History

The Oklahoma College Public Relations Association (OCPRA) provides meaningful networking opportunities and honors the creative imagination of its members and member institutions in their marketing and public relations efforts.

OCPRA was founded in 1969 by three devoted communications professionals. These include longtime Oklahoma journalist Carter Bradley, who later became the first director of the Higher Education Alumni Council of Oklahoma, and Ralph Hamilton, who served for many years as director of public relations at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.  Assisting in the launch was Lance Ward, retired former director of HEACO and former public relations officer for Oklahoma City Community College.

Then as now, the organization brought together professional communicators from both public and private institutions of higher education in Oklahoma with a single focus:  promoting higher education in this state as a means to enrich its citizens and economy.  Public Relations professionals - both rural and urban, junior college and large research universities - form a network for sharing ideas and resources.

In the 1980s, OCPRA launched an annual summer conference designed to bring members together for professional enrichment.  In 1992, OCPRA launched its highly successful annual awards competition and show, recognizing the finest work in writing, design and photography.  This year nearly 500 entries were submitted in the 27 categories of competition, ranging from newswriting to web design to public relations campaigns.

In 2003, OCPRA launched its annual Communicator of the Year Award, presented at its fall luncheon program sponsored jointly by the State Regents Communicators Council.  The first honoree was Natalea Watkins, longtime associate vice president for communications at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.  So effective was her leadership in both OCPRA and the State Communicators Council that, beginning in 2004, the award was renamed the Natalea Watkins Communicator of the Year Award.