Nov. 23 – Rogers State University plans to build a new, modernized building for its science and technology programs.
Steve Valencia, RSU vice president for development, said the state has given $10 million and the Cherokee Nation has given $4 million for the proposed Center for Science and Technology. The university can also provide up to $12 million in bond for the project.
Valencia said RSU will rely on private donors to fund the remaining $4 million.
“This is a $30 million project,” Valencia said. “We will build as many buildings as we can for $30 million, but if we fall short in our fundraising … it will be a setback. It is critical that we reach the goal.”
RSU invited the community Wednesday to the Dr. Carolyn Taylor Center for a kickoff event to raise awareness of the fundraiser. There, Misty Choat, president of the RSU Foundation, announced that the foundation would match up to $1 million in private donations.
“This means your gift will have a double impact,” Choat said.
RSU plans to break ground on the STEM center by the end of next summer, Valencia said. The STEM Center will be located in what is now the parking lot west of Loshbaugh Hall and south of the Stratton Taylor Library.
He said the university will soon begin negotiations with an architectural firm to develop designs for the center. Another architectural firm has created concept art, Valencia said, but this art does not reflect what the final design will look like.
The university’s science and technology programs are currently located in Loshbaugh Hall, built in 1955 when the school on the hill was the Oklahoma Military Academy.
Valencia said RSU determined that renovating Loshbaugh would cost more than building a brand new building.
“It was never large enough to house Rogers State University and certainly does not have the modern amenities that science labs require today,” Valencia said.
Alyssa Allen, a senior molecular biology student at RSU, said Loshbaugh does not have natural gas, so students must use inferior stoves or lighters to generate heat for experiments.
She said there are often more broken microscopes than working ones in the microbiology lab, and much of the equipment students use is older than they are.
“The routine of equipment that doesn’t work or is dated from the last century has become the butt of the joke for labs in Loshbaugh,” Allen said. “Students and professors alike do not deserve this imbalance of superior education with inferior laboratory equipment and outdated facilities.”
Mark Rasor, the university’s interim president, said accreditation officials told RSU leaders that if the university had not planned to build a new STEM building, they would have determined RSU’s facilities were inadequate.
“That’s a huge one because that means we could easily lose accreditation,” Rasor said.
Valencia said RSU will retain Loshbaugh for faculty offices and spaces for classes that do not require high-end equipment.
He said parents and students often equate the quality of education with the quality of school facilities, and he thought most area high schools have nicer science labs than RSU.
A better science building would allow the university to accurately reflect the quality of its professors and programs, Valencia said.
“We really have a beautiful, modern campus, until you get to Loshbaugh,” Valencia said. “…It hurts our ability to recruit. This new facility will obviously be a very attractive and functional space, and it will help with recruitment.”
Meggie Froman-Knight, executive director of Claremore Economic Development, said the center would equip future generations to receive world-class science and technology education at home in Rogers County.
She said the center would attract and retain high-quality jobs in northeastern Oklahoma.
“This is where careers will be launched,” Froman-Knight said. “Groundbreaking ideas will take shape within the walls of this center… It is a promise to provide the skills and education needed to succeed in an ever-evolving global economy.”
People can donate to the campaign by emailing Valencia at svalencia@rsu.edu or calling him at 918-343-7780.
