Shelbie Raney was majoring in cell and molecular biology with an eye toward becoming a physician-scientist when she realized her heart lay elsewhere. 

“I was not interested in the repetition of performing the same experiments every day,” says Raney, a 32-year old native of Tulsa, Okla. “But I was really excited to learn about cybersecurity.” 

Raney’s timing and location could not have been better. Her hometown is the epicenter of the new OU Polytechnic Institute at OU-Tulsa. OUPI focuses on cutting-edge fields of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence; offers advanced, applied, technology-based programs; and prepares students for jobs with starting salaries of $70,000 or more. 

OU created OUPI in 2022 to work with industry leaders, rapidly establishing northeastern Oklahoma as a technological hub with students headed for the economy’s fastest-growing sectors. 

“Polytechnic means learning by doing and meeting students where they are,” says institute director Terri K. Reed. “Our students will be uniquely prepared to meet ever-changing demands in the technology sector.” 

Reed was chosen to launch OUPI because she is “one of the leading minds in strategically aligning engineering education with rapidly evolving workforce needs,” says OU President Joseph Harroz, Jr.  

Cybersecurity professionals are in demand, Reed says, as are artificial intelligence professionals, and the most urgent workforce need is in software development and integration. Consequently, those are the first Bachelor of Science degrees offered at OUPI, with master’s and doctorates coming soon. 

Working closely with industry consultants and focused on meeting industry needs, the institute’s cybersecurity curriculum was evolving even before OUPI classes started in August 2024.  “We can’t stand still in these high-tech areas,” Reed says, “because they are moving quickly.”  

Oklahoma will see a 16% growth in computer science and information technology jobs by 2026, she says, adding that the state is already short more than 300 engineers.

OU-Tulsa and OUPI leadership work closely in partnership with Tulsa Community College and Rose State College. OU-Tulsa is a degree-completion-focused campus, catering to non-traditional students in the area. OUPI fit right in, Reed says, due to its focus on linking classroom learning and skill application.  

In February, the OU Board of Regents moved OUPI into the Gallogly College of Engineering to further align the university’s educational and research capabilities within Oklahoma’s workforce needs.

It's hard to imagine anyone more enthusiastic about OUPI than Raney. “After graduating from Tulsa Community College, I wanted to further my education,” she says. “The OU Polytechnic Institute had exactly what I needed.” She now is on her way to completing a Bachelor of Science degree and hopes to earn a Ph.D. with the help of OU’s McNair Scholars Program for first-generation college students pursuing a doctorate.

By contrast, Jenna Curry, age 31, already had a job in cybersecurity. She also had a bachelor's in letters from OU. The Tulsan was working as a cybersecurity analyst for a San Diego financial firm. “But I felt I was missing a good base of information to do the job well.” So, she quit her job and became a full-time OUPI student with an eye on a career in penetration testing, known as “pen testing.” 

Pen testing, she explains, is an authorized, simulated computer attack. “Companies hire people to hack their system. This allows them to shore up their defenses and become less vulnerable to similar attacks from actual bad actors.” 

Applied tech work may provide the infrastructure at OUPI, but one distinctive feature sets it apart from most other polytechnic institutes: social science classes. That’s where Christopher Freeze comes in. The assistant professor of cybersecurity has a Ph.D. in organizational and community leadership from OU-Tulsa and a resume that includes 23 years as a special agent with the FBI, where he investigated criminal, cyber and national security crimes.

Most companies have very robust cybersecurity professionals protecting their clients, Freeze says, but humans are the weakest link. The human side of cybersecurity includes employee risk and ethics, hacker psychology and leadership training to align personal goals with the organization’s cybersecurity goals. 

“With thousands and thousands of employees who have potential access, you see the magnitude of the problem,” he says. “Add to this, hackers are almost always one step ahead of the defense. And we haven’t even talked about artificial intelligence—how it can enhance cybersecurity and how it can undermine cybersecurity.” 

The psychology of cybersecurity is one thing that enticed Paul Nguyen to transfer to OUPI.  Nguyen, 22, is from Edmond, Okla., and has deep Sooner roots. All four of his older siblings attended OU. 

Nguyen was a psychology/pre-med major before switching to computer science. “When I found out about OU Polytechnic, I jumped on the opportunity,” he says, noting that he’s particularly interested in cloud computing engineering and sees cybersecurity as an extremely stable job market. 

“Technology runs our lives,” Nguyen says, “and makes our lives more efficient. With cybersecurity, you’re protecting yourself and the people around you.”

Leaders agree about OUPI’s potential impact. The institute received $10 million in startup funds from the Oklahoma State Legislature and has received support from Tulsa Innovation Labs. Philanthropic partners such as the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Google and longtime Tulsa residents Terry and Pam Carter also provided significant funding to launch OUPI.

 “The university is fundamentally invested in the future of Oklahoma,” Harroz says in explaining OUPI’s draw. “The OU Polytechnic Institute will play a dynamic role in driving our state forward.”  

Connie Cronley is the author of several biographies of famous Oklahomans, including A Life on Fire: Oklahoma’s Kate Barnard. She lives in Tulsa, Okla.

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