Oklahoma City University welcomes the next dean of the Wanda L. Bass School of Music and the School of Theatre with the selection of Julia Montag.
Montag previously served nearly 10 years as the director of the University of Missouri School of Music in Columbia, Missouri.
During that time, she managed the design, construction and opening of a 47,000-square-foot, $24 million music building, while also managing a team of more than 40 faculty members and overseeing education of 250 music majors at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Oklahoma City University President Kenneth Evans said Montag’s leadership experience and extensive career in music education were key elements of her selection to lead OCU’s music and theatre programs.
“Julia’s experience working closely with students, faculty and university administrators extends for nearly three decades,” Evans said. “We are very pleased to welcome her to the OCU family and excited to see her build on our strong tradition in music and theatre education and performance.”
Montag earned a Doctor of Musical Art degree in performance from the University of Oklahoma; a Master of Music degree in performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York; and her bachelor’s degree in music performance from the Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin.
She served as professor of percussion studies at the University of Missouri, a position she held from 1996 through 2014 and then resumed in 2023. In addition to her teaching experience, Montag is an accomplished performer and recording artist on the marimba; a conductor; and a published author, including three books on four-mallet marimba pedagogy.
She said she is honored to assume the leadership role for two of the nation’s preeminent performing arts institutions.
“I am thrilled and very much look forward to working with the talented students, faculty and staff within the School of Theatre and Bass School of Music,” Montag said. “OCU’s reputation as one of the nation’s elite centers of performing arts preparation was a key point that attracted me to this position. I look forward to carrying this mantle forward and striving for new heights along the way.”
She took over leadership duties from W. Jerome Stevenson, who has served as interim dean of the music and theatre schools since July 1. Stevenson returned to his previous role as associate dean of the School of Theatre.
Evans said he is grateful for Stevenson’s contributions and for his continued role and service to students at the university.
OCU has been honored with 13 National Opera Association production awards, and selected multiple times for Playbill’s honor roll of top schools educating Broadway performers.
OMRF welcomes new board members
At its biannual meeting, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation’s Board of Directors welcomed four new members.
Joining the Board are: Anne Greenwood, of Stillwater; Gay Kirby, of Nichols Hills; LaRue Stoller, of Nichols Hills; and Craig Willis, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
After ending a 30-year corporate accounting career, Greenwood made philanthropy her vocation, with a focus on endowing scholarships and programs at Oklahoma State University. She is a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
Kirby is a former special education teacher who now serves as a community volunteer, with a special interest in civic, cultural, philanthropic and youth education organizations.
Stoller specialized in acquisitions and divestitures at State Bank and now is a director of Great Plains Bank. She currently owns a vineyard and winery in Oregon and is co-owner and general partner of a large-scale cattle ranch.
Willis is program manager of Chapman Foundations Management and became its trustee in January. He also has served as senior program officer of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.
The board also held a moment of silence to honor Distinguished Career Scientist Paul Kincade, Ph.D., who died in October at age 80. Kincade, a noted immunologist, spent more than three decades at the foundation, where he founded a research program and ultimately served as OMRF’s vice president of research.
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Oklahoma Spine Hospital is now in a partnership with SSM Health. |
SSM Health, OSH now in partnership
SSM Health and Oklahoma Spine Hospital (OSH) have entered into a joint venture partnership.
The agreement was effective Jan. 31 and the hospital continues to operate under its existing hospital license.
Under the terms of the joint venture, SSM Health in Oklahoma has acquired a majority ownership interest in Oklahoma Spine Hospital, LLC; the physicians of OSH retain the remaining ownership interest. Governance of the joint venture is to be shared by a management committee composed of equal representation from each owner.
“Partnering with SSM Health allows Oklahoma Spine Hospital to continue our commitment to delivering high-quality, patient centered care while also leveraging the operational strengths and resources of a large, integrated health system,” said Kevin Blaylock, CEO of Oklahoma Spine Hospital. “We have been impressed by SSM Health’s commitment to caring for Oklahomans since 1898 as the first hospital in the Oklahoma Territory. They employ a forward-thinking approach to innovation and operational efficiency in ways that will benefit our patients.”
Joe Hodges, lead regional executive at SSM Health, and regional president at SSM Health Oklahoma, added, “We are excited for the opportunity to partner with the physicians at Oklahoma Spine Hospital. The hospital and physicians have an outstanding reputation for providing spine and pain care specialty services to patients in north Oklahoma City and beyond. OSH’s services and providers will further expand our Mission and complement the exceptional services and team of SSM Health physicians delivering neurosurgical, spine and pain care across Oklahoma.”
The employees in the joint venture remain employed by OSH and physicians continue to practice under the existing medical staff structure at Oklahoma Spine Hospital. The name of the hospital is changed to SSM Health Oklahoma Spine Hospital, Physician Owned.