Langston University’s president, Dr. Ruth Ray Jackson, is looking to deepen the university’s connection with the Langston, Oklahoma, community. Langston is the only HBCU in the state of Oklahoma and the westernmost four-year public HBCU in the nation.

Langston was founded in 1897 when the people of the town Langston raised $5,000 to open a place for all students to be educated. Enrollment this year at Langston is a little under 2,000 students. Students have come from 34 states, Washington D.C., and several countries, including Brazil, New Zealand, and the Ivory Coast.

Back in August, Dr. Jackson served as the keynote speaker at the Oklahoma All-Black Towns State Conference. The university has several partnerships with the town, including a junior master gardeners club that meets every Friday on campus. The Cooperative Extension Service personnel how to grow their own fruits and vegetables and use them to cook healthy meals. In partnership with the community, the university constructed the T.G. Green Park, where the Langston women play softball. Events such as basketball games and performances by the university’s choir, jazz ensemble, and concert band are open to the community. These are just a few ways the university works with the community.

Town leaders are occasionally nostalgic despite the well-established partnership with the university. Only 200 households live in Langston proper, and the majority of the newly constructed residences are located on the outskirts of the city with addresses in Guthrie or Coyle. There are not many retail stores, and many of the more recent ones were constructed on State Highway 33, which contributes to the sense that downtown has been abandoned. Some members of the town board are not thrilled that the university provides a shuttle for students who wish to shop in Oklahoma City and Guthrie. Some claim they don’t always learn about athletic and musical events taking place on campus.

Despite the criticism, Dr. Jackson uses it as a means of improvement for the university. She took on the role of president in 2014 and believes the university is even more connected than when she arrived. She also previously served as the dean of education, vice president of academic affairs, and interim president.

“I’m proud of the partnerships that we have in place,” she said. “They could be stronger, or if not stronger, the dots could be better connected.”