County Training Program

The County Training Program is a joint endeavor between CLGT and OCES. It provides education, training, and technical assistance to Oklahoma’s elected county officers, their deputies and staffs, and state and local agencies. This program involves legislated and voluntary certification and training for the offices of County Assessor, County Clerk, County Treasurer, Court Clerk, County Sheriff, County Commissioners, and County Equalization Boards and Purchasing Agents. Some of the units in the County Training Program are mandated by state law, while others are voluntarily imposed by county officer associations.

Handbooks, course books, newsletters, and other training materials provide continuous training support on the job. The County Training Program itself is mandated by state law and administered by the Commission on County Personnel Education and Training. State-appropriated funds are contracted through the Office of the State Auditor and Inspector.

Sponsor: Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector

PIs: Michael L. Hughes

Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources: Ross O. Love

 

Oklahoma Rural Development Council

The purpose of this project is to improve the coordination and effectiveness of federal, state, local, and other programs, services, and actions affecting rural areas by facilitating the operation of the State Rural Development Council—a public and private collaborative partnership—as part of the National Rural Development Partnership (NRDP).

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture National Rural Development Partnership

PI: Michael L. Hughes

 

Subgrade Stabilization Using Unwashed Mine Tailings from the Tar Creek Superfund Site

Naturally occurring subgrade materials will be collected, evaluated, tested and studied. Sieve analysis of the chat materials will be performed. Results of the research will provide positive answers regarding the suitability of chat as subgrade material as envisioned by Governor Keating’s Tar Creek Superfund Task Force.

Sponsor: Oklahoma Transportation Center for Oklahoma Department of Transportation

PI: Michael L. Hughes

 

Tribal Technical Assistance Program

Funded by the Federal Highway Association and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, this program provides for a resource center to furnish information, training, and technical assistance related to road and bridge construction, repair, and maintenance to over 49 tribal governments in a four-state area. The TTAP mission is to meet the educational needs of tribal governments related to roads, bridges, public transit, transportation systems, inter-governmental coordination, and economic development. An important part of the mission is to provide training sessions, classes, and workshops geared to specific tribal needs. The TTAP center also maintains a mailing list, publishes a quarterly newsletter, keeps a library of technical literature and videotapes, and provides on-site assistance. The TTAP center at OSU is one of six TTAP centers across the U.S. and part of a network of fifty-seven technical assistance centers.

Sponsors: Federal Highway Administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs

PIs: Joseph D. Paden, Michael L. Hughes

 

Rural Transportation Assistance Program

CLGT, in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Transit Planning Division, provides educational programs, software development, and technical assistance for Oklahoma’s rural public transit systems. The program serves the Project Directors and their staffs at 22 rural public transit systems throughout Oklahoma. CLGT has developed computer programs to facilitate record keeping and data reporting and continually works to update these programs to meet changing reporting requirements and computer hardware/software capabilities. On-site training is also offered to keep pace with hardware and software changes, computerization of new transit projects, and changing personnel. CLGT also presents workshops and statewide conferences on various transit subjects and helps coordinate the Bus Operators Rodeo each year. CLGT helped to coordinate a national transit conference in 2000 with speakers and attendees from across the country. Recently, CLGT helped the Oklahoma Transit Association launch a statewide certification program for transit professionals. Oklahoma is one of the first states in the nation to introduce such a program.

Sponsor: Oklahoma Department of Transportation

PIs: Steven Singleton, Michael L. Hughes

 

Local Technical Assistance Program

Funded by the Federal Highway Association and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, this statewide program serves as a resource center to furnish information, training, and technical assistance related to county and local road and bridge construction, repair, and maintenance. The LTAP Center at OSU is part of a network of 57 similar centers located throughout the United States. The Center’s main emphasis is on providing classes and seminars on a number of transportation topics. The LTAP Center coordinates a County Roads Scholar program in which a series of nine courses related to road and bridge maintenance, construction, and repair is offered to county commissioners, their foremen, and workers. These courses are from one to four days in length and cover subjects such as aggregate road maintenance, supervisory skills, surveying, soil testing, plan reading, and equipment maintenance. The LTAP’s mission is to stimulate an active, progressive, and cost-effective transfer of highway technology and technical assistance to rural and local governments. The LTAP center also maintains a mailing list, publishes a quarterly newsletter, keeps a library of technical literature and videotapes, conducts workshops and conferences, and provides on-site assistance.

Sponsors: Federal Highway Administration, Oklahoma Department of Transportation

PIs: Douglas A. Wright, Michael L. Hughes