Published March 11, 2025

Rose State College celebrated a significant milestone today by breaking ground on expanding its Health Sciences Building. This project, funded by $9.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funds, will enhance Oklahoma's healthcare education and workforce training.

“Thanks to ARPA funding, Legislatures, and the state of Oklahoma, we will be able to expand our Nursing program facility, grow our enrollment by 50%, and purchase new equipment,” said Rose State College's President, Dr. Jeanie Webb. “Our Nursing always has a long waiting list, and now we will be able to give more students an opportunity.”

The Health Sciences expansion will increase enrollment capacity, modernize classrooms, and upgrade clinical simulation labs with the latest technology. These improvements will give students hands-on training with state-of-the-art equipment, ensuring they graduate as highly competent and safe healthcare professionals.

“This expansion will give us an opportunity to increase our enrollment to train more future nurses than we ever have,” said Health Sciences Dean Dr. Rita Mild. “It will allow us the chance to upgrade to the newest technology in clinical simulation education so that we can continue to provide the most competent and safe nurses to practice in our local communities.”

The groundbreaking ceremony united college leadership, faculty, students, alums, healthcare professionals, and community supporters. Attendees learned about the project’s highlights and participated in the ceremonial turning of the soil to mark the start of construction.

"The new nursing facility will provide an incredible opportunity for future nursing students. It will offer more space, resources, and tools to help students succeed in their academic and clinical training,” said RSC nursing student Katy Buxton. “The nursing profession requires individuals who are not only skilled and quick to act but also compassionate and understanding. Rose State's nursing program does an exceptional job of preparing us to be both." 

The expanded Health Sciences building will feature advanced simulation labs, collaborative learning spaces, and modernized facilities to support student success. Once completed, the expansion will help meet the rising demand for healthcare professionals in Oklahoma and beyond.

Visit Rose State College for more information about Health Sciences programs.

https://www.rose.edu/content/news-events/news/2025/03-march/rose-state-college-celebrates-groundbreaking-for-health-sciences-building-expansion

March 10, 2025

April Wilkerson

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences recently announced the opening of more than 29,100 square feet of new laboratory space at University Research Park in Oklahoma City. The innovative facility represents an $11 million investment in OU’s strategic plan to become a top-tier research-driven academic health center.

“By strengthening our campus-wide research infrastructure with investment in new laboratory space, in parallel with advanced technology, we are ensuring that the University of Oklahoma academic health system continues to be at the forefront of scientific discovery,” said OU Health Sciences Senior Vice President and Provost Gary Raskob, Ph.D.

The space includes four large open-concept laboratories and 86 workstations, often called benches, to support as many as 144 scientists. There are dedicated areas for microscopy, cell culture, ultra-low temperature storage and specialized instrumentation. A conference room and collaboration areas are designed to foster interdisciplinary teamwork, teaching and mentoring.

The lab space is designed to support team science, which is quickly becoming the future of research.

“This new space reflects a modern approach to research, intentionally structured to bring together researchers, clinicians and students in a shared environment that accelerates discovery and its translation into real-world applications,” said OU Health Sciences Vice President for Research Darrin Akins, Ph.D.

Expanding research infrastructure is also an investment in people, said OU College of Medicine Executive Dean Ian Dunn, M.D., noting the college recently welcomed the founding chair of the new Department of Molecular Genetics and Genome Sciences.

“This facility will allow us to not only advance knowledge and accelerate the path to new therapeutics, but will it help us attract top-tier researchers, postdoctoral students and graduate students to Oklahoma, as well as retain our world-class faculty,” Dunn said. “This new space is an investment in our future.”

The facility is made possible by a $55 million bond, approved by the OU Board of Regents, to renovate and modernize 96,000 square feet of laboratory space across OU Health Sciences.

