Weatherford, OK – Dr. Denise Landrum-Geyer and Dr. Taylor Orgeron, faculty members in the Department of Language and Literature at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), have been recognized as 2025 DaVinci Creativity in Education Fellows by the DaVinci Institute. They are being recognized for their innovative approach to improving student success through their project, “Bulldog Focus: Success Starts Here,” which is designed to provide structured academic support resources.
“Bulldog Focus: Success Starts Here”
This project builds on research conducted at SWOSU through the Gardner Institute’s Gateways to Completion (G2C) program. Landrum-Geyer and Orgeron are developing a set of digital learning modules to help first-year students build foundational academic and professional skills. These modules will cover topics like the following:
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Computer literacy and navigating university systems
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Writing professional emails and communicating effectively
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Study strategies, note-taking, and time management
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Stress/anxiety management techniques
These resources will be based on survey data from students and faculty to ensure they address the most relevant challenges faced by first-year students. The goal is to provide students with accessible, practical tools to help them succeed in general education courses and beyond.
About Landrum-Geyer and Orgeron
Dr. Denise Landrum-Geyer, Professor and Chair of the Department of Language and Literature, has been a faculty member at SWOSU since 2010. With a background in rhetoric and composition, she focuses on writing pedagogy, student retention, and academic accessibility, areas that shape her efforts to support faculty and students across various academic and research initiatives.
Dr. Taylor Orgeron, Associate Professor of English, joined SWOSU in 2019. She teaches first-year composition, digital writing courses, and philosophy. Her goal is to improve student outcomes by developing tangible resources to address gaps in foundational academic skills, such as computer literacy and critical reading and study skills.
“It is our hope that providing students with these resources will aid in their success in our GE courses and create a more equitable framework for students to pursue their creativity and scholarship,” said Orgeron. “We are very grateful to be able to participate in this exciting project!”
About The DaVinci Fellowship
The DaVinci Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing arts, sciences, humanities, and education in Oklahoma, strives to promote a statewide renaissance in creativity through lectures, workshops, professional development, research, and advocacy.
The Institute annually recognizes higher education faculty who demonstrate exceptional interdisciplinary thinking and a commitment to student engagement. The DaVinci Fellowship comes with a $1,000 grant to support research and creative initiatives that have a direct impact on student learning.
For more information about the DaVinci Institution, visit www.davinciok.org.
About Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) was founded in 1901 and offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs across three locations in Weatherford, Sayre, and Yukon. The university serves over 5,000 scholars and prides itself on affordability, small class sizes, and over 200 faculty and staff committed to helping students achieve their academic and personal goals.
To learn more about the Department of Language and Literature, visit https://www.swosu.edu/undergraduate/language-literature/index.php.
