Jennifer Gray Ph.D.

Jennifer has been a nurse since 1977. As an Oklahoma Christian University student, she completed her BSN at the University of Central Oklahoma. She initially served as a clinic nurse in Cameroon, West Africa, for 20 months. She saw patients in a mobile clinic, opened a maternity clinic, and made visits to the homes of children who were underweight. In the US, she has worked in oncology and home health. She began her teaching career in practical nursing programs and joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing in 1989 as she completed her master’s degree. The School was supportive of her continuing her education and she started her PhD in 1990. During her PhD program, she learned to love research. Her dissertation was on mastery over stress in women with HIV/AIDS.

At UT Arlington, she taught in the BSN, RN to BSN, MSN, and PhD programs and developed several new courses. She became the Associate Dean of the Ph.D. Program in 2005. She was given additional responsibility for MSN graduate programs over time. As the George W. and Hazel M. Jay Professor, Jennifer led small teams of nurses to Uganda for 8 years, where they taught research workshops and clinical workshops. She also served as the interim dean of the College of Nursing for 15 months. In 2013, she was inducted as Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. Jennifer retired in May 2015 after 26 years and was inducted as a Professor Emeritus for the UT System. She and her husband, Randy, both alums of OC, had dreamed of coming back to the university to work at some time in their lives. They are very excited to have “come home.” Jennifer plans to continue her work in Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania. At OC, she has been the Associate Dean for the College of Natural and Health Sciences and teaches nursing courses.

Jennifer learned to write research textbooks from two of her mentors, Dr. Nancy Burns and Dr. Susan Grove. She and Dr. Grove continue to co-author an undergraduate and a graduate textbook. The latest edition of the graduate textbook was published in 2020. She has enjoyed teaching the nursing research course using the undergraduate textbook she helped write.

In 2020, Jennifer was asked to serve as the dean of the College of Professional Studies. She is responsible for the faculty, staff, and students in business, computer science, engineering, health sciences, math, and natural sciences programs. She is focused on innovation, not for the sake of innovation, but for the potential to meet students learning needs and serve a broader audience. Her goal is to support new courses and strategies without losing the missional, challenging, and personal characteristics that are the fabric of OC.

Jennifer and Randy were members at the New York Avenue Church of Christ in Arlington for 30 years. Serving God and the NYA church family were a big part of their lives as they raised two children. Randy served as an elder and Jennifer taught ladies’ Bible class. Since moving to Edmond, they have placed membership at Oakdale Church of Christ where Randy is serving as an elder. Both their children are married and have families. Randy and Jennifer have three grandchildren in York, NE, and two in Edmond, OK.