Oklahoma State University

• 1. Founding And Early Years

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  On the 25th of December 1890, the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature approved the creation of Oklahoma Territorial Agricultural and Mechanical College. This land-grant institution emerged from the Morrill Act of 1862 to serve Payne County. The first students gathered for class on the 14th of December 1891. For two and a half years, classes were held in local churches before any permanent structure existed. The first academic building later known as Old Central opened on the 15th of June 1894. It stood on the southeast corner of campus surrounded by flat plowed prairie. In 1896, Oklahoma A&M held its first commencement with six male graduates. The first library occupied one room shared with the English Department inside that same building. Williams Hall became the first campus building to have electricity when constructed in 1900. Its turreted architecture earned it the nickname Castle of the Prairies until demolition in 1969.

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• 2. World War II Naval Training

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  At the beginning of World War II, Oklahoma A&M was selected by the United States Navy to host the Primary School in the Electronics Training Program. Starting in March 1942, new groups of 100 Navy students arrived each month for three months of intense study. These students endured fourteen-hour days focused entirely on electrical engineering. Cordell Hall served as housing and dining while lectures occurred in the Engineering Building. Professor Emory B. Phillips directed instruction for this massive undertaking. Admission required passing the Eddy Test which remained one of the most selective qualifying exams given during the war years. At any given time approximately 500 Navy students resided on campus representing a significant fraction of total enrollment. The training activity continued until June 1945 serving about 7,000 students including future president Robert B. Kamm.

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• 3. Presidential Leadership And Expansion

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  Henry G. Bennett served as president from 1928 to 1950 driving much of the university's physical growth. His strategic vision for expansion was adopted in 1937 and followed for more than fifty years. Georgian architecture became the predominant style permeating the entire campus. He intended Edmon Low Library to be the focal point when it opened in 1953. Another major addition during his tenure was the Student Union building which opened in 1950. Subsequent renovations made that facility one of the largest student union buildings globally. Oklahoma A&M began global engagement at an institutional level in the 1950s under Bennett. He was appointed director of President Harry Truman's Point Four Program in 1950. This technical assistance program targeted developing countries worldwide. In 1952 the college entered an agreement with Ethiopia to establish educational institutions there. Faculty traveled to Jimma Agricultural Technical School and Haramaya University to build infrastructure. Emperor Haile Selassie visited Stillwater in 1954 becoming the first foreign head of state to do so.

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• 4. Modern Renaming And System Growth

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  On the 15th of May 1957, Oklahoma A&M changed its name to Oklahoma State University of Agricultural and Applied Sciences. Governor Raymond Gary signed the bill authorizing this change passed by the 26th Oklahoma Legislature. The Board of Regents voted on June 6 to implement the measure but quickly shortened the name for most purposes. The full agricultural title was formally dropped in 1980. The Oklahoma State University System subsequently formed with Stillwater as the flagship institution. Branches included OSU-Institute of Technology in Okmulgee established in 1946. OSU-Oklahoma City opened in 1961 followed by OSU-Tulsa in 1984. The Center for Health Sciences also located in Tulsa began operations in 1988. As of Fall 2024, twenty-seven thousand two hundred forty-one students enrolled at the main campus. The system now enrolls more than thirty-four thousand students across five institutions. An annual budget reached $1.89 billion for fiscal year 2026. The university spends $226.5 million annually on research and development according to National Science Foundation data.

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• 5. Major Donations And Infrastructure

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  In 2005, OSU announced a Campus Master Plan earmarking over $800 million for construction and renovation over twenty years. The plan called for an athletic village containing all university facilities on the main campus. The athletic department purchased property north of Boone Pickens Stadium up to McElroy between Knoblock and Washington streets. In 2006, alumnus T. Boone Pickens gifted $165 million to the athletic department. Two years later he donated $100 million for endowed academic chairs making it the largest gift ever given in the state. Ethical concerns arose regarding how some gifts were made and placed into hedge funds owned by his companies. February 2010 saw Pickens pledge another $100 million as part of a $1 billion fundraising campaign titled Branding Success. His total pledged or contributed amount exceeded $500 million. The city of Stillwater and property owners criticized the land acquisition process. A lone holdout sued OSU over their right to use eminent domain to condemn and acquire private land.

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• 6. Campus Incidents And Safety

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  On the 24th of October 2015, during the annual homecoming parade, Adacia Chambers drove her vehicle into a crowd of people. Four people died and forty-seven others were injured in that attack. She faced second-degree murder charges following the incident. Ten years later on the 19th of October 2025, a shooting occurred at the Carreker East residence hall. Three people were injured in that separate event. These incidents marked specific violent moments on campus requiring safety responses. The university maintains thirty-one residence halls offering various housing options including traditional dorms and apartment-style buildings. Student living has transformed significantly with suite-style accommodations now comprising approximately half of all quarters. High-rise Willham North and South residence halls dominated the skyline until demolition in 2005. They were replaced by Village suites on the same site. Iba Hall closed in 2007 but reopened in 2011 due to increased freshman enrollment. Renovations continued through most of 2017 before reopening for Fall 2018 semester.

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• 7. Athletic Dominance And Rivalries

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  The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls have won fifty-five national championships including fifty-three NCAA titles. This ranks sixth among schools after Stanford, UCLA, USC, Texas, and Penn State. Students and alumni have earned thirty-four Olympic medals totaling twenty-one gold five silver and eight bronze. Wrestling stands out as the program's strongest asset bringing home their thirty-third NCAA championship in spring 2005. That year scored the most points ever collected by an OSU wrestling team in the NCAA tournament. They won their thirty-fourth overall title in 2006 making it four consecutive championships. The Cowboys hold the record for most team titles collected by a school in one sport. One hundred forty-three individual national champions emerged from this program including Pat Smith who became the first four-time champion. Men's basketball made Final Four appearances in 1995 and 2004. The program was the first Division 1 basketball team to win back-to-back National Championships in 1945 and 1946. Football claimed three conference titles and played in thirty-four bowl games including winning the 1945 National Championship. Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy in 1988 setting a single-season rushing record.

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