Oklahoma State University–Stillwater (also referred to informally as Oklahoma State, O-K-State, O-State and OSU) is a land-grant, sun-grant, coeducational public research university located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Originally known as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (Oklahoma A&M), it is the flagship institution of the Oklahoma State University System. Official enrollment for the fall 2010 semester system-wide was 35,073, with 21,149 students enrolled at OSU-Stillwater.[4] Unofficial enrollment shows the Freshman class of 2011 to be the largest on record, but the official number has yet to be released. OSU is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with high research activity.[5] Oklahoma State University is listed by the Princeton Review as one of 120 "Best Western Colleges" for 2011, and as one of 50 "Best Value Colleges – Public" for 2010.[! 6] It is ranked by U.S . News & World Report No. 66 among "Top Public Schools:National Universities" and No. 132 among all National Universities for 2011.[7] For 2009–10, Kiplinger listed OSU among its "100 Best Values in Public Education," with an in-state ranking of No. 91 and an out-of-state ranking of No. 93.[8] The Oklahoma State Cowboys' athletic heritage includes 50 national championships, a total greater than all but 3 NCAA Division I schools in the United States, and first in the Big 12 Conference.[9] OSU's Homecoming celebration, begun in 1913, draws more than 40,000 alumni and over 70,000 participants each year to campus and is billed by the university as "America's Greatest Homecoming Celebration." [10] Contents 1 History 2 Colleges 3 Center for Veterinary Health Sciences 4 Awards and distinctions 5 Ledger 6 Student life 6.1 Housing 6.2 Greek life 6.3 Student organizations 7 Athletics 7.1 Football 7.2 Basketball 7.3 Wrestling 7.4 Other sports 8! Fight songs 9 People 10 Campus buildings 10.1 Academic buildi! ngs 10.2 Residential buildings 10.3 Other buildings 11 See also 12 References 13 External links [edit] History Old Central at Oklahoma A&M, 1894 On December 25, 1890, the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature finally gained approval for Oklahoma Territorial Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) College, the land-grant university established under the Morrill Act of 1862. It specified that the college was to be within Payne County. Such an ambiguous description created rivalry between towns within the county, with Stillwater ultimately winning out. Upon statehood in 1907, "Territorial" was dropped from its title. Oklahoma A&M seal The first students assembled for class on December 14, 1891. Classes were held for two and one-half years in local churches until the first academic building, later known as Old Central, was dedicated on June 15, 1894, on the southeast corner of campus, which at the time was flat plowed prairie.[11] In 1896, Oklahoma A&M held its first commencement w! ith six male graduates. The first Library was established in Old Central in one room shared with the English Department. The first campus building to have electricity, Williams Hall, was constructed in 1900. With its turreted architecture it was referred to as the "Castle of the Prairies";[12] It remained standing until 1969. One of the earliest campus buildings was also a barn, used as part of an agricultural experiment station, which was served by a large reservoir pond created in 1895. The barn burned in 1922, but the pond, enlarged and remodeled in 1928 and 1943, is now known as Theta Pond, a popular campus scenic landmark.[13] In 1906, Morrill Hall was completed and became the principal building on campus. A fire gutted the building in 1914, but the outside structure survived intact, and the interior was reconstructed. The first dormitory for women was completed in 1911. It contained a kitchen, dining hall, some classrooms, and a women's gymnasium. It is now the Bartle! tt Center for the Studio Arts and houses the Gardiner Art Gall! ery. By 1919 the campus included Morrill Hall, the Central Building, the Engineering Building (now Gunderson Hall), the Women's building, the Auditorium (replaced later by the Seretean Center for Performing Arts), the Armory-Gymnasium (now the Architecture Building) and the Power Plant.[14] Student Union Building at OSU Much of the growth of Oklahoma A&M and the campus architectural integrity can be attributed to work of Henry G. Bennett, who served as the school's president from 1928 to 1950. Early in his tenure Dr. Bennett developed a strategic vision for the physical expansion of the university campus. The plan was adopted in 1937 and his vision was followed for more than fifty years, making the university what it is today, including the Georgian architecture that permeates the campus. The focal point of his vision was a centrally located library building, which became a reality when the Edmon Low Library opened in 1953. Another major addition to the campus during the Bennett! years was the construction of the Student Union, which opened in 1950. Subsequent additions and renovations have made the building one of the largest student union buildings in the world at 611,000 sq ft (56,800 m2).