September 2, 2009
Dr. Deborah Blue, Oklahoma Baptist University senior vice president for academic affairs, was a contributor to the new book "What Will Tomorrow's Schools Teach?" published by Pearson Education, Inc.
Blue was one of 19 educators and policy makers from across the nation asked to address the future of education at a 2008 conference in Chicago hosted by the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson. The new book includes presentations initially prepared for that meeting. Blue's chapter is titled "Oklahoma's Educational Governing Boards."
Blue joined the OBU faculty in 1980 and currently holds the rank of professor of mathematics. She became dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University's largest academic division, in 1996, and OBU's chief academic officer in 2006.
A Shawnee native, Blue graduated from OBU in 1972. Prior to returning to her alma mater, she was an adjunct instructor at Tulsa Junior College, and taught junior high school and middle school mathematics for six years.
Blue has served in various leadership roles during her OBU career. She chaired the University's "vision team," which worked in early 2005 to assess the institution's core curriculum. From that work, OBU has implemented several curriculum changes in what university officials characterize as a move to strengthen an already respected liberal arts program.
Blue serves on the Oklahoma State Board of Education, having been appointed to the board by Gov. Frank Keating in 1998, and reappointed by Gov. Brad Henry in 2004. She also is a member of the State Board of Career and Technology Education. She is vice chair of the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation and chairs that organization's assessment committee, which oversees the state's teacher certification examinations. She also has served as a mentor for the Executive Leadership Development Institute program of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Blue earned a bachelor of science degree at OBU and completed a master of science degree in mathematics from the University of Tulsa in 1975. She earned a doctor of education degree in curriculum and instruction from Oklahoma State University in 1991.