RSU Facts

RSU offers articulation agreements with several two-year institutions across Oklahoma.

The Transfer2RSU program allows students with an associate’s degree from Northeastern Oklahoma College, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology or Tulsa Community College to seamlessly pursue a bachelor’s degree at RSU.

The RSU Center for Studies-at-Large provides students with opportunities to study different cultures, customs and locations along with regular coursework through programs both in the United States and abroad.

RSU medical/molecular biology graduates have gained admission to medical, pharmacy, dentistry and other health sciences schools in Oklahoma and surrounding states.

RSU offers a variety of bachelor degree programs in high demand areas such as business administration, biology, communications, and nursing, as well as unique disciplines such as justice administration, and sport management. RSU is the only university in Oklahoma to offer a bachelor's degree in military history.

RSU nursing students consistently pass the licensure exam on the first attempt, compared to a national and state pass rate.

The RSU Online bachelor's degree program is featured in U.S. News & World Report's national survey of online degree programs. RSU was the first public university in Oklahoma to offer bachelor’s degrees online.

RSU is one of only three universities in Oklahoma to participate in The Washington Center Internship Program, a nationally recognized program placing students with private, public, and non-profit organizations in Washington, D.C.

The university has constructed the $5 million Chapman Dining Hall on the Claremore campus which opened in the fall of 2014. The facility can serve up to 1,000 students per meal and includes a basement area that provides shelter during inclement weather.

The Oklahoma Military Killed in Action Memorial was dedicated on the RSU campus in Claremore in June 2011. The memorial is etched with the names of more than 100 OMA cadets who died in service abroad.

RSU opened in 2009 its $13 million Centennial Center – a two-level, 50,000 square-foot facility which serves a hub of student-focused services and activities, including campus bookstore, a popular coffee and juice bar, the Hillcat Café, the OMA Student Lounge, computer lab, and the Office of Student Affairs that oversees programs and services designed to help students succeed in college. This facility is extensively used by campus and community members for meetings and special events. In 2017 it was renamed to the Dr. Carolyn Taylor Center.

Baird Hall underwent a $9.5 million expansion and renovation including upgraded classroom spaces, a performance studio, an amphitheater-style outdoor classroom and art gallery. Opened in 2010, Baird Hall serves as the headquarters for the Department of Communications, Department of English and Humanities, Department of Fine Arts and Department of History and Political Science. The RSU/Cameron Education Program is also located in Baird Hall.

The Claremore campus is accentuated with 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.

All major historic buildings on the Claremore campus have been renovated. Preparatory Hall and Meyer Hall are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

RSU’s beautiful main campus also features a military museum, an art gallery, Will Rogers Auditorium, two lakes, the RSU Conservation Education Reserve, a 120-acre nature conservatory featuring an outdoor amphitheater and nature trails.

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.

RSU is the only university in Oklahoma to operate a full-power public television station, reaching more than 1 million viewers across Oklahoma and the surrounding states.

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. Most of the programming is produced and hosted by RSU students, and members of the community.

In 2005, RSU relocated its Bartlesville campus to a historic nine-story downtown building, enabling the university to offer more classes, more degree programs, and more services for area residents. The building has undergone major renovations to accommodate new bachelor's degree programs such as business and nursing and the expansion of student services.

RSU and the MidAmerica Industrial Park have established a partnership to boost education and economic development in the region, including the relocation of the Pryor campus to the grounds of the industrial park. The largest gift to date in the  university's history, the $10 million campus opened in January 2014.

RSU intercollegiate athletics fields 12 intercollegiate teams in six sports, competing as a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Hillcats were accepted into the NCAA Division II membership process in 2012.

The Rogers State University athletic department completed in 2012 the largest facilities enhancement initiative in school history with a $4 million investment in baseball, softball, soccer and cross country facilities.

The RSU mascot, the Hillcat, is a fictitious blue and crimson animal. A cousin of the bobcat, the Hillcat serves as a source of school pride and spirit and identify the university's academic, alumni, and athletic programs.

Learn more about RSU Athletics history.

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.

Five 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
• the Oliver Dewey Mayor Endowed Chair, funded by the Oliver Dewey Mayor Foundation for an endowed faculty position at RSU's campus in Pryor
• an Endowed Chair in Nursing

RSU offers several scholarship opportunities that provide students the opportunity to grow academically while easing their financial burden. These programs include:

• The RSU Honors Program, which 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;
• The President's Leadership Class, a four-year scholarship program designed to foster personal and professional development for RSU students who have demonstrated leadership abilities;
• The RSU Foundation, which seeks private funds for the benefit of the university and its students;
• The RSU Legacy Society, an organization of individuals and families who have provided gifts to the university through their estate plans in order to provide future support for education.