Commencement Speaker
Fall 2024 Commencement
Josh Crutchmer
Planning Editor, The New York Times
Josh Crutchmer is a native Oklahoman and 2001 graduate of Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He is the planning editor for The New York Times, leading a team that organizes the outlet’s worldwide news report into its classic print newspaper format. He is also a contributor to Rolling Stone, where he emphasizes in-depth coverage of the Red Dirt music scene which originated in Stillwater.
Crutchmer has made journalism a career since graduating Oklahoma State, working as
an art director, designer and planning editor at eight major media outlets and earning
international honors for his design and editing work. As an assistant sports editor
at The Oklahoman, he directed the presentation of the Cowboys’ 2004 run to the Final Four. In 2009
at the Chicago Tribune, he oversaw an award-winning special section showcasing Michael Jordan’s induction
into the Basketball Hall of Fame. And, in 2016 as assistant managing editor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, he directed the paper’s coverage of the Cavaliers’ NBA championship. Since joining
The Times in 2017, he has organized coverage of two presidential elections as well as the 2020
pandemic. As an editor, he is tasked with both organizing and designing the front
page of The New York Times. During his time at Oklahoma State, he was the sports editor of The Daily O’Collegian, notably leading The O’Colly’s coverage of the 2001 plane crash.
Crutchmer has documented Red Dirt music since he was a student at OSU. Earlier this
year, Crutchmer wrote for Rolling Stone about the 2025 Boys from Oklahoma concerts at Boone Pickens Stadium, breaking the
news with the first full-band interview with Cross Canadian Ragweed in more than 15
years. He also covered The Turnpike Troubadours 2022 comeback for Rolling Stone and has written three books about music. His most recent, Red Dirt Unplugged, chronicles
the recent surge in popularity of the genre, with a heavy focus on the rise of Stillwater
native Wyatt Flores.
An Okmulgee native, Crutchmer currently resides in New York, but between being a football
ticket holder and his coverage of Red Dirt, he remains a regular in Stillwater. The
Crutchmer family includes former Cowboy wrestlers Kyle and Brian as well as Justin,
currently a Pokes football player.