OFE News Release
Education Supporters, Mentoring Advocates Invited to Oct. 24 Fall Forum for Local Education Foundations
October 2, 2006
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Local education foundation volunteers, educators and mentoring supporters will find a variety of training and networking opportunities at the 18th annual Fall Forum for Local Education Foundations, scheduled Tuesday, Oct. 24, on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus.
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, the Fall Forum will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in OU’s Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave., in Norman. Registration is $50 in advance and $60 after Oct. 9. For the first time this year, college students may attend the forum sessions for free, but must pay $20 if they plan to attend the luncheon. Registration forms and more information are available online at www.ofe.org or by calling (405) 236-0006.
“The Fall Forum is the centerpiece of the foundation’s Local Education Foundation Outreach Program and provides a one-of-a-kind networking and training opportunity for foundation volunteers, school administrators, mentoring advocates and educators from throughout Oklahoma,” said Fall Forum chair Caroline Gist of Oklahoma City. “This year’s forum features five concurrent tracks on board development, fundraising, spotlight programs, teacher enrichment and mentoring.”
Highlighting the days’ events will be a keynote address by Susan Weinberger, founder and president of the Mentor Consulting Group. She will give an address titled “Mentoring: A Sound Investment,” and will present a series of sessions on how to start, sustain and market an effective mentoring program. Weinberger is author of “Mentoring A Movement” and is an internationally known consultant on community and school-based mentoring programs. Her Fall Forum appearance, sponsored by OG&E, supports the foundation’s new David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative, promoting the growth and development of school-based mentoring programs in Oklahoma’s public schools.
Heading up the Fall Forum’s board-development sessions will be Frank Merrick, president of Foundation Management Inc., who will speak on “Effective Board Development and Recruitment.” J.P. Audas, vice president for development at OU, will share his insights in “Maximizing the Work of Your Board.”
Culminating the board-development track, a panel of Oklahoma educational leaders will discuss recommendations from the Achieving Classroom Excellence (ACE) taskforce. The task force has been charged with infusing standards, curriculum and assessments with the rigor and relevance necessary for Oklahoma students to be prepared for college and the workplace. Panelists will include Phil Berkenbile, state director for the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education; Sandy Garrett, state superintendent of public instruction; Sen. Susan Paddack, chair of the Senate Education Committee; and Phil Moss, interim chancellor of the Oklahoma System of Higher Education.
This year’s fundraising track will begin with presentations on “Fundraising Fundamentals” and “Making the Ask” led by Eileen Williams, senior director of Development for the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. In addition, husband-and-wife fundraising duo Art and Sandy Cotton, both development officers at Oklahoma City University, will share tips on soliciting large gifts in “Landing the Big One.”
Headlining the spotlight sessions track will be presentations by the recipients of the inaugural Outstanding Program Awards for Local Education Foundations. These programs will also be honored during the Forum luncheon. Programs receiving plaques and monetary awards of $1,000 each will be Student Scholarship/Mentoring sponsored by the BIXBY Educational Endowment Foundation, Differentiation of Instruction Professional Development for Teachers sponsored by the JENKS Public School Foundation, Partners in Education sponsored by the OKLAHOMA CITY Public Schools Foundation and Author Visits sponsored by the PUTNAM CITY Public Schools Foundation. Renee Hoover of the Community Development Support Association will close out the spotlight track with a presentation on “Writing Successful Grant Proposals.”
During teacher-track sessions, successful teacher grant recipients will share their award-winning ideas and tips for writing successful proposals to public school foundations. In addition, a panel of Oklahoma Medal for Excellence-winning educators will lead “Put the Learner First,” an interactive session on current trends in education and ways the school, community and state can join in the quest for academic excellence.
For more information, visit the foundation’s Web site at www.ofe.org or call (405) 236-0006.