USAO Names Dr. Misty Steele Interim Dean of the School of Social Sciences & Business
The University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma has named Dr. Misty Steele, associate professor of psychology, interim dean of the School of Social Sciences & Business. She will assume the role effective Aug. 1.
Steele has 15 years of experience serving USAO in a variety of roles, including admissions counselor, academic resource counselor and academic advisor, Title III grant director, faculty, and director of student success.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Steele step into this important role,” said President Kayla Hale. “Her deep understanding of our institution and her proven leadership skills make her an excellent fit to guide the School of Social Sciences & Business through this transitional period.”
As director of the Title III grant, in 2015 Steele established the Student Success Center, a comprehensive hub for academic support. She integrated the writing, math and science tutoring centers into the newly created IDS tutoring and peer mentoring center, expanding services to include embedded tutoring within IDS core courses, academic support workshops, weekly study groups and career success programming.
Additionally, she spearheaded initiatives aimed at increasing student success at USAO, including the establishment of a centralized first-year advisement system. The system provides freshmen of all majors with more equitable and empowering advisement sessions with trained success coaches, offering outreach beyond course registration. In its first year, the university saw a 91 percent persistence rate in first-time freshmen returning for the spring 2023 semester.
In 2017, Steele joined the faculty at USAO where she not only taught courses in psychology, but also continued in her role as director of student success.
“Having dedicated my professional career to advancing educational excellence and fostering student success, I wholeheartedly believe in the transformative potential of visionary leadership within academia,” said Steele. “I sincerely believe we are on the precipice of a pivotal moment in our history, and I would be honored to contribute toward reaching our potential. I am deeply committed to USAO and am eager to continue propelling our university toward unprecedented success.”
Steele graduated from USAO in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and minor in sociology. She went on to earn her Master of Science in community counseling from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2009 and Ph.D. in educational psychology from Oklahoma State University in 2013.
As interim dean, Steele will oversee the administration of academic programs and support faculty development within the School of Social Sciences & Business.
About the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma
As Oklahoma’s liberal arts college, the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma provides a distinctive education in the liberal arts and sciences, supporting both its interdisciplinary core curriculum and major fields of study with superior teaching. USAO fosters diversity of thought and practice to help students realize meaningful, purposeful and productive lives as global citizens in a rapidly-changing world.