A LETTER FROM THE DEAN

May, 2008

Dear Alumni and Friends,

The Spring Semester in the Mewbourne College of Earth & Energy has gone by very quickly, as we complete the College’s second full academic year. The year has been a very busy time for our faculty, staff and students. I’d like to highlight a few of our recent accomplishments:

STUDENTS: We are now calling ourselves the Energy Champions! This spring, the OU team from the ConocoPhillips School of Geology & Geophysics (CPGG) won first place in the International Barrel Competition sponsored by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. In addition, last fall the OU team from the Mewbourne School of Petroleum & Geological Engineering (MPGE) won first place in the PetroBowl, an international academic competition sponsored by the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

ENROLLMENT: Increased student enrollment has meant more time for faculty and staff both inside and outside the classroom. Indications are that we will continue to see our enrollment increase. For more information on our enrollment numbers and increases, see the "Did You Know" section of this E-Newsletter.

RENOVATIONS: With the help of our alumni, industry partners, and other OU supporters, we have been able to move forward in addressing some of our facility needs to respond to and prepare for increased enrollments. We have recently upgraded several labs in geology & geophysics and petroleum & geological engineering, as well as computer lab facilities that support all students. We have also begun construction on a major expansion/upgrade of some of our key teaching labs in petroleum & geological engineering. This summer, we hope to finalize our plans to begin remodeling the 10th - 15th floors of the Sarkeys Energy Center Tower. We are waiting to receive a bit more funding for the 10th floor computing facilities to combine all the upper floors as a single project. We also anticipate finalizing the plans to remodel the Plaza Level of the Tower after having received a generous contribution from Gene Van Dyke for this work.

FACULTY HIRES: I am happy to announce the successful hiring of two more petroleum & geological engineering faculty who will be with us for the Fall, 2008 Semester. We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Deepak Devegowda and Dr. Ramadan Ahmed. We continue to search for additional faculty in both schools. We also are currently conducting a search for the Director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey to replace Dr. Charles Mankin, who retired after long service to OGS.

COMMUNICATION: We continue to strive to better communicate to all of our constituents. This year we launched our new annual magazine, Earth & Energy, and our electronic newsletter, MCEE-Newsletter. In addition, with the help of the various alumni organizations, we are developing plans to recognize our alums and other supporters through Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Service awards. We also hope to develop programs to recognize students who have received scholarships, as well as the donors who have provided the financial support for these scholarships.

Finally, I wish to thank all of you for the support you have given to me, to the Mewbourne College of Earth & Energy and the University of Oklahoma during not only the short two years that I have been Dean of the College, but for your historical support that has been vital to the success of our programs and students. The future looks good. I hope you all have a great summer, and I look forward to seeing you on campus next fall, if not sooner.

Sincerely,

Larry R. Grillot
Dean, Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy
Lester A. Day Family Chair
Sarkeys Energy Center Director

Sketch of student laboratory upgrades

Sketch of student laboratory upgrades

Remodel Plans for the Gene Van Dyke Plaza



Front Page of the first issue of the Mewbourne College of Earth & Energy annual magazine, "Earth & Energy"
Graphic Design: Old Hat Creative