Coleman Patterson

Coleman Patterson is a faculty member and associate dean in the College of Professional and Continuing Studies at the University of Oklahoma. As the son of a college professor, higher education has been a central part of his life since childhood.

Before arriving at OU, Coleman served 27 years as a full-time faculty member and administrator at universities in Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas and has additional experience teaching at universities in Alabama, Lithuania, and Austria. As an advocate for experiential and experience-based learning, Coleman has traveled with students to Europe, to major cities and state capitals around the United States, and to state parks and scenic attractions around Texas and neighboring states. He has also helped organize and conduct cycling adventures with students across eight different states. Before moving to Oklahoma, Coleman was an entrepreneur and small business owner in Abilene, Texas, for 12 years. He also has a background in real estate rentals and investments.

Coleman earned an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Florida and has graduate degrees in higher education leadership, educational research, and management from the University of Florida and the University of Alabama. Married since 1992, he and Tracy are parents to three awesome kids—one married and living in the DFW area, one an IT professional in Oklahoma City, and one a mechanical engineering major at the University of Alabama. He is a member of the Oklahoma City Symphonic Band, Norman Clarinet Choir, OU New Horizons Jazz Band, and plays in the church orchestra at First Baptist Church in Norman. He is also an avid cyclist and enjoys kayaking/canoeing, racquetball, fencing, and martial arts.