‘It put us on the map’: Okmulgee leaders reflect on 80 years of OSUIT
Monday, October 5, 2026
Media Contact: Hicham Raache | Communications Coordinator | 918-293-4678 | hicham.raache@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology’s mission to train young people to succeed in their future careers has lifted Okmulgee to greater prominence, according to city leaders.
For 80 years, OSUIT has strived to provide young people from Oklahoma, across the United States and throughout the world with career-readiness skills that would enable them to fill important jobs in vital industries. This noble mission began in 1946 when a military hospital nestled in 230 acres of Okmulgee land was converted into a vocational school for veterans returning from World War II. The school rapidly evolved into a university that has trained countless veterans and civilians, enabling them to gain high-quality, well-paying jobs soon after graduation.
“A lot of those people found jobs in our community and continue to find jobs. We believe that Okmulgee is blessed because of OSUIT,” Okmulgee Mayor Mickey Baldwin said. “It's been a huge piece to help educate but also put jobs into practice day after day in Okmulgee.”
OSUIT is a family tradition for Steven Baldridge, Okmulgee city councilman and former mayor. He attended OSUIT, as did his father, son and daughter. He earned his associate degree at OSUIT in 2020 and was a student while simultaneously serving as mayor.
“I don’t even know how to quantify the impact that OSU has on Okmulgee. It put us on the map,” Baldridge said.
OSUIT has a long, enduring tradition of supporting the Okmulgee community, according to Baldridge. It’s a tradition that helps generations of community members realize greater possibilities.
“We have a destination for our children when they graduate high school; doing concurrent enrollment has really helped as well,” Baldridge said. “Having an educational ladder for our children is a benefit to our community.”
OSUIT’s student body comprises not only local residents, but also students from the far reaches of Oklahoma, other states across the nation, and other countries. Those students enrich the community in a variety of ways, according to Baldridge.
“The students live here and purchase [from our local businesses], and they’re involved in our community. They get involved in our churches and our nonprofits,” he said.
OSUIT has not only expanded educational and career opportunities in Okmulgee, but it has also invested in the downtown area and restored the city’s beloved Grand Old Post Office on East 5th Street, Baldridge said.
Okmulgee residents feel at home at OSUIT, frequently visiting the campus to enjoy breakfast and lunch in the Cowboy Café, participating in campus festivities, dining in the Culinary Arts program’s Cowboy Chef’s Table and Grand Buffet events and strolling or exercising on the walking trails, Baldridge said.
As Okmulgee has grown and changed, so has the OSUIT campus.
The campus opened in November 1943 as Glennan Military Hospital. It spanned 605,000 square feet of floor space across dozens of barracks, connected by almost 8,000 feet of covered ramps. It cost more than $5 million to build and could house 1,725 beds for the care of military veterans. The hospital had a staff of 400 officers and personnel, around 100 Army nurses, and more than 600 civil service employees when operating at full capacity. The hospital operated for nearly two years. The property’s east side served as a German prisoner of war camp.
Fred Harlan, owner of Harlan Ford, grew up in Okmulgee back when OSUIT was called Oklahoma State Tech, when the campus still had many of the barracks from the former military hospital standing. Harlan graduated from OSU-Stillwater in 1974 and returned to Okmulgee to work at First National Bank.
Harlan led a fund drive to build Oklahoma State Tech’s Student Union, which still stands at the center of the OSUIT campus. He also helped demolish the old barracks during a long effort to transform the old military hospital campus into a fully realized university with academic and administrative buildings and dormitories.
OSUIT started as a basic trade education school, training service members in a wide number of trades, including electrical work, plumbing, building construction, dry cleaning, commercial art and automotive repair, among many others.
“And then it started evolving into more of the computerized stuff we got now,” Harlan said.
Harlan was a member of the OSU Board of Regents from 1999 until 2007. His connection to OSUIT remains strong. He is an ardent supporter of the school, and many of the technicians who have worked at his dealership over the years earned an associate in applied science degree through OSUIT’s Ford Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) program. Harlan also has interns through OSUIT’s Ford program.
He said OSUIT produces highly skilled, talented professionals who elevate businesses such as his.
“[They have] excellent, excellent skills. It’s a very good, very good training program,” Harlan said.
OSUIT not only offers technical training that fuels Oklahoma industries, but also offers four-year bachelor’s degree programs.
Harlan said OSUIT is not only a major employer in Okmulgee but also a core part of the city’s culture.
“It’s a major coup to have a four-year university here. It's enhanced the town a lot. And the interaction between the faculty and staff and the folks here in town is a major piece of Okmulgee and always has been,” Harlan said.
Baldwin agrees.
“Okmulgee has definitely been put on the map because of OSUIT,” Baldwin said.