NSU College of Liberal Arts

Our Jazz program continues to do great things! 💚🎉

That’s our Dean! Dr. Shelburne is an excellent leader and does a great job of staying connected in his field of study while leading our academic college. Thank you for all you do, Dean Shelburne!

Our judges are hard at work reading all your incredible submissions (and we do mean incredible - multiple judges have raved about the high quality they've seen this year). But we thought while they did their thing you might like to know a little more about them.

The next judge we wanted to introduce you to has been a winner of this contest in years past and is a regular contributor - Shelburne

In what he says seems like a different world more than 25 years ago, Audell Shelburne inherited two journals to edit and a writer’s festival to direct. He tended those tasks for about a decade before moving to Tahlequah and beginning work at Northeastern State University in 2011. After teaching poetry, literature, other classes, and also serving as a department chair and assistant dean, Audell was named dean of the College of Liberal Arts in July 2024.

Audell is married to Beth Melles, who is the chair of Psychology and Counseling at NSU. Together they have two children, two cats, two dogs, very busy schedules, and a very good life.

A former recipient of the Woody Barlow Poetry Award, Audell has published poems in a number of journals and anthologies, including eMerge, descant, Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, di-verse-city, Loud Coffee, Alchemy and Miracles, Verse Virtual, and others. He has read from his work at the Scissortail Creative Writing Festival, Austin International Poetry Festival, and other smaller venues. A book of poems with Lyman Grant, Robert Wynne, W. Joe Hoppe, and Hank Jones, Round and Round: A Collaborative Cycle of Poems, was published in March 2026.

Wishing you a summer of joy and relaxation! (Unless you're taking summer classes, then we wish you a summer of success and inspiration!)

Welcome to our college Dr. Burke!

NSU Music is thrilled to announce our new Director of Bands, Dr. Malcolm Burke! Dr. Burke is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota and served as the Interim Director of Bands at Concordia College this school year.

Welcome to the Riverhawk family, Dr. Burke! 🦅

CoLA alumni, don’t forget that you have access to the Career services resources after graduation!

You did it! Now what?🤔🎓

If you’re unsure about what to do next career-wise, we understand, and we’re here for you! As an alumni of NSU, you have access to ALL of our career-ready resources. A few of those resources include: mock interviews, resume and cover letter checks and more!

To schedule an appointment with one of our career counselors, use the contact information below!

📧: [email protected]
📞: 918-444-3110 (Tahlequah) 918-449-6168 (BA)
💻: HireNSUGrads.com

Congratulations to all of our 2026 spring graduates!