Rogers State University and OU-Tulsa are offering new opportunities to increase the region’s college-educated workforce.
Beginning in August, upper-level classes of RSU degree programs in Business Administration and Political Science will be offered at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center. The offerings follow an agreement filed jointly by RSU President Dr. Larry Rice and OU-Tulsa President Dr. John Schumann with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
The agreement marks the first time in history that RSU classes will be available in Tulsa.
“RSU is committed to creating seamless and affordable pathways for students to complete their bachelor’s degree. As the Tulsa metro’s four-year regional university, we know this historic partnership is a step forward in advancing talent for the region,” Dr. Larry Rice, RSU president, said.
As a result of the agreement, students with an associate degree can seamlessly transfer to RSU and complete their bachelor’s degree without leaving Tulsa. Graduates of the programs will be uniquely positioned to pursue master’s degrees in public administration, organizational dynamics and others offered by OU-Tulsa.
“OU-Tulsa, situated in the heart of this city, has always sought to serve the community around us. This new partnership with RSU is another way that we can contribute to the education and higher good of our community, ultimately making graduate and even doctoral level studies available to as many people as possible. We welcome RSU students to our campus as they seek higher education,” Dr. John Schumann, OU-Tulsa president, said.
RSU and OU-Tulsa are members of the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium, a regional partnership of public and private higher education institutions dedicated to increasing the number of bachelor’s degrees and achieving equity in outcomes in the Tulsa region. Both universities have articulation agreements with Tulsa Community College that maximize transfer credits.
“Working with all of our Consortium partners, TCC remains committed to making the path from TCC to a bachelor’s degree a single student experience. This effort is intentional and takes strong collaboration across our institutions to provide access to higher education, support student success, and develop the workforce employers need,” Dr. Leigh B. Goodson, TCC president and CEO, said.
The new offerings advance the vision of the Tulsa Regional Chamber and the George Kaiser Family Foundation to make Tulsa the destination of choice for young professionals.
Mike Neal, president and chief executive officer of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, said the partnership offers the region another competitive advantage.
“I applaud the visionary leadership of Rogers State University and OU-Tulsa in developing this timely pathway. As cities compete for talent, this new educational opportunity strengthens our ability to grow the young talent pool and positions our region to successfully compete against larger markets,” Neal said.
University of Oklahoma Regents Phil B. Albert and Anita Holloway noted the future of higher education and the impact of both institutions in northeast Oklahoma.
“The presence of both universities in Tulsa is a win for northeast Oklahoma. Both institutions have a long history of serving our state and they are leading through collaboration for the benefit of our regional economy,” Albert said.
“For Oklahoma to become a Top 10 state, education is the most important factor. Education changes lives, grows the workforce and allows industry to be recruited to Oklahoma,” Holloway said.
Industry partners McElroy Manufacturing and Baker Hughes applaud the partnership.
“I’m happy to see this partnership develop. For us at McElroy Manufacturing, investment in our people helps us move and pivot to meet the demands of the market. Having educational partners in the community to help us grow that talent is critical to our future success,” Steve Caldwell, human resources manager at McElroy Manufacturing, said.
“We are constantly recruiting the best and brightest. We certainly appreciate the leadership of RSU and OU-Tulsa in creating new educational opportunities and look forward to their continued partnership,” Bob Laird, product line director at Baker Hughes, said.
For more information, visit www.rsu.edu/tulsa.
ABOUT ROGERS STATE UNIVERSITY
Rogers State University celebrates 20 years as a four-year regional university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission this year. The university is widely recognized for high quality academic programs that include associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The university is noted for its student-focused approach to creating a supportive learning environment that cultivates student success and is consistently recognized as one of the region’s most affordable universities, with more than half of last year’s graduates earning their degree without taking a student loan. Tracing its roots back to 1909, RSU operates its main residential campus in Claremore, with additional campuses in Bartlesville and Pryor.
ABOUT OU-TULSA
OU-Tulsa is a nationally-recognized center for higher education offering a wide range of 30+ undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate level degrees, as well as graduate certificates. Programs include architecture, engineering, education, nursing, public health, occupational and physical therapy, library and information studies, organizational dynamics, public administration, social work, human relations, clinical mental health counseling, as well as medicine and physician assistant through the OU-TU School of Community Medicine. Since 1957, OU-Tulsa has provided higher education to NE Oklahoma and moved to the 60-acre Schusterman Campus in 1999.