[15] A complete renovation and further expansion of the building began in 2010. Statue of Henry G. Bennett near Library Lawn at OSU On May 15, 1957, Oklahoma A&M changed its name for the final time to Oklahoma State University to reflect the broadening scope of curriculum offered. (Oklahoma Gov. Raymond Gary signed the bill authorizing the name change passed by the 26th Oklahoma Legislature on May 15, 1957. However, the bill only authorized the Board of Regents to change the name of the college, a measure they voted on at their meeting on June 6. The official name - Oklahoma State University of Agricultural and Applied Sciences - took effect July 1. The latter portion of the name was dropped in 1980.) Subsequently, the Oklahoma State University System ! was created, with the Stillwater campus as the flagship instit! ution an d several outlying branches: OSU-Institute of Technology in Okmulgee (1946), OSU-Oklahoma City (1961), OSU-Tulsa (1984) and the Center for Health Sciences also in Tulsa (1988).[16] In 2005, OSU announced its "Campus Master Plan", a campaign to enhance academic, athletic, and administrative facilities. Over $800 million is ear-marked for campus construction and renovation over twenty years. The Plan calls for an "athletic village" where all of the university's athletic facilities will be located on the main campus. To accomplish this goal, the athletic department bought all (or nearly all) the property north of Boone Pickens Stadium up to McElroy between Knoblock and Washington streets. This drew criticism from the city of Stillwater and property owners.[17] While the vast majority of the real estate was rental property targeting college students, a few owners were longtime residents. There was a lone holdout in this parcel of land, who sued OSU over their right to use eminen! t domain.[18] The case was decided in favor of the University. The project includes the construction of an indoor practice facility for most sports, a soccer stadium/outdoor track, a tennis complex, and a baseball stadium. Edmon Low Library In 2006, OSU become the recipient of a gift of $165 million from alumnus T. Boone Pickens to the university's athletic department, and in 2008 received another gift from Pickens of $100 million for endowed academic chairs. It was the largest gift for academics ever given in the state.[19] In February, 2010, Pickens announced that he was contributing another $100 Million to fund a scholarship endowment as part of a $1 Billion fund-raising campaign titled "Branding Success." The gift brought the total contributed to OSU by Pickens to over $500 Million.[20] The "Branding Success" campaign seeks to raise about $500 Million for endowed scholarships and fellowships for students, $200 million toward attracting and retaining professors and resea! rchers, $200 million for the construction and upgrading of edu! cational and research facilities and $100 million to create and sustain programs and services to benefit Oklahomans.[21] One of the first endowed professorships established through the campaign is the Temple Grandin Endowed Professorship in Animal Behavior and Well-Being, named in honor of animal scientist and autistic expert Temple Grandin.[22] Oklahoma State has hosted a number of high-profile speakers throughout the years, including several sitting presidents. Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush all gave commencement addresses while they were in office.[23] [edit] Colleges Oklahoma State slogan used in the state of Texas Oklahoma State University–Stillwater offers nearly 200 undergraduate degree majors through six Colleges: College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) – The CASNR offers 16 majors: Agribusiness, Agricultural Communications, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Education, Agricultural Leadership, Animal Science, Biochemistry &a! mp; Molecular Biology, Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, Entomology, Environmental Science, Food Science, Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, Landscape Contracting, Natural Resource Ecology & Management, Plant & Soil Science College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) – The CAS is divided into 24 departments: Aerospace Studies, Art, Botany, Chemistry, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Computer Sciences, English, Foreign Languages, Geography, Geology, History, Mathematics, Media and Strategic Communications, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Military Science, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, Theatre, Zoology College of Education (COE) – The COE has 29 program areas, including Athletic Training, Aerospace Administration and Operations,
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