Mr. Homecoming

Pete Sandman

Many people often are surprised to learn that TU Bursar Pete Sandman isn’t an alumnus. Everything about his life is connected to TU, and for that, he’s grateful. After earning a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University, his career in finance led him to Tulsa and a job at TU in the late 1980s.

Today, Sandman manages TU’s business office where he and his staff are responsible for student billing, insurance policies, logo licensing and anything else related to the university’s financial services. His office posts one of the lowest turnover rates on campus.

“I’ve been blessed with a good staff,” he says. “A lot of people like to work here because of the students. I think that’s a big part of it.”

Like his employees, Sandman enjoys the university environment of his job and the family ties it provides; two of his siblings and one of his sons are TU alumni. Sandman and his wife, Patti, have been married for 25 years and have three children and three grandchildren. Sandman joins Patti, a 17-year breast cancer survivor, every year in the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Race for the Cure. His mother, Patsy, is a devoted fan of Golden Hurricane athletics and attends many sporting events with the family.
“For the past several years, my birthday present to her has been season tickets to women’s basketball,” he says.

For Sandman, TU is much more than just his place of employment. Over the years, he has become a familiar face in the athletic department, volunteering with the football team’s equipment crew and helping out on the sidelines at every home game.

“It’s not a very glamorous title, but I enjoy working as a ball boy, rotating the footballs in and out and working with the chain crew,” Sandman says.

Those close to him also know of his love for fitness and motorcycles. He spends most of his lunch breaks either running the stairs at Chapman Stadium or lifting weights in the Collins Fitness Center. In his free time, he fires up his Suzuki Intruder 1500 cruiser bike for road trips with friends. Whether on the job, enjoying a hobby or completing his daily workout routine, Sandman says his life revolves around TU and everything it has to offer.

“TU is basically my school, and most of my extracurricular time is spent on campus,” he says.

As for his new Mr. Homecoming title, Sandman was completely surprised with the honor. He says the recognition is very humbling.

“I’m blessed with my job,” he says. “I’m just trying to make TU a good place for my staff along with students and parents.”

Sandman will participate in several honorary activities for Homecoming week with one exception — he won’t sit in the Chapman Stadium suites during the football game.

“I won’t have time to sit up there,” he says with a smile. “I’ll be working the game.”