In fiscal year 2024, OU Health Sciences researchers earned over $217.5 million in sponsored awards, including $75.2 million from the National Institutes of Health. Last week, OU Health Sciences announced its new Blue Ridge Institute ranking of No. 102 in the nation for NIH funding, a rise of 20 spots from the previous federal fiscal year. This places OU Health Sciences among the top 3.6% of all 2,838 institutions and entities that receive NIH funding.

About the University of Oklahoma

Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. In Oklahoma City, OU Health Sciences is one of the nation’s few academic health centers with seven health profession colleges located on the same campus. OU Health Sciences serves approximately 4,000 students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs spanning Oklahoma City and Tulsa and is the leading research institution in Oklahoma. For more information about OU Health Sciences, visit www.ouhsc.edu.

Feb 27, 2025 Updated Feb 27, 2025

Kevin Canfield

Tulsa World Staff Writer

Tulsa Performing Arts Center CEO Mark Frie unveiled plans to add a restaurant, bar and other pre- and post-function amenities and build a new 1,400-seat theater on the site of a parking lot it owns directly east of the PAC.

Those projects and the planned renovation of the PAC were all part of the facility’s 10-year master plan presented to city councilors during a committee meeting Wednesday.

The nearly $80 million in PAC renovations — including significant upgrades in infrastructure — will be funded through the voter-approved Improve Our Tulsa 3 sales tax package. Frie said the PAC plans to raise private dollars to fund the estimated $46.6 million expansion on the west side of the building.

The PAC also plans to raise private dollars for the new $110 million theater across Cincinnati Avenue, to the east, Frie said, and hopes to receive funding when the city’s next capital improvements package is put forth. “It activates the Performing Arts Center," Frie told councilors. “Our industry used to be that you got people in and out as quickly and safely as possible. (Now) if you look at successful performing arts centers throughout the world, it is an active place that is always buzzing, always open, and it really becomes the center for creativity and collaboration.

“And we believe that that west-side expansion would do that. And when people come back, there’s a wow factor and an awe moment, and it puts us, I believe, ahead of most of the other performing arts centers in the region."

Construction plans call for work on the PAC renovation and 60,000-square-foot west-side expansion to unfold simultaneously over three years beginning in January 2028, followed by construction of the standalone theater across the street.

The renovated PAC and the west-side expansion would be linked by a 250-foot-long sky bridge.

Such a scenario, however, would leave the PAC shuttered for three years, resulting in a more severe loss of revenue than the PAC experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, Frie said.

Figures shared with city councilors Wednesday show an estimated $172 million loss in revenue citywide, including $14 million in lost sales tax collections, during the construction, which is also estimated to result in a 14% decrease in annual visitors to downtown.

“That’s really the worst part of this,” Frie said.

One way to address that problem, assuming funds are available, would be to flip the construction schedule and build the 1,400-seat theater first, Frie said. But if that is not feasible, he has a Plan B.

“We’re going to build a theater tent on steroids (across from the PAC),” Frie said. “This is a company out of Great Britain. These theaters are built to withstand wind of 120 miles an hour, which, unfortunately, we may have to test that theater.”

Frie said the estimated cost for such a temporary 1,200- to 1,400-seat structure would be approximately $2.5 million a year.

“These are theaters in a box," Frie said. "They come, they build these, all the seating, all the rigging, all the soft goods, restrooms, lobby space. All of this is included in what we could do to stay operational.”

Frie cautioned that having a large, temporary tent theater would not offset the expected economic loss from shutting down the PAC. Nor would it be capable of accommodating Broadway shows, the facility’s biggest moneymaker. It would, however, provide space for the countless local organizations that use the PAC for their shows.

“It would still keep people coming downtown while we’re doing these renovations,” Frie said. “So it’s a massive project; it’s a transformational project, but I really believe that (as) we’re looking at the next 100 years for performing arts in our city, it’s something we have to do.

“We’ve been pushing this off and pushing this off, and now it’s time, or we’re going to fall farther and farther behind other cities in the region.”

The PAC Trust has been trying to develop the parking lot across Cincinnati Avenue for years. A proposal to build a mixed-use development anchored by a grocery store fell through in late 2023. Frie told councilors that if the new theater is built on the property, an underground garage would be built below it.

