Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

OSU Receives $156.5M in State Funding for STEM Education, Workforce Readiness Programs

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/18/24

Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., recently received a state budget allocation of $156.5 million to go toward the university’s STEM, OSU Polytech, and engineering programs, according to a news release. The record amount includes $80 million, which the university plans to match through private donations, for a new 220,000-square-foot life and physical science building.

The OSU System produced 37% of the state’s STEM graduates in 2023, more than 10% more than any other college or university in the state. According to OSU President Kayse Shrum, the new facility is crucial to the university’s goal of increasing its number of STEM graduates by at least 500 per year. Other goals of the project include recruiting researchers, addressing state health challenges, and boosting the economy, according to the news release.

"I am honored to lead the most extensive university system in a state that recognizes the significant impact of investing in higher education,” said Shrum. “By prioritizing these investments, we drive economic growth, cultivate a skilled and STEM-enabled workforce, safeguard our nation, and improve health outcomes for all Oklahomans.”

The other $76.5 million in the state appropriations will go toward investment in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, One Health and human performance research, and raises for Extension and experiment station faculty, the news release reports.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, OR

    Preserving Legacy, Designing for the Future

    As historic academic buildings age, institutions face a difficult decision: preserve and adapt or demolish and rebuild. How do we honor the legacy of these spaces while adapting them to meet the needs of modern learners?

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.