Oklahoma: Rogers State University Opens New Branch in Pryor
29 Jan, 2014
Earlier this month, Rogers State University (RSU) celebrated the opening of a new Pryor campus at MidAmerica Industrial Park, which will bolster educational opportunity and support workforce development in northeastern Oklahoma.
The first classes began on January 13.
The $10 million, two-story, 38,400-square-foot building and its accompanying 71-acre site represents the single largest gift in the university’s history.
One of the nation’s largest industrial parks, MidAmerica constructed the new RSU campus to join the other higher educational facilities already on site, which includes Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology and Northeastern Technology Center. This concentration of three resident partner educational institutions makes MidAmerica one of the most unique industrial parks in the country and demonstrates the organization’s dedication to workforce development.
“From a strategic point of view, this campus will be the cornerstone of future development for MidAmerica,” says David Stewart, Chief Administrative Officer. “We clearly understand the necessity of well-trained and work-ready employees to facilitate the growth of our existing companies and to attract new ones. We want the people of northeastern Oklahoma to know they have a bright future right here at home.”
More than twice the size of the previous facility, the new RSU campus features classrooms, computer labs, science labs, library, student lounge, food service and dining facilities, bookstore, meeting rooms and a 150-seat auditorium to be used for classroom use and the general public.
The auditorium and meeting rooms feature multimedia communication systems that allow instructors, students and community users access to high-definition audio and video, as well as interactive and remote conferencing technology.
The Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund of the Tides Foundation provided a $40,000 grant that will support the technological backbone for the new facility. The grant helped RSU install a robust and flexible multimedia communication system and wireless connectivity. Google operates a data center at MidAmerica.
Illustration by jscreationzs at Free Digital Photos.net
Source: MidAmerica Industrial Park
