Welcome to the inaugural blog post for the Red River Higher Education Alliance Website! Apparently, I am a glutton for punishment and took the bait of writing the very first one. I am Dr. Anna Barritt, Director of the University of Oklahoma’s IPSE program: Sooner Works. I was (perhaps mistakenly) given full creative freedom on the subject matter of this first insert. A bit stumped on what direction to take–I decided to begin writing at Cafe Kubal in Syracuse, New York the morning of my return flight home to Oklahoma from the State of the Art (SOTA) conference, the national conference for inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE). 

    This was my third SOTA, and it hit me just how much this field—our field—feels like home. I began my position as Director in February 2023, and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. My background was not an intentional path to IPSE leadership. I am a rhetorician by training with a research focus in disability rhetoric. I intended to become an English professor, but I found something better. As the fates would have it, I landed in the world of IPSE with a sufficient knowledge of higher education administration from my professional world, and first-hand experience navigating the world of disability. My uncle had Down syndrome and lived most of his life in an institution. I grew up trailing behind my mother as she negotiated with case managers, fought for services,  and marched for justice at the state capitol. I still have much to learn about the specifics of transition, self-determination, IEPs, etc. But advocacy? Activism? An insatiable bloodthirst for justice? That’s in my bones. 

    I am highlighting my background because our field thrives on the power of lived experiences and diverse perspectives. Our personal and professional stories–our triumphs, our failures, our stubborn hope–are what make IPSE such a rare and beautiful corner in the sprawling and often challenging landscape of higher education. Coming from a competitive R-1 institution, I can verify that collaboration of this kind is not the norm. In IPSE, we borrow freely, share openly, and celebrate each other’s wins without reservation. It is not strange for us to post our handbooks or budgets for others to reference, or to nudge our university’s administration to help a neighboring program. It is unusual, but it is also revolutionary. It is our ethos. 

    Our field is built on collegiality, collaboration and care; it is the living embodiment of the disability justice principle of interdependence. Each of us (and each of our respective programs) brings our own knowledge, quirks, and creativity to keep the dial moving forward. The future of inclusive postsecondary education depends on all of us showing up, sharing freely, and “voluntelling” folks we encounter along the way whose voices belong at our table. 

    The Red River Higher Education Alliance is very young, but Oklahomans and Texans are nothing if not scrappy. We can do a lot with a little, and we do it with muddy boots and dirt under our fingernails. There is tremendous work ahead as we continue shaping our regional identity within the national IPSE landscape, but we will do it together. 

Here’s to the start of something good. 

BOOMER! 

Anna L. Barritt, Ph.D

Director | Sooner Works
Zarrow Institute
The University of Oklahoma