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RSU is a dynamic, progressive university widely recognized for its high-quality academic programs, distance learning options, and high-technology learning environment. |
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RSU is one of the fastest-growing universities in Oklahoma. In fall 2007, 4,039 students were enrolled at RSU. Since RSU was accredited as a four-year university in 2000, enrollment has grown by 65 percent. |
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RSU is the only public four-year, residential university in the Tulsa area, and is located near several major Tulsa high-technology employers and the Tulsa International Airport. |
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RSU received accreditation as a four-year, bachelor’s degree-granting university by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in August 2000. The university graduated its first class of bachelor’s degree recipients in May 2002. |
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RSU’s state-of-the-art $4 million Stratton Taylor Library opened in 2004. The library features large student seating and study areas, reading rooms, computer stations, meeting rooms, classrooms, and a coffee bar. The library contains 68,000 books, 535 current periodical subscriptions, 5,000 videos, 1,300 CDs, 17,400 electronic audio books, and other electronic and microform documents for students and area residents. |
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RSU offers bachelor’s degrees in the high-demand areas of applied technology, biology (molecular/cellular and environmental conservation), business administration (accounting, human resources, and management), business information technology (computer network administration, software development and multimedia, and telecommunications foundations), communications (corporate communications and radio-television), justice administration (with a law enforcement option), liberal arts, and social science (psychology/sociology and history/political science). |
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RSU offers a wide variety of high-quality two-year associate’s degree programs to serve the educational needs of area residents including business administration, computer science, criminal justice, liberal arts, nursing, radio and television, and more. |
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RSU operates full-service campuses in Claremore, Bartlesville, and Pryor – the only public four-year institutions to serve those communities. |
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RSU is the only regional university in Oklahoma to be granted continued accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools without further required evaluation for 10 years - a rarity in higher education in Oklahoma and a major accomplishment achieved by few universities. |
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In fall 2005, RSU relocated its Bartlesville campus to a historic nine-story downtown building. This convenient new campus will consolidate the university's Bartlesville operations and allow RSU to provide more classes, more degree programs, and more services for area residents. |
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RSU is a national pioneer and leader in distance education, offering courses via the Internet, television, and compressed video to students across the state of Oklahoma, the nation, and the world. |
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RSU was the first public university in Oklahoma to offer bachelor’s degrees entirely via the Internet. Students can earn bachelor’s degrees in applied technology, business information technology, and liberal arts through the innovative RSU Online program, without ever stepping foot on campus |
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RSU offers four associate’s degrees entirely via the Internet, including applied technology, business administration, computer science, and liberal arts. |
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RSU recently unveiled its first mascot, the Hillcat, a fictitious blue and crimson animal. The Hillcat, a cousin of the bobcat, will serve as a source of school pride and spirit and identify the university's academic, alumni, and athletic programs. |
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RSU recently gained acceptance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), one of the nation's largest athletic associations representing more than 300 colleges and universities. RSU has implemented athletic programs in baseball, softball, and rodeo, and later plans to add men's and women's basketball. |
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The RSU Honors Program provides an atmosphere where scholars can challenge themselves academically to maximize their college experience through specialized courses, student/faculty joint research projects, and a strong emphasis on service learning in the community. |
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RSU has established the President's Leadership Class (PLC), a four-year scholarship program designed to foster personal and professional development for RSU students who have demonstrated leadership abilities. |
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RSU participates in The Washington Center Internship Program, a nationally recognized program placing students with private, public, and non-profit organizations in Washington, D.C. Students participating in the semester-long internship earn college credit while they gain "real world" experience within their field of interest and interact with influential leaders and policymakers. RSU is one of only three universities in Oklahoma to participate in the program. |
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Four endowed faculty chairs have been established at RSU. The private gifts funding these faculty chairs have been matched dollar for dollar by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education's Endowment Trust Fund. RSU's endowed faculty chairs are: the Kunz Endowed Chair in Communications, funded by Warner Brothers (WB) television; the Sarkeys Endowed Chair in Business Information Technology, funded by the Sarkeys Foundation; the John W. Norman Endowed Chair in Business Information Technology, funded by anonymous donors; and the Oliver Dewey Mayor Endowed Chair, funded by the Oliver Dewey Mayor Foundation for an endowed faculty position at RSU's campus in Pryor. |
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Since RSU became a four-year university in 2000, the institution has increased the number of full-time faculty members by more than 50 percent. Most RSU faculty members hold doctoral degrees or the highest degrees available in their fields from esteemed institutions across the nation, including Princeton University, Duke University, and the University of Oklahoma. |
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An $8.3 million student apartment complex opened on RSU's main campus in Claremore in 2001. The RSU Student Apartments feature high-speed Internet connections, computer laboratories, fully equipped kitchens, a swimming pool, outdoor sand volleyball court, and meeting facilities. The university also has renovated Downs and Ledbetter Halls into apartments to meet the needs of students with families. |
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The RSU Foundation, through the leadership of its Board of Directors, aggressively seeks private funds for the benefit of the university and its students. |
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Recent major gifts have been provided to RSU for student scholarships, computer technology, and instructional equipment from Founders and Associates, the Aldridge Foundation, Oklahoma Natural Gas, the SBC Foundation, ConocoPhillips, the Chapman Foundation, and many other foundations, corporations, and individuals in Oklahoma. |
