USAO kicks off Spring classes Jan. 7

Though the clocks won’t spring forward until March, the University of Science and Arts is getting its traditional jump on things with the launch of the Spring 2011 trimester. Classes begin Jan. 7 at Oklahoma’s public liberal arts university in Chickasha. Jan. 7 also is enrollment day at the college.

In addition to offering more than 400 classes in 23 fields of study, USAO’s spring calendar is filled with a number of musical and theatrical events. Drover basketball hits high gear as Sooner Athletic Conference play is underway now. Softball and baseball get things started in late January and February and the massive Spring Triad – an all-day academic, art and music festival that welcomes more than 3,000 to campus – is planned for April 7.

A spring class schedule is available from the USAO Admissions Office, 574-1204, or on the Internet at www.usao.edu/schedules.Classes continue through Spring Commencement on April 22. Prospective students interested in enrolling for the summer or fall trimesters are invited to call the Admissions Office for more information about the Drover Retreat, scheduled for March 20-21.

Students can apply online to USAO for free. The process takes about 20 minutes and students will need their ACT scores, household income and GPA/class rank. Go to the USAO website -- www.usao.edu -- and click the 'APPLY!' button.

USAO’s website also offers a full course catalog, event calendars, sports news and sections on art shows and fine arts events. Persons who wish to get e-mail updates about USAO news, events and sports can sign up for the Alumni News Hotline at www.usao.edu/alumni/getmorenews.htm.

The university’s basketball teams continue Sooner Athletic Conference play with home games on Jan. 1 against Northwestern Oklahoma State, Jan. 15 against Oklahoma City University and Jan. 27 as the Drover teams take on Oklahoma Baptist. All games start at 6 and 8 p.m.

The next event in the Davis-Waldorf Performing Arts Series is Perpetual Motion, who visits the campus Jan. 25 for a 7:30 p.m. concert in the Te Ata Memorial Auditorium. Ticket information is available at www.usao.edu/dwpas.

Beginning Jan. 7, the USAO Art Gallery will display selections from the permanent collection for an exhibit entitled Faces: The Portrait. The show runs through the first week of February. The Gallery is open weekdays 8:30-4:30 p.m.

On March 7,8,10 and 11, USAO will host the next Festival of Arts and Ideas, focusing on Fostering Creativity. The festival extends upon the theme of the Fall 2010 Festival by looking at new technologies and ideas that refine and improve upon the creative process.

The 2010 Emerson-Weir Liberal Arts Symposium is scheduled March 31. World-renowned writer Margaret Atwood will be the keynote speaker. Atwood is a giant of modern literature who has anticipated, explored, satirized -- and even changed -- the popular preoccupations of our time. Based out of Toronto, Atwood has written over forty classic books, which have been translated into over thirty languages.

Now entering its 15th year as a hub site in the state’s telecommunication network, USAO will import courses this spring from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Among all four-year colleges in Oklahoma, USAO is the leader in providing imported courses.

Fields of study available at USAO are American Indian studies, art, biology, business (with concentrations in accounting, business administration and management), chemistry, communication, computer science, deaf education, drama, early childhood education, economics, elementary education, English, history, mathematics, music, natural science, physical education, physics, political science, psychology, sociology and speech pathology. Students can pursue a bachelor of art, bachelor of science or bachelor of fine arts degree with teacher certification in several areas.

The university welcomes new students and non-traditional older students who wish to continue or finish their degrees. The enrollment process takes about an hour, according to the admissions office.