Maestro Jerry Steichen leads the 56-member Gala Orchestra at the Quasquicentennial Concert Saturday night in Tonkawa. (photo by Mallory Kyler/NOC)
NOC celebrates 125 years with Quasquicentennial Concert
Music, memories and a look toward the future highlighted Northern Oklahoma College’s 125th Anniversary Quasquicentennial Concert Saturday night at the Kinzer Performing Arts Center’s Dineo Heilmann Auditorium.
Maestro Jerry Steichen led the 56-member Gala Orchestra in a number of selections. Guest pianist Dr. Thomas Landers performed “Rhapsody in Blue” at the end of Act I.
NOC Fine Arts faculty Shannon Varner, Chad Anderson and Brandon Haynes, along with Fine Arts Division Chair Dr. Edward Dixon, performed with 43 current and former members of the NOC Roustabouts.
Vice President for Development & Community Relations Sheri Snyder welcomed the audience with a flashback to 1901.
“Imagine this: 125 years ago, a small group of visionaries stood on a patch of Oklahoma soil, believing in the power of education to transform lives,” Snyder said. “They didn’t have the resources we enjoy today, but they had something even more powerful — a dream. A dream that Northern Oklahoma College would be a place where opportunity meets determination, where students from all walks of life could find their path forward.”
During Act I, President Emeritus Dr. Cheryl Evans reflected on NOC’s history.
“Today’s celebration marks 125 years since an institution originally created to prepare students for a university education began a journey that would eventually make it Oklahoma’s first public community college and it is now a multi-campus institution serving over 3,000 students in Tonkawa, Enid, Stillwater and even around the country with online learning,” Evans said.
Evans said NOC’s story began shortly after the opening of the Cherokee Outlet, when Tonkawa-area settlers began looking beyond establishing farms and communities toward educational opportunities for their children.
By 1900, area residents were concerned about the need for secondary education. Territorial representative James Wilkin became a leading advocate for establishing a school in Tonkawa and introduced legislation creating the University Preparatory School. The bill passed and was signed by Territorial Gov. Cassius Barnes in the spring of 1901.
“Through the years, Northern has experienced a lot of change and growth,” Evans said. “We’ve benefitted from the outstanding leadership and support provided by the Oklahoma State Regents as well as from our many distinguished legislators who serve us.”
Evans also read a proclamation from Oklahoma legislators Sen. Bill Coleman and Rep. John Pfeiffer.
President Diana Morris closed the concert by reflecting on NOC’s ability to adapt throughout its history.
“If you read the history of the college, you’ll notice a theme of adaptation and resilience,” Morris said. “NOC’s story is not one of being founded in 1901 and steadily growing. In fact, there was a time it almost disappeared. After closing completely in 1917, NOC reopened, changed its mission several times, changed names, survived through wars and the Great Depression, moved from a preparatory school to a junior college, and eventually became the community college we know today, continually adapting to student and workforce needs.”
Morris said she is committed to building on the successes of her predecessors, including Dr. Joe Kinzer and Evans, both of whom she worked under.
“The NOC Board of Regents and I are excited to watch Northern Oklahoma College continue to adapt and grow for many years to come,” Morris said.
Morris also looked toward NOC’s future, highlighting the $17 million unrestricted gift the college received from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in November 2025, the largest private contribution in NOC history.
Morris described the gift as a “vote of confidence” in NOC’s mission that gives the college flexibility to create scholarships, expand academic programs, improve student services and support long-term strategic goals.
“MacKenzie Scott’s $17 million gift coinciding with NOC’s quasquicentennial year truly brings our tagline of Life Changing to new levels, offering unprecedented flexibility to expand access, improve student outcomes, and strengthen the college’s role as a leader in rural higher education,” Morris said.
“Here’s to the next 125 years of promoting college access, degree completion and workforce success in the Great State of Oklahoma!”
The program concluded with the singing of the NOC Alma Mater.
Earlier Saturday, a silent auction was held at the Renfro Center, while a Louis Vuitton designer bag raffle raised over $30,000 for the NOC First Generation Student Scholarship and Program Support. NOC alum, former Roustabout and current Northern Oklahoma College Foundation Chairman Jackie Conrady drew Evans’ name as the raffle winner during intermission of Saturday’s concert.