City councilors expressed support for the proposal and indicated that they plan to approve a resolution saying so.

At the end of his remarks, Frie made a point of encouraging councilors to share the word on the important contributions the PAC makes to the community, both culturally and economically.

“I feel like the Performing Arts Center has a perception problem,” Frie said. “Part of it’s because of the building itself, but more importantly, remember, when I am at the table with Tulsa Tourism or the Chamber, or even within other circles, we are not viewed in the same light as some of our other cultural institutions, when in reality, we draw just as much, if not more people, than a lot of the institutions.

“So in your conversations, it would be helpful for us that people start to look at the Performing Arts Center like they do the BOK Center, like they do ONEOK Field, because it is extremely important to our city.”

PAC 10-year master plan highlights

• PAC infrastructure improvements: HVAC, plumbing, electrical

• Chapman Hall renovation: Reslope seating floor, new seating and additional two aisles

• New A/V, lighting, acoustic improvements, reconfigure pit wall

• New PAC dock: room for more trucks, new doors, passenger elevator, dressing rooms and banquet hall

• West-side expansion: Multi-floor lobby, grand staircase, additional restrooms

• Sky Bridge: Would connect renovated PAC to new east-side building

• New 1,400-seat theater on parking lot to the east across Cincinnati Avenue

• Underground parking with 500 spaces below new theater

November 2024, Feature by Amy Dee Stephens

EDMOND OUTLOOK

Although Greg Slavonic, RADM, USN (ret) and Tucker McHugh, CDR, USN (ret) never served under water during their Navy careers, both have played a crucial role in preserving the history of submarines connected with Oklahoma. Most recently, they spearheaded the USS OKC (SSN-723) Memorial Park, which is planned along the Oklahoma River. “We have a beautiful river, and it’s only right to have the submarine near water,” Slavonic said. “It’s important to remind Oklahomans we have a strong Navy.” 

The park’s design, by architect Don Beck, will replicate the footprint of the submarine’s actual length, 362 feet, about the size of a football field. Additional nautical items are planned for the park, including artifacts from the previous USS OKC (CLG-5), a surface vessel in operation from 1944 to 1979. 

Slavonic of Oklahoma City and McHugh of Edmond assisted in commissioning the second USS OKC, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, in 1988. When it was decommissioned in 2022, Slavonic and McHugh asked Governor Stitt and OKC Mayor Holt to write support letters for saving the main top sail and the dive planes, as other cities have done. 

Before the 120-thousand pound sail and dive planes can be transported to Oklahoma, however, the decommissioned submarine will undergo a multi-year process to remove its nuclear components before being dismantled. Since the exact arrival date is unknown, a mock-up of the sail will be constructed for the park, which is funded with federal, local and private dollars. 

Pearl Harbor’s Oklahoma Memorial 

Raising money for a submarine memorial is not new to McHugh and Slavonic, who are also responsible for the USS Oklahoma (BB 37) Memorial at Pearl Harbor. In 2001, McHugh saw a documentary about USS Arizona sinking during World War II, resulting in the loss of 1,177 men. McHugh, who served 20 years in the Navy, was stationed in Hawaii during the Vietnam War, but he didn’t recall seeing a USS Oklahoma Memorial, which had the second highest number of lives lost, at 429. 

McHugh asked Slavonic to double check while he was in Hawaii. Slavonic’s search for a USS Oklahoma Memorial was fruitless, but he did observe the 40-foot tripod mast of the Oklahoma battleship, sticking up out of the water during low tide. “We decided, ‘That’s not right. Those sailors and marines deserve to be honored, too,’” said Slavonic. So, they began fundraising. Don Beck designed the memorial, with 429 white marble pillars representing each casualty. On December 7th, 2007, a date significant as Pearl Harbor Day and Oklahoma’s centennial year, McHugh and Slavonic attended the dedication ceremony to hear the reading of each man’s name. 

