**For Immediate Release**
Advisory Council Meets
-released by OPSU Campus Communications 09-07-06
Goodwell, Okla. — Oklahoma Panhandle State University’s
Advisory Council met Saturday, September 2 to discuss timely
issues affecting the university. A group composed of twenty-five
community members, alumni, student leaders, and OPSU faculty
and staff convened in the OPSU Ballroom to learn about
the Science and Agriculture Building project and OPSU’s
Enrollment Management Plan.
President Dave Bryant began the meeting by presenting
a sketch of the outside of the new building and the floor
plans, and stated that the construction documents should
soon be complete. Groundbreaking will take place Saturday,
October 14 at 11:00 in conjunction with OPSU football homecoming.
Vice President of Fiscal Affairs, Larry Peters, said that
the building committee is dedicated to making the building
as energy efficient as possible and revealed that there
is sufficient capacity in the recently replaced chiller
and steam lines to heat and cool the new building. Council
members asked several questions regarding specific features
of the new construction and commented on the appropriateness
of a pitched roof and the overall design.
Dr. Bryant also discussed the $500,000 Noble Foundation
Challenge grant. He said the Foundation has already matched
$100,000 and another $100,000 in matching funds has been
submitted for approval. Bryant stressed that the matching
grant funds are targeted to purchase special equipment
needed for laboratories in the building, especially for
the planned Water Quality Testing lab and the Feed Analysis
lab.
Other fundraising drives for the building project were
discussed, including the engraved walkway bricks which
may be purchased to memorialize a loved one. The bricks
will be used to pave a special patio at the entrance of
the building.
Dr. Bryant then moved on to the OPSU
Enrollment Management Plan and presented background information
about enrollment over the past 30 years. Dr. Wayne Manning,
Vice President of Academics and Outreach, said this year’s
members of the freshman class were polled about the reason
they chose OPSU. Low cost of attendance was listed by
77%, followed by the size of the college, amount of financial
aid offered, and a good academic reputation. Bryant announced
to the group that OPSU has substantially increased the
number of new students from 370 in fall of 2005 compared
to 523 this fall, and student retention from last spring
to this fall was 81%.
The Enrollment Management Plan focuses on recruiting year-round,
establishes enrollment growth targets, emphasizes the need
for personal contact with potential and current students,
and includes a plan to develop on-line registration by
spring 2007.
Dr. Bryant said, “I value the
input voiced by our dedicated constituents at this meeting.
OPSU will continue to serve our students and the surrounding
communities, and will use the recommendations by members
of the Advisory Committee to ensure that mission is fulfilled.”
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