Mother of Dragons

Game of Thrones: The Musical, a parody of all things Westeros and Essos, is lighting up stages in California and was featured in Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. The starring role of “Mother of Dragons” (aka Daenerys Targaryen) is filled by none other than 2013 OU journalism and screenwriting alumna Kacey Spivey. When not commanding fire breathers, Spivey serves as on-camera host and video producer for ScreenRant.com.

Move over, Gryffindor

OU’s eagerly anticipated residential halls, Dunham College and Headington College, opened to 600 upper-division students in August. Students get the best of a close-knit community where dining, classrooms and study spaces are all under one roof. OU professors Mark Morvant and Keith Gaddie will live alongside students as Senior Fellows in Dunham and Headington, respectively, to provide intellectual, cultural and social programming, and faculty fellows will teach seminar-sized courses right on site.

Making the Pitch

Skip Johnson, who served one season as OU baseball’s pitching coach, has stepped up to the plate as the university’s 10th head baseball coach. This year, Johnson was credited with helping the team reach its first NCAA Regional appearance since 2013, and his pitchers allowed the fewest home runs to be scored on any team in the Big 12.

Oklahoma Architecture Revival

The revival of Oklahoma’s architectural genius continues with Bruce Goff: Architecture of Discipline in Freedom by retired OU professor Arn Henderson. In this OU Press book, Henderson explores Goff’s principles of design, the values that inspired his work, his impact on organic architecture and his rich teaching legacy at the OU College of Architecture. (For more on OU’s organic architects, see The Modernist House on the Prairie on page 28)

Dance Debut

The OU School of Dance welcomed new director Michael Bearden in July. Bearden, who started dancing on a dare after being overheard saying that his sister’s ballet class looked “easy,” served as principal dancer for noted company Ballet West and artistic adviser for Ballet Arkansas. Bearden becomes only the third director in the history of OU’s dance program since its establishment in 1963.

Ice Cream for a Purpose

Opening a homemade ice cream shop at age 21 is impressive enough. The cherry on top is that OU public relations junior Riley Eden designed Super Scoop in Edmond, Okla., specifically to employ members of the special-needs community. Staff members gain skills, confidence and a source of income. “They’re all becoming more and more independent,” he proudly said to the OU Daily. “I see it every day.”