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RSU’s Campaign for Endowed Chairs is a major capital fundraising campaign to raise $5 million to establish 10 endowed faculty chairs at the university. A total of $2.5 million in private funds will be raised, matched by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education’s Endowment Trust Fund. In addition, RSU is conducting a Campaign for Endowed Scholarships to increase the number of private scholarships available for students. |
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The RSU Legacy Society, an organization of individuals and families who have provided gifts to the university through their estate plans, offers donors a variety of planned giving methods to provide future support for education through wills, real estate, life insurance policies, specially designed trusts, and more. Professional financial planners work closely with members to select and establish planned giving methods that best suit their investment and retirement plans. |
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RSU offers articulation agreements with several two-year institutions, including Tulsa Community College; Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa; and Carl Albert State College in Poteau. |
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RSU offers cooperative educational agreements with several technology centers across Oklahoma, including Tulsa Technology Centers, Northeast Technology Centers, and Central Technology Centers. |
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RSU is dedicated to providing programs and activities to foster student development outside the classroom. The Office of Student Affairs provides services to promote student development, diversity, campus activities, career services, and more. Nearly 30 student organizations are active on campus. |
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RSU recently opened the Student Health Center, which is located in Downs Hall on the Claremore campus. The center provides health care for students, faculty, and staff for treating minor injuries and illnesses, as well as providing individual, group, and family counseling for students. |
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RSU's Innovation Center recently opened a 7,000-square-foot facility that houses a business incubator and provide office space for several economic development organizations. Established in 2002, the Innovation Center fosters regional economic development and addresses the educational needs of business and industry. |
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The projected 2004 economic impact of RSU on the Oklahoma economy was $40.5 million. An estimated 740 additional jobs were created to support that economic activity. More than 90 percent of RSU graduates are employed in Oklahoma one year after graduation, compared with 82 percent statewide at all other institutions. |
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RSU maintains a chapter of the prestigious Phi Theta Kappa honor society. |
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RSU is the only university in Oklahoma to operate its own full-power public television station. RSU-TV broadcasts a variety of telecourses and educational programming, reaching more than 1.2 million residents across Oklahoma and surrounding states. |
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RSU operates its own radio station, RSU Radio (KRSC) 91.3 FM, which can be heard in Claremore, Tulsa, and across northeast Oklahoma. RSU Radio is the only alternative college radio station on a campus in Oklahoma. Much of the programming is produced and hosted by RSU students. |
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RSU enjoys a statewide reputation for academic excellence in its nursing program. Ninety-five percent of RSU nursing students passed the Registered Nurse (R.N.) licensure exam on the first attempt, compared to a national passing rate of 85 percent and an Oklahoma passing rate of 87 percent. |
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RSU’s nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. |
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RSU’s emergency medical technology program is one of only two college-level paramedic programs in the state of Oklahoma and the only such program in northeast Oklahoma. |
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RSU has initiated a $2.2 million fundraising campaign to build an off-campus equestrian center that will house the Bit by Bit Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program and the RSU Rodeo Team. The Frank and Wanda Sanders Family Trust donated 23 acres of land for the facility, which will be located just off U.S. Highway 169 five miles south of Oologah. Bit by Bit is a cooperative program between RSU and Oologah-Talala Public Schools to promote physical and mental health for disabled children and adults through horseback riding. |
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In addition to academic programs, RSU provides a wide variety of educational opportunities for area residents, including continuing education, general educational development (GED) preparation courses, and outreach programs such as Upward Bound and Educational Talent Search. |
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RSU offers a wide variety of federally funded support services for students through its TRIO program, including academic advising, personal and career counseling, tutoring, workshops on stress management, and study and test-taking skills. |
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RSU’s beautiful main campus in Claremore features several historic buildings, elaborate outdoor sculptures, a military museum, an art gallery, Will Rogers Auditorium, two lakes, a nature reserve, amphitheater, and nature trails for the community. |
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The Claremore campus features some of the largest and most elaborate sculptures located on any university campus in Oklahoma, including sculptures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. |
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RSU has renovated several of the historic buildings on the Claremore campus, including Preparatory Hall, Meyer Hall, Markham Hall, and Bushyhead Fieldhouse. Preparatory Hall and Meyer Hall are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
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The Oklahoma Military Academy Museum, located on the second floor of Meyer Hall on the RSU campus in Claremore, tells the story of the more than 10,000 cadets who attended the Oklahoma Military Academy (OMA) from 1919 to 1971. The museum, which is open to the public, features thousands of historical documents, photographs, military uniforms, and other memorabilia. The OMA, one of the predecessor institutions of RSU, was known throughout the U.S. as the “West Point of the Southwest.” Distinguished graduates include Lt. Gen. William E. Potts, Admiral William J. Crowe, and Col. Edwin P. Ramsey. |
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A collection of 57 porcelain sculptures of birds in their natural habitat by Edward Marshall Boehm, one of the leading wildlife artists of the 20th Century, was donated to RSU by Bill and Betty Holman of Claremore. The collection can be viewed by the public at the university’s Stratton Taylor Library. |
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The RSU Conservation Education Reserve, a 120-acre nature conservatory featuring an outdoor amphitheater and nature trails, is located on the university’s campus in Claremore. |
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Upcoming RSU campus expansion projects include new academic buildings, the Innovation Center, newly renovated Student Union, and expansions of the Bartlesville and Pryor campuses. |
