Pewewardy inducted into OK Educators Hall of Fame

For more than half a century, Cornel Pewewardy ’80 has been significantly influential in education nationwide. That influence earned him the honor of being one of three inductees into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame in November 2024.

Hall of fame officials recognized Pewewardy for his more than 50 years of distinguished research and scholarship, which have had a deep impact on public and higher education, especially for Native American students, educators and administrators.

Pewewardy, who is Comanche and Kiowa, is the former vice chair of the Comanche Nation and is an associate professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, a professor-of-practice at Kansas State University  and an adjunct faculty member at several colleges and universities. He is an author and speaker on Indigenous education issues, and is known for establishing mentoring relationships with students and early career faculty. 

He began his career in education as a recreation assistant for what was then known as Sequoya Indian High School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in 1975. He went on to serve in education roles throughout the United States through positions with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, the University of Oklahoma, Portland State University in Oregon and several other schools and universities. He also founded Comanche Academy Charter School in Lawton, Oklahoma.

Pewewardy earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern State University, a master’s degree in educational management and development from NMSU’s then-College of Education, a postgraduate certificate from the University of New Mexico and a doctorate from Pennsylvania State University.

Pewewardy says his education at NMSU gave him a springboard to pursue other advanced degrees. He attended NMSU as part of a cohort from the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which was funded at the time by the Rockefeller Foundation.

“The master’s degree I earned was really the foundation of my professional career and led me to get my doctorate from Penn State,” Pewewardy says. “NMSU was the first research university that I went to that gave me the empowerment to pursue my advanced degrees.”

  “Dr. Pewewardy’s illustrious career is testimony to his profound impact on the state educational community and his unwavering dedication to enhancing Indigenous education,” says Belinda Biscoe, senior associate vice president for outreach and the College of Continuing Education at the University of Oklahoma. “His efforts have enriched the educational landscape and fostered a greater understanding and appreciation of Indigenous cultures and perspectives.”