The Purpose of Submarine Memorials 

For both McHugh and Slavonic, their mission to create memorials is an extension of their Navy careers. McHugh, who tracked Russian nuclear subs in the Pacific Ocean, recently had a grandson serving on a ballistic missile sub. “We want observers to be reminded of what it takes to maintain freedom,” McHugh said. 

After a 34-year Navy career, Slavonic served as the 18th Assistant Secretary and Acting Under Secretary of the Navy from 2018-2021, during which he was responsible for submitting Oklahoma as the name for a new submarine. Currently in production, the USS Oklahoma (SSN 802) should be christened by 2025. Slavonic’s wife, Molly, is named as the ship’s traditional sponsor. 

“It’s important to remind Oklahomans we have a strong Navy,” Slavonic said. “The U.S. Navy is responsible for protecting, patrolling and keeping sea lanes open, because 90% of all products we use daily come via shipping from around the world.” 

“It’s meaningful for everyone to know the important mission of our Navy in defending our Nation and especially remembering the City’s namesake ships/submarines,” said Slavonic. “Like it or not, our history has made us a country. It tells our story, and God willing, these memorials will help keep those stories alive.” 

Learn more at ussoklahoma-ssn802.us. Tax-exempt donations can be mailed to USS OKC Park, Box 8693, Edmond, OK 73083 or made through the website. 

Steve Lackmeyer The Oklahoman

The Oklahoma City Council is being asked to approve $4.75 million in tax increment financing to build out Wiley Post Park and a planned USS Oklahoma City memorial along the north shore of the Oklahoma River. 

The memorial has been in the planning stages since first being announced in 2017. Wiley Post Park was chosen after the originally announced location along boathouse row was determined to be a less desirable spot. 

Once completed, the park and plaza will feature the sail of the decommissioned USS Oklahoma City submarine, a navy dive plane and other displays commemorating Oklahoma’s naval history.  

Parks Director Melinda McMillan-Miller estimated the park and plaza will be completed in 2026, though a replica of the submarine’s sail will be needed because of the time it takes to cool down the decommissioned ship’s nuclear reactor. 

“We’ve found a wonderful location,” McMillan-Miller said in a recent presentation to the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust. “The memorial itself will include not just the USS Oklahoma City and dive plane, but other items of significance including plaques honoring crew members on this vessel.” 

The north shore park improvements are the third of five phases of work planned at Wiley Post, which is named after the famed Oklahoma City aviator who completed a solo flight around the world in 1933. 

The entire budget for the project is $8,186,490 which includes $3,645,000 from ARPA pandemic recovery funding. The tax increment financing is intended to cover a shortfall that currently stands at $4,541,490. 

If the funding is approved by the city council on Oct. 8, construction is set to start in January. The monument itself is being paid for through private donations. 

What to know about the USS Oklahoma City submarine

The project was first announced in 2017 by retired Rear Adm. Greg Slavonic, retired Navy Cmdr. Jon “Tucker” McHugh and architect Don Beck, the same group that led the establishment of a memorial for the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor.   

The USS Oklahoma City submarine was decommissioned in 2022 after 34 years of service during which it supported missions including submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. 

The memorial also will commemorate the USS Oklahoma City Cruiser, which was commissioned in 1944 and was converted to a guided missile cruiser in 1957. The ship played a supporting role in the Okinawa, Western Pacific, South China Sea and Vietnam campaigns. 

The tax increment funding request notes the memorial and park is likely to draw tourists and will serve as a connection between other destinations along the Oklahoma River and nearby Scissortial Park. 

The north shore section of Wiley Post Park consists of a lawn and parking area connecting to the city’s trail system. The improvements are designed for families and veterans. 

Improvements at Wiley Post Park include amphitheater, seating and playgrounds

Improvements are set to include an amphitheater, a covered stage, terraced lawn seating and seating along the shoreline, shade structures, bench swings, benches and tables, a sculpture garden and playgrounds designed for ages 2 through 5 and 5 through 12.

