OSU Foundation Appoints Dr. Barry Pollard Chairman of the Board

Enid neurosurgeon/cattleman/John Deere dealer makes time to give back

The Oklahoma State University Foundation announced the appointment of Waukomis resident Dr. Barry Pollard as chairman of its 2009-10 Board of Trustees at an October meeting in Stillwater.

“Dr. Pollard is one of the busiest people I know, but we are so pleased he has accepted this position,” said Kirk A. Jewell, OSU Foundation president and CEO. “His passion and dedication to OSU and the Foundation is evident in his gifts of both time and resources to help OSU. Now he will serve in this new leadership capacity, and the biggest beneficiary will be current and future OSU students.” Pollard grew up in Hennessey, Okla., before earning his biochemistry degree from OSU in 1973. He earned his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma and is a practicing neurosurgeon in Enid. He owns nine John Deere dealerships through P&K Equipment and operates Pollard Farms, a farming and ranching operation in Enid.

Barry Pollard

He credits much of his success to what he learned in Stillwater and he is dedicated to giving back. He founded OSU Medical Cowboys, a group of health-care professionals who have set a goal of building a $3 million endowment to fund scholarships for 20 students in each graduating class. He also endowed a professorship in agribusiness and gives to several athletics programs. Also, P&K Equipment funds two scholarships annually.

So what compels him to take on additional responsibility at the Foundation on top of everything else he does for OSU?

“There are not many higher goals than the function of the Foundation, where you are helping to raise money and take care of money to provide scholarships for students to provide an education that is going to benefit them for the rest of their lives,” Pollard said. “We have an opportunity everyday to help people get an education, get a better job and, hopefully, have a better life. It’s an opportunity for me to give back to Oklahoma State University, which was so good to me.”

The alumnus of FarmHouse Fraternity describes OSU as “a giant fraternity or a giant family.”

“It’s like home,” he added. “It’s a place that I grew up. It’s a place that I formed relationships with people that became so meaningful to me. If I could give every student that feeling, it would be great.”

As chairman, Pollard wants to do more than that. Among his stated goals are to improve fundraising; improve the culture of giving among OSU students, graduates and supporters; and help others discover the positive feeling he gets from his donations.

For Pollard, all of those goals come back to one main objective – to help OSU provide the best education possible at a more affordable level.

“We need to let people know that we need their help and promote that culture of giving so that we can improve our ability to help,” Pollard said.

Even his promotion of non-scholarship donations, such as his own chair endowment, is really about helping the students.

“We must be able to bring the best educators to campus,” he added. “I can certainly remember the names of all of my great professors. We need to bring faculty to OSU that the students remember because of the impact they made on them.”

Pollard and his wife, Roxanne, currently have a son in the MBA program at OSU.

The OSU Foundation Board of Governors is composed of 148 men and women whose leadership and commitment to the university are demonstrated through achievement in business, financial support and a motivation to enhance the programs and initiatives of the Foundation. Governors are leaders who have an interest in advancing higher education and demonstrate personal ties and dedication to Oklahoma State University. Among the governors, 26 trustees are selected to act as the governing body of the organization and comprise the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

The Oklahoma State University Foundation serves as the private fundraising organization for OSU, as designated by the OSU Regents. Its mission is to unite donor and university passions and priorities to achieve excellence.

Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant system that cuts across disciplines to better prepare students for a new world. Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach. OSU has more than 32,000 students across its five-campus system and nearly 21,000 on its Stillwater campus; with students from all 50 states and about 110 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 200,000 students who have made a lasting impact on Oklahoma and the world. CREATE - INNOVATE - EDUCATE - GO STATE!

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