By KAYLEA BROWN, Senior Reporter
Personable.
Exceptional.
Driven.
These are some of the words students at Northwestern Oklahoma State University use to describe the current university president.
Dr. Janet Cunningham recently announced her plans to retire, and Northwestern students have varied reactions.
Katy Brashears, a 19-year-old freshman biology major from Beaver, is one of those students.
“It kind of makes me sad that she’s retiring,” Brashears said. “I only knew her this past semester. I’m also super excited and happy. I just hope she finds joy in retirement with her family.”
Brashears met Cunningham through the President’s Leadership Class in the fall semester.
Brashears said she sees Cunningham as a leader by action because of her stories, advice and passion for people.
Brashears is not the only Northwestern student who has noticed Cunningham’s passion for people.
Dawson Maxwell, a 21-year-old senior criminal justice major from Perry, said Cunningham’s personality is part of what made Northwestern feel like home.
“She would come to events, come to basketball games, come to these other things and not be invisible,” Maxwell said.
“You could put a face to the name, and it made it feel like she really cares about me and the students.”
Maxwell said Cunningham embodies the idea of serving others, and he is honored to know that he will be in the final graduating class during her time at Northwestern.
Senior Kailani Kealoha, a 21-year-old biology major from Paia, Hawaii, said even though she is sad about the retirement, she is glad for Cunningham.
“In a way, I’m kind of happy that it’s when I’m a senior,” Kealoha said. “It’s kind of like we’re both leaving at the same time.”
Kealoha said Cunningham made her experience at Northwestern better because of the time Cunningham takes to get to know her students. Kealoha’s favorite memory of Cunningham is because of this.
When the soccer team ranked in the Top 10, Cunningham congratulated and wished good luck to team members for the rest of the season, Kealoha said.
“That will forever stick with me, that she just recognized us,” Kealoha said. “We didn’t have any soccer gear on or anything like that, but she was just able to recognize us.”
The time Cunningham took to acknowledge some of the soccer team is one way that Cunningham shows how much she cares for the university and its students, Kealoha said.
Mattie Pitts, a 19-year-old freshman from Waynoka studying elementary education, also said she sees the love Cunningham has for students.
“She was always there when any of us in PLC or Northwestern needed her,” Pitts said.
Pitts met Cunningham before she started attending Northwestern and got to know her better while being in PLC.
Pitts said she is sad about Cunningham retiring because she has only had a semester with her, but she is happy that Cunningham with have more time to spend with her grandchildren.
Sophomore mentor of the 2021 PLC class, Austin Rankin, said time with family is something Cunningham has earned after being president.
Rankin, a 20-year-old political science major from Waynoka, was a member of the 2020 President’s Leadership Class.
Rankin said being in PLC helped him become successful as a student.
The class motivated him to get involved and to try to create new opportunities for other students.
“She just kind of inspires you to attempt to do more things,” Rankin said.
