Dr. White was a major figure in the history of higher education in our state,” said OU President David Boren. "He was a pioneer in the field of continuing education for adult and nontraditional students, and his leadership led to the formation of the Oklahoma College of Continuing Education on the OU campus. He was a teacher who truly made a difference in the lives of other people.”

White's career

White came to OU in 1937 as an instructor in what was then called "the extension division” after graduating from Phillips University, where he attended classes on a music scholarship.

In 1957, White secured one of only 12 grants given by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for creating university-based residential conference centers around the world.

The grant, which was the largest the university had received to date, was used to build the Thurman J. White Forum and other structures that collectively formed the Oklahoma Center for Continuing Education.

The completion of the Thurman J. White Forum in 1962 marked the formal opening of the Oklahoma Center for Continuing Education.

White also served as a president of the National University Extension Association and the National Adult Education Association.

Funeral arrangements are pending through Primrose Funeral Service in Norman.

Related Topics: Education, Higher Education, Colleges and Universities, Continuing Education