McMillan-Miller said the parks department employs two security officers along the river and that the city is determined to keep it well maintained. 

“You won’t be able to get on top of the dive plane; it’s very tall,” McMillan-Miller said. “But we can’t keep children from trying to climb up on the full side of the submarine.” 

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/local/2024/06/14/okc-zoo-redesign-new-species-penguines/74073366007

Sam Royka

The Oklahoman

The Oklahoma City Zoo proposed big changes in the 2024 Master Plan released this week, which will include a new cafe, more than 10 new species, and an extensive reorganization.

Dwight Lawson, executive director and CEO of the Oklahoma City Zoo, called the 10-year plan "perhaps the most ambitious in the Zoo's 122-year history."

The zoo began work on its most recent master plan in 2018, bringing the Sanctuary Asia, Expedition Africa, and Predator Pass projects to life along with many others. The last facet of this plan, called Shore to Sea, will be a new home for the California sea lions, African penguins, and harbor seals. This space is projected to open in 2027.

The plan is projected to cost between $115 and $230 million, according to the plan summary, and budgeting is already underway.

Funding for the master plan will come from a combination of private fundraising efforts, possible historic tax credits, and funding from a 1/8-of-a-cent sales tax approved by Oklahoma City voters in 1990, according to a press release.

The new master plan includes a host of construction projects to "modernize some of the Zoo’s oldest structures into immersive habitats that provide superior animal care and guest experiences," Lawson said in a press release.

This plan is broken down into three priority areas the zoo will tackle first.

Africa Plateau

The Africa Plateau currently includes large areas for hooved animals, including Okapi, Wildebeest, and Zebra. The new plan would add wild encounter spaces for Okapi and break down the hoofstock areas into larger savanna habitats. One goal of the large savanna areas is to create a feeling for zoo guests more reminiscent of the African grasslands, according to the presentation. New additions would also include gardens and a vulture exhibit. The new animals in the Africa exhibit, which opened in March, will include antelope, gazelle, grey crowned crane, guinea fowl, impala, kudu, sitatunga, southern white rhino, vulture, and waterbuck.

Reptile Preserve

The Reptile Preserve is also prioritized. The zoo trust plans to move this climate-controlled space closer to the zoo entrance. This provides better accessibility to patrons sensitive to heat and cold. Meanwhile, they plan to turn the current reptile building into a lounge for guests. The construction will also provide indoor/outdoor habitats for the animals.

Heart of the Zoo

The Heart of the Zoo and new Redbud Cafe are also high priorities in the project, with the trust aiming to organize the flow of traffic and provide more shaded outdoor seating for visitors. They also plan to relocate the carousel and create a stream connected to the alligator habitat in order to manage stormwater. The cafe will also house "exceptional restrooms," according to the project summary.

Other OKC Zoo additions:

Guest suites

Lower on the priority list but still on the project, the trust wants to construct an underwater viewing option for the brown bear and create some new walking routes through the zoo.

In multiple places, the summary mentioned new overnight accommodations.

"For those looking to extend their stay at the Zoo, the addition of up to four Oklahoma-themed guest suites with private outdoor viewing of bison can be rented out," the summary read. The trust intends these suites for use as a new kind of Wild Encounter experience.

Children's area

They also plan on updating the children's adventure area with larger areas focused on nature play, each themed like a different ecosystem. Plans also include reorganizing exhibits for animals that are "high impact, playful, and social," according to the document.

Front entry

The zoo entry area, currently open-air, will also receive an update in the form of a new shade and arbor. In warmer months, this space will provide a respite from midday heat as well as a comfortable entry, according to the summary. The arbor is also intended for use with annual winter light displays.

Elephant, primate habitat

An expansion of the elephant habitat is also planned, with two extra acres planned for the large elephant herd as well as a new tram route around the elephants. In the primate exhibits, guests will find another new addition in the form of the black and white colobus monkey. More new species will also reside here. The primate habitats will receive updates as well.

