Trent Gabert is a man who has always been committed to student success, former OU football coach Barry Switzer said Wednesday at Beaird Lounge in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Concluding Gabert’s 40 years of service at the university, Switzer and more than 100 people celebrated Gabert’s career and his passion for seeing students succeed.

“We really have the same mission and goals,” Switzer said. “Football coaches and teachers are all about bringing kids along for the next 50 years ... to compete in the classroom and in life.”

Gabert began teaching at OU in 1970. He became the Health and Sports Sciences chairman in 1981 and served in that position until 1995, when he said he took a sabbatical and went to the U.S. military academy at West Point to work in leadership.

In 2000, Gabert returned to OU to become the Liberal Studies associate dean.

“He’s outstanding,” said James Pappas, Liberal Studies dean. “The one thing I’d really like to underscore is that he really cares about the students.”

Along with his achievements at OU, Gabert encouraged the benefits of online education and helped see the College of Liberal Studies’ Internet courses increase by 700 percent in the past 10 years, Pappas said.

Larry Hayes, an assistant to the Vice President’s office, said he is a personal friend of Gabert’s.

“Trent is a genuine person who’s very well liked across the university by students faculty and staff alike,” Hayes said.

Gabert said his post-retirement plans are to continue to live in Norman, teach a few classes per year at OU and eventually, take a temporary teaching job in Paris. Gabert said he loved all of his years at OU.

“Working at the university is absolutely great,” he said. “It’s a great institution.”