Section 4 - Role of the Center Director

The Center Director has a wide range of duties which include traditionally academic responsibilities along with a host of functions that are atypical for an academic appointment. Supervision of the Director’s Doel Reed Center responsibilities falls to OSU’s Associate Provost.

Academic Responsibilities

The Center Director is responsible for the delivery of all academic programs at the Doel Reed Center.

Consistent with its primary mission and the mission of the University academic courses are offered at the Doel Reed Center each summer. These courses represent a variety of academic disciplines which provide an intensive learning experience incorporating the uniqueness of Northern New Mexico’s history, culture, architecture, geography and so on.

Responsibilities include:

Arrange and coordinate undergraduate and graduate courses delivered at the center each summer
Solicit course proposals from university faculty
Review and select courses to be offered
Work with instructors to develop and promote the identified courses
Coordinate selection of scholarship recipients and scholarship awards.

Management of the Doel Reed Center and Property

Responsibilities include:

Assure that routine preventive maintenance is accomplished
Supervise the maintenance and upkeep of all buildings and grounds
Identify and solicit bids from contractors needed to accomplish repairs and maintenance
Maintain furnishings, décor, linens and kitchenware
Assure that the necessary supplies are available for the comfort of the participants and others occupying and using the facilities.

Collaboration with the Advisory Committee

The position of Center Director is integral to the activities of the Advisory Committee. The Director attends all Advisory Committee meetings to report on current initiatives and participates in Executive Committee meetings and many committee meetings.

Advisory Committee’s Leisure Learning Committee

Select courses to be offered at both the summer and fall leisure learning sessions
Identify and contract with instructors for each of the courses
Coordinate travel and housing for the instructors
Arrange for any materials, travel or accesses related to course delivery
Be available to troubleshoot throughout the session

Visiting Artist and Visiting Scholar Committees

Chair the committees
Solicit and select recipients for each of these programs
Arrange recipient travel and housing during the tenure of their appointment
Plan and schedule scholarly workshops and presentations for each of the recipients

Marketing and Outeach for the Doel Reed Center in Taos

Marketing and outreach efforts for the Doel Reed Center are the responsibility of the Center’s Director with the support of the Advisory Committee’s Marketing and Outreach Committee, OSU Foundation’s Marketing Department and OSU Brand Management.

Responsibilities include:

Supervise a half time staff position assigned to OSU Brand Management maintains the Center’s website, the monthly center newsletter, and social media outreach
Schedule, facilitate, and promote all outreach activities such as workshops, lectures and special events associated with the Doel Reed Center. These events may take place in Taos, in Stillwater or in a virtual format.
Create and distribute the monthly newsletter
Design and distribute other promotional materials

Financial Management of the Doel Reed Center

The Center Director works with both the University and the OSU Foundation in management of funding sources for the Center. While the Center is part of the University system the majority of its funding comes from the generosity of donors. Some state funding is made available to the Center through the University’s annual budgeting process.

Responsibilities include:

Prepare the center’s annual budget
Make and approve all expenditures
Solicit bids for products and services, when necessary
With the OSU Foundation develop annual funding raising priorities for the Center and its programs.
Donor Stewardship - prepare thank you letter to Center donors
Report to the Advisory Committee regarding the financial activities of the Center

Directors of the Center

Sallie McCorkle, the first Doel Reed Center Director, was involved in the property’s concept development as a part of the initial assessment of the gift. As Chair of the OSU Art Department Sallie was asked to provide a proposal for the use of the Reed property that laid the foundation for the programing and direction the Center now embraces.

Sallie was fortunate to have an opportunity to engage with Martha and hear firsthand her wishes for the property. During the initial stages McCorkle “organized the ‘Doel Reed Project’ an advanced-level, cross-disciplinary course allowing students to bring their educational interests and experiences to the project. More than 60 students and 10 faculty members participated in the design of public relations materials, property restoration/renovation/expansion ideas and documentary archives” (McCorkle, Sallie, Fall 2008 Occurrences: News from the Art Dept).

