Tom Cole

Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole will be the keynote speaker during the OCCC commencement ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 11, at the Cox Business Services Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City.

This will be the college’s 39th annual graduation ceremony.

Cole is a fifth generation Oklahoman and the only Native American serving in Congress. He is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation and in 2004 was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame.

Cole was elected to Congress in 2002 and is currently serving his fifth term.

Time magazine labeled him “one of the sharpest minds in the House.”

He has served on the House Appropriations Committee as well as being assigned to the Subcommittees on Defense, Foreign Operations, and Interior among many other committees.

“It is an honor to have Congressman Tom Cole as our commencement speaker,” said President Paul Sechrist in an email message. “Congressman Cole is one of the most respected elected representatives in our nation’s capitol.

“Having him back in his home state to give the OCCC commencement address will make graduation a memorable event for all of our graduates.”

Before Cole became a member of Congress, he was a college instructor in history and politics.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College in Iowa, his master’s from Yale, and his doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. Cole has been a Fulbright Fellow at the University of London and currently serves on the national board of the Fulbright Association.

For more information on OCCC’s commencement ceremony, please contact Records and Graduation Services at 405-682-1611 ext. 7512.

To contact Amy Miller, email onlineeditor@occc.edu.