Whitacre’s rural development work earns him Land-Grant Award for Excellence
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Media Contact: Dean Ruhl | Communications and Media Relations Specialist | 405-744-9152 | dean.ruhl@okstate.edu
Dr. Brian Whitacre’s work on broadband policy spans nearly two decades.
That work was recognized last month when Whitacre, an Oklahoma State University Extension specialist for rural economic development and professor in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics, received the Land-Grant Award for Excellence at the OSU Awards Convocation ceremony. The award was presented in recognition of his commitment to OSU’s land-grant mission through his research, teaching and Extension efforts.
Whitacre’s career has been centered on access to broadband internet, with his research focused on the benefits rural residents gain from a good internet connection and how assistance can be provided to them.
“I try to listen to people, gather some data and evaluate what the data says,” Whitacre said. “I love that part of my job. I don’t go in thinking I know what the answer is; a lot of Extension is listening to people.”
Multiple programs have been born from his work, most notably the Rural Library Hotspot Lending Program. This initiative centers around OSU Extension partnering with rural libraries each year, providing the libraries with small internet hotspot devices that connect to cellular data.
The hotspot device can connect 5-10 devices in someone’s home, and the library loans it out to residents for 1-2 weeks at a time. The program, sponsored by AARP, has seen massive success across the state and has even been adopted in South Dakota and Tennessee.
“We hear great stories about people staying connected with family and friends,” Whitacre said. “Some use it to get online education or help their kids with schoolwork. Some of them even start small businesses.”
To date, the program has partnered with 35 rural libraries. OSU Extension covers all expenses in the first year and assists in implementing the program, helping to troubleshoot any issues that arise. After a year, the library can decide whether to adopt the program. So far, more than 90% of the programs are still operating in the state.
A newer program Whitacre is helping implement is the Library Telehealth Booth Program. This program, which began in 2024, helps rural libraries install telehealth booths, providing confidential access to medical professionals via broadband.
“A lot of my research and Extension programming is geared toward what it means for people to get a good connection and how we can help people get that connection,” Whitacre said. “What are the economic and social outcomes?”
Outside of teaching two courses at OSU, Whitacre regularly works with graduate and undergraduate students on his research and Extension projects. Recently, he assisted an undergraduate student in holding interviews with dispensary owners and healthcare professionals to gauge community views on the medical marijuana industry. His graduate students on the project are examining the industry's impact on housing prices, identifying areas where sales are growing, and investigating what drives community perceptions.
The project focuses on perceived versus measured impacts of the medical marijuana industry, and also how it connects with rural health and economic development.
Whitacre’s Extension, research and teaching are highly interconnected. He regularly discusses broadband, medical marijuana, and rural health in his Rural Economic Development course each year and uses the class to actively recruit students who want to make an impact on rural Oklahoma.
“It’s very rewarding for me, because I see a lot of my younger self in many of my students,” Whitacre said. “I see people who are eager to go out and make an impact in the world and want to gain and apply new skills, and I try to help them as much as I can.”