OSU-Tulsa public safety students graduate from Tulsa Police Academy

OSU-Tulsa public safety students graduate from Tulsa Police Academy

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Media Contact: Aaron Campbell | OSU-Tulsa Communications Coordinator | 918-899-4960 | [email protected]

Two Oklahoma State University-Tulsa students marked major milestones this week, graduating from the Tulsa Police Academy and completing their bachelor's degrees in public safety.

Officers Jared Brown and Brenden Olguin received their badges from Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larsen and their diplomas from Johnny Stephens, interim president of OSU-Tulsa and president of OSU Center for Health Sciences at the academy's Class 131 graduation ceremony.

"These graduates represent exactly why OSU-Tulsa exists, to prepare talented, dedicated Tulsans to serve and lead in their own communities," said Stephens. "Service is at the heart of our land-grant mission, and preparing a strong professional workforce is one of the ways we live out that commitment. I hope the Tulsa Police Department is ready to see even more OSU graduates in the years to come."

Officer Brown led the class review ahead of the presentation of badges and awards, offering words of wisdom to his fellow graduating officers.

"We learned, we grew and we realized policing wasn't just about what you carry on your belt. It's about what you carry in your heart - integrity, courage and a commitment to serve something bigger than yourself," Brown said. "The badge we wear doesn't make us special, our actions do."

Brown and Olguin are the first OSU-Tulsa public safety graduates to complete the Tulsa Police Academy. Other alumni are already serving on the Broken Arrow, Bethany and OSU police departments. Public safety is one of the core degree programs of the OSU College of Professional Studies, which awards college credit for police academy training as part of the degree. A central goal of the college is to help students use their existing college credits and professional experience to complete a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree while continuing to build their careers.

Craig Freeman, vice provost and dean of the College of Professional Studies at OSU-Tulsa, and Beverly Morris, director of undergraduate advising at OSU-Tulsa, attended the ceremony to congratulate the graduates.

"This moment is why the College of Professional Studies exists," Freeman said. "Working adults shouldn't have to start over to finish a degree. Their experience matters, and we're here to help them move forward."

To learn more about OSU's public safety bachelor's degree and other professional workforce-focused programs, visit the College of Professional Studies website.