By Charlie Hudgins
Fall 2023
Oklahoma State was a university founded in 1890 as an institution that developed agriculture and mechanics under the “Morrill Act” (“History-Oklahoma State University” 2018). According to Encyclopedia Britannica the land grant act of 1862 “provided grants of land to states to finance the establishment of colleges specializing in agriculture and the mechanic arts” (“Land-Grant College Act of 1862 – Encyclopedia Britannica”). However, in 1890 we got the second Morrill act which stated that there must be a land grant university for both white and African Americans (The Land-Grant Tradition 13). This is overall where Langston University comes from; Oklahoma State was made for Caucasians and Langston was made for African Americans (The Land-Grant Tradition 9). However, today Oklahoma State looks much different as it has diversified itself to a place where all are welcome. Oklahoma States land grant mission is as follows “Oklahoma State University promotes learning, advances knowledge, enriches lives, and stimulates economic development through teaching, research, extension, outreach and creative activities” (“Mission”, 2018). But where do I, Charlie Hudgins, fit into this land grant university? To answer this, we must look back at my first-time visiting OSU.
It was a cool October day; the trees were glistening with their golden-brown appearance. It was my first-time truly stepping on the OSU campus with the awe of what a thirteen-year-old feels. I was visiting my older sister Madison who was a first-year student at Oklahoma State at the time. The beauty of campus was immaculate. I was immediately drawn to the library where its tall spire stood tall and proud. Immediately I fell in love and knew this was the place I wanted to go to college at. But let us take a further jump back and look at where this all started. I was a young boy from a small town in Oklahoma named Mannford with a population of around three thousand people. Just an average kid who attended church on Sunday, loved superheroes and had a desire to be different from his siblings. In my household we loved God, showing livestock, sports, and rooting for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. However, I was a bit odd from the rest of my family. Both of my older siblings played sports, and it felt like I was living in a shadow. Because of this I strongly disliked sports, and I had my own love which was for music and the band. I ended up joining the high school band where I would make my own name for myself and eventually become the high school drum major. However, one thing my family and I shared was a love for Oklahoma State University.
Another reason I had a great desire to be a part of Oklahoma State University was my love for music. “Your Cowboy Marching Band!!,” this slogan said by the announcer before every Oklahoma State Marching Band half-time performance truly got me excited to see an OSU football game. The way the instruments catch the light, and the melodious sound of the instruments truly make the games bearable and a congenial experience for me. To enhance Oklahoma State even future another item that caught my attention was the Spears business school. Spears offered many valuable resources such as the Cagle study-abroad program, which offers a creative activity under the new OSU land grant mission statement. My major is Human Resource Management; when I first walked into the Spears building, I immediately knew this was an institution that valued business majors. J.P. Morgan once said, “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are” (Rodenhizer 2018). This quote by J.P. Morgan perfectly describes my relationship with OSU. Even though OSU has been my dream school since I was young, I am still having to take steps towards becoming a true cowboy. If we as humans remain stagnant nothing while ever be established; I remember as if it was yesterday the acceptance letter came in, and I knew it was my time to take that first step. Even though I don’t necessarily fit into the original land-grant mission I am part of the updated land grant mission because I have chosen a university that provides me with resources and enhances my knowledge every day. Well, that is the story of how Charlie Hudgins, a boy who knew that he wanted to be an OSU Cowboy came to be.
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