Describing the new rooms in more detail, "with a glass front separating guests from the apes and an operable glass back offering views to the landscape, these day rooms are an ape version of an indoor-outdoor living room," the document read.

Feline Oasis

The cats at the Feline Oasis were also included in the plan, with expanded jaguar and tiger habitats and seven small cat exhibits receiving complete renovations. There will also be a big cat training wall for demonstrations. More information about the wall will be provided when available, and the full Master Plan presentation can be found here.

State Investment Gives Big Boost to RSU’S Proposed New STEM Facility

The goal of building a new Center for Science and Technology at Rogers State University took a big step closer to reality June 14 when House Bill 2928 was signed into law, appropriating $10 million of state funds to the project.

A new facility to house RSU’s growing science, technology and engineering programs has been needed to replace the current Loshbaugh Hall. Built in 1955, it is no longer large enough to accommodate enrollment and is plagued with a number of structural and maintenance issues.

After two years of advocacy, the legislature agreed to help fund the project. The process began in the Senate, where Sen. Ally Seifried of Claremore, vice chair of the Senate Education Committee, and a member of the Senate Appropriations Education Subcommittee, worked the entire session to gather support of committee leadership and members through a thorough and public Senate budget process.

“Nothing is easy at the State Capitol, especially when we are talking about dedicating large amounts of money to a certain project,” Sen. Seifried said. “However, in keeping with Oklahoma’s continued efforts to grow opportunities for students in STEM-related fields, I deeply believe in the worthiness of this project. This new science and technology building will help students learn and become fully equipped to meet the workforce demands of the future.

“This session, I spent many hours discussing the merits of the building with my colleagues, explaining its importance to northeast Oklahoma, and especially, our community. I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to them,” she added. “No project can be successful in the legislature without the support of others. Once completed, this new building will have a positive impact that will be felt throughout the entire state.”

RSU President Dr. Larry Rice described the appropriation as a game changer for the school.

“This is a historic moment for RSU and the future of workforce development in northeast Oklahoma,” Rice said. “The new Center for Science and Technology will help recruit more students into our STEM programs and will help recruit and retain top faculty to teach in those programs.

“The state investment into this facility was made possible through the leadership of Senator Ally Seifried and Representative Mark Lepak,” Rice said. “Senator Seifried in particular demonstrated a lot of political acumen in getting the bill across the finish line.”

Rice also thanked House Speaker Charles McCall, Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Chuck Hall, House Appropriations Chairman Kevin Wallace, House Pro Tem and Speaker Designate Kyle Hilbert, and Senate Education Chairman Adam Pugh for their support.

In addition, Rice offered appreciation to Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Chancellor Allison Garrett and the members of RSU’s governing board, the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, for supporting the request.

Paired with the $4 million gift made earlier this spring by the Cherokee Nation, $14 million of the $30 million anticipated for construction is in hand. RSU officials plan to ask its Board of Regents for permission to issue bonds to help pay for the facility.

However, Rice said an additional $4 to 5 million in private support is needed to fully fund the project.

“We have a funding plan in place that called for $8 to $9 million of private investment,” Rice said. “The gift from the Cherokee Nation gets us about halfway home. Working through the RSU Foundation, we’re in a race to get to a point where we can move forward with the construction process. We still need help.”

Persons or companies interested in making tax-deductible investments to the project are asked to contact Steve Valencia, vice president for development, at svalencia@rsu.edu or 918-343-7780.

The Beck team presented the current state of the proposed masterplan for the Broken Arrow Innovation District to the Broken Arrow City Council. This presentation marks a great milestone of this multi-year, multi-discipline effort of research, analysis, and design. The masterplan identifies a framework reflective of the characteristics that drive successful innovation districts with input from local and national partners ranging from development, engineering, private, and civic realms. Find out more about this innovative project by following the link below.

https://www.brokenarrowedc.com/innovation-district/

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2023/08/24/okc-zoo-aