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UCO’s Empowerment for Excellence Announces Inaugural Scholarship Recipients

March 19, 2025

The Empowerment for Excellence (E4E) group at the University of Central Oklahoma has announced its first two scholarship recipients, recognizing women on Central’s campus who demonstrate significant involvement in the community or on campus and seek reimbursement for programs or conferences that benefit the university or UCO women.

The inaugural recipients are Sarah Hileman, Ph.D., a lecturer of biology, and Kristi Karber, Ph.D., a professor of mathematics and statistics. 

Hileman will use the scholarship to support her research on environmental contamination in the playground soils of public elementary schools across Oklahoma City. Karber will apply her scholarship toward hosting Math Teacher Circle Meetings, which serve mathematics educators in the region. Each recipient will receive a $500 reimbursement to help cover their related expenses.

UCO recently solidified its position as a national leader in research, receiving the Research Colleges and Universities designation in the 2025 Research Activity Designations published by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 

The UCO E4E group aims to engage faculty and staff in education, networking and mentoring to foster enhanced awareness, empowerment and transformation for women on Central’s campus.

To learn more about E4E at UCO, email E4E@uco.edu. 

Learn more about Central at www.uco.edu. ​ 

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Deirdre Steiner

Deirdre Steiner

Assistant Vice President, University of Central Oklahoma | University Communications

 

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About University of Central Oklahoma

The University of Central Oklahoma is a campus community in motion—leading, innovating and creating transformative learning opportunities that foster success for our students. As Oklahoma’s largest metropolitan university, we provide high-quality, nationally recognized programs that are always evolving and adapting to the needs of our students and the community. This commitment is rooted in our founding in 1890 as the state’s teacher’s college, training those who would educate the next generation of leaders and innovators. We remain dedicated to offering an accessible, affordable education, earning national accolades for social mobility, veterans’ outreach and first-generation student programs.

Guided by the motto “ubi motus est” – which translates to “where movement is” – the university continues to evolve and grow, offering 119 undergraduate and 81 graduate programs to our more than 12,000 students from our main campus in Edmond, Oklahoma, and facilities throughout the Oklahoma City metro. Our colors were the first adopted of any university in the state, and our Bronze and Blue symbolize our greatest strengths—the illumination of new ideas and the endless expanse of a clear sky above. At UCO, anything is possible.

The university is governed by the Regional University System of Oklahoma Board of Regents and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Contact

100 North University Drive Edmond, OK 73034

405-974-2307

ucomm@uco.edu

www.uco.edu