As the vision for the Center moved forward Professor McCorkle was invited and accept the Directorship of the Doel Reed Center beginning January 1, 2009. At this time the Center was transferred from Art Department to the College of Arts & Sciences. As the Center’s future became more stable McCorkle focused her efforts on delivering academic offerings and creating internship opportunities in Taos for OSU students and identifying funding needs to support those programs. Along with the Committee and the Foundation staff, she also was instrumental in creating events and opportunities to raise the visibility of the Doel Reed Center among the student population as well as the potential donor and other interested individuals. The creation of a Programing Committee encouraged solicitation of course proposals to form an interdisciplinary approach to an expanded academic program. It was also during McCorkle’s tenure that the concept of programing for alumni and other adult learners was envisioned. The first artist/scholar residency, now Visiting Artist and Visiting Scholar programs, was successfully offered in Summer 2010. Work to repair the structures also commenced during Sallie’s term as Center Director.

Edward P Walkiewicz, assumed the position of Center Director in 2011 as he retired as a professor in the OSU’s English Department. Dr. Walkiewicz was a logical choice for this position, having completed his doctorate at the University of New Mexico where he researched modern poets and their connection to New Mexico. His vision for the Center would expand the focus of the Center to include many new options for academic offerings and to provide adult learning programs to attract OSU alumni along with residents of northern New Mexico. Walkiewicz also envisioned an expanded artists and scholars’ programs to become nationally and internationally competitive. Dr. Walkiewicz also recognized the value of collaborations such as that with the Taos Art Museum and envisioned expanding these programs to include additional educational and research institutions. Realistically, however, the primary focus of his tenure was providing leadership and onsite supervision of the construction and renovation of the houses and studio. As the renovations were nearing completion Dr. Walkiewicz posited that “Once we can fully utilize all three buildings, we will be able to expand our efforts to foster artistic production and scholarly investigation, while offering a quality, multidisciplinary curriculum to Oklahoma State University students and alumni along with the northern New Mexico community.” (Occurrences Summer 2014).

Carol Moder The third and current Center Director, Carol Moder, assumed the position in summer 2015. She holds a fulltime academic appointment in the University’s English Department with one half of that academic contract and a two-month summer contract assigned to the Doel Reed Center in Taos. Additionally, through the generosity of OSU President Emeritus and First Lady Burns and Ann Hargis, Dr. Moder holds the Ann & Burns Hargis Endowed Professorship which provides additional monies to be used at her discretion to enhance and extend programs offered by the Doel Reed Center in Taos.

Dr. Moder’s tenure as Center Director has focused on refining and expanding the Center’s programing. Identifying an opportunity to support students applying for prestigious national and international scholarships such as the Truman and Goldwater she created a Scholar Development Workshops. Each January this group of students travel to the Doel Reed Center where they receive intensive one-on-one coaching and assistance preparing their applications while experiencing the sites of Taos.

Dr. Moder also created The Hargis Fellows program bringing OSU faculty to the Center for 2 to 4 week residencies each June. This program continues Doel Reed’s legacy by allowing OSU faculty to pursue creative or scholarly work in Taos. This experience allows fellows to research topics or complete scholarly works related to the arts and culture of the southwest. OSU Hargis Fellows are expected to devote a portion of their residency to developing a proposal for an academic course they will offer the following summer.

In early 2021 when the pandemic restricted in person gatherings and summer classes could not be offered, Leisure Learning lectures and remote learning workshops were instituted by Director Moder. These activities served to keep the Leisure Learning audience engaged and even expanded the reach by connecting with persons who are unable to make the trip to Taos. The success of this program prompted its continuation after face-to-face classes resumed. Not only do these virtual courses continue the education programs throughout the year but they also have provided opportunities to preview upcoming and potential Leisure Learning courses.

Following the 2019 Leisure Learning Program’s selection of Taos Integrated School of Arts (TISA) as it’s philanthropy project, Dr. Moder extended the Doel Reed Center’s involvement with TISA by providing student’s opportunities to explore artistic interests at the Center. This project has expanded each year since 2020 with more students being engaged in each successive year. A TISA student art show is planned for summer 2022 at the Taos Art Museum.

Dr. Moder continues to explore opportunities to involve greater numbers of OSU students, faculty, and alumni. We are excited to see what new and innovative opportunities she will implement next.