OSUIT celebrates its 75th anniversary

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Media Contact: Mack Burke | Editorial Coordinator | 405-744-5540 | editor@okstate.edu

Okmulgee campus continues to prepare students for extraordinary careers

In 1946, with just one dollar, Oklahoma A&M purchased the campus now known as Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT) — quite the return on investment when you consider the economic impact this branch campus has had on Oklahoma over the last 75 years.

Back then, World War II had just ended, and the Stillwater campus was facing overcrowding concerns. OAMC President Henry G. Bennett also saw the enormous need for a vocational school to help returning veterans transition their skills into civilian jobs.

The property Bennett had his eye on in Okmulgee was the Glennan Military Hospital, which had housed wounded U.S. soldiers and prisoners of war. The facility was to be decommissioned after the war, and Bennett took on the mission of acquiring it.

In a matter of months — despite extensive bureaucratic red tape — Bennett’s vision became a reality. In October 1946, 456 students started coursework at the Oklahoma A&M College School of Technical Training. Some of the early programs included baking, dry cleaning, auto mechanics, diesel mechanics, drafting, electrical maintenance, plumbing, printing, wood shop and shoe rebuilding.

The vast majority of the first students were veterans, but civilians quickly realized the type of educational opportunities available and began enrolling, nearly tripling the headcount by 1949.

Although the use of the facility had changed, the university still looked much like a military hospital — complete with barracks serving as student housing and ramps that provided wheelchair access from building to building.

The barbed wire that once surrounded the property was taken down, and the trenches were filled. Faculty and staff recycled every piece of wood, using it for desks and shelves for classrooms and podiums for teachers.

Bennett named L. Keith Covelle the school’s first president, a position then called a director. And in 1949, the Oklahoma A&M College School of Technical Training held its first graduation.

Covelle had a deeply ingrained philosophy of learning by doing and saw a great need to bolster the university’s societal impact by preparing young people for the workaday world as skilled technicians. In 1958, the campus unofficially became known as Oklahoma State Tech. Covelle served as director until 1963. Upon his retirement, he said, “I built the foundation. It’s up to you to continue to build this great school.” His next three successors did just that.

Director Wayne Miller oversaw the construction of nine new facilities and the renovation of several more. He also added millions of dollars’ worth of equipment for student use. Student enrollment tripled again during Miller’s 20-year tenure.

During the 1970s, the campus began to lose the barracks look, and the 1980s saw a building boom on campus.

The longest-serving president, Robert Klabenes, replaced the outdated wooden barracks with state-of-the-art classrooms and residence halls, totaling more than $150 million in new construction and remodeling projects. In 2007, the campus officially changed its name to Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.

Looking Toward the Future

OSUIT’s fourth president, Dr. Bill R. Path, took over in 2011 and continues to lead with an ambitious strategic plan to provide advanced technical education to enhance the institution’s ability to meet global workforce demands.

Path’s initiatives include a comprehensive longrange forecast focused on developing OSUIT’s instructional spaces to meet student needs and bolster Oklahoma’s skilled labor force. He also has been instrumental in a revitalization project with the city of Okmulgee and led the effort to purchase and restore downtown buildings for student housing.

While $1 can’t move the needle on capital projects these days, the education and experiences students have gained over the last 75 years remain priceless.

The OSUIT campus now has 38 academic programs, including associate in science, associate in applied science and bachelor of technology options. It has grown to include over 1 million square feet of educational space, 21 academic buildings and seven residence halls.

Even as it evolves and grows, OSUIT’s founding mission of serving and prioritizing veterans remains essential to its foundation today; OSUIT is consistently named a military-friendly school.

Many original programs — programs vital to the state’s workforce — are still offered today, including culinary arts, construction, air conditioning and refrigeration, automotive service, diesel mechanic, design drafting, electrical engineering and graphic design.

Although many things have changed in the past 75 years, OSUIT has never wavered from its mission to provide a high-quality education that prepares students for extraordinary careers.

 

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Photos By: OSUIT Archives

Story By: Lindsay Lynch | STATE Magazine