Suzanne Clinton

What is your background? 

I have a doctorate in business administration (DBA) from Mississippi State University. My emphasis is human resource management. My doctoral minors are in marketing and statistics. I am also certified by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) as a Senior Professional in Human Resource Management (SPHRM) and by the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) as a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC). 

I generally teach Principles of Management and Management Theory. I have also taught Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, International Management and the Art of Leadership. I have also taught for the UCO MBA program. My research interests include benefits, student success, retention, pedagogy, online learning, etc. I do not believe in research for the sake of research. I want someone to be able to benefit from what I learn through my studies. I love to teach and solve students’ problems! 

Tell me how you first got involved at UCO. 

I came to UCO in fall 2006 after working at Cameron University for twelve years.  While at Cameron, I served in many capacities: dean of International Business Studies, director of the MBA Program, faculty member in the College of Business, chair of the Board of Academic Appeals, and faculty designer for online courses. Because of my experience in all of these areas, it was pretty easy for me to get involved at UCO right away!  

When I came to UCO, I strictly taught for two years. Having been involved in administration at Cameron, I longed to serve in this capacity at UCO. I visited with the dean of the College of Business at the time and expressed my interest for continuing in a faculty/administration role. I was quickly asked to serve as the director of the MBA program within the College of Business. Shortly thereafter, I was asked to serve as an assistant dean and work to help solve problems for students. I have continued in this position for the past ten years or so. I serve as chair of the Board of Academic Appeals and coordinate reviews of student grade appeals. Additionally, I have served as the faculty designer for several online courses for the management department and an evaluator of newly developed online courses from across campus. I am thoroughly engaged in each aspect of my job, and I get a lot of intrinsic satisfaction from helping in each of these areas. 

What would you say your strongest beliefs are about your contribution to the university? 

I love to solve students’ problems. My job is different almost every day, and it keeps me on my toes.  I like the challenge of helping students figure out why they are having difficulties. I stay abreast of the resources UCO has to offer students so that I can help students find potential solutions to their problems. I always try not to tell the student exactly what to do, but to lead the student to make the best decision for themselves and particular situation. Success in solving their own problems gives them confidence for handling future issues, and I call that a win!  

Faculty in the College of Business refer to me as “The Principal,” as part of my responsibilities involve dealing with students who may not have made the best decisions and have gotten themselves into trouble because of academic dishonesty or some other unfortunate issue. This is the part of my job that is not as fun, but it is rewarding to know that I helped make a level playing field for all students. 

What do you do when you are not working? 

I live in Oklahoma City with my husband Paul, our eleven-year-old daughter, Josie Mackenzy, our cat, Zipper and our dogs, Sadie and Lucy. Josie plays softball, so when I am not working, I enjoy going to her practices and games. Our family likes adventures, and some of those don’t even require leaving the city limits – fun is what you make it! 

I love, love, love to fish. In addition to fishing as often as I can in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas, I have also been fishing in Alaska and Canada. On both of these fishing trips, I had a wonderful time and caught tons of fish. I would certainly recommend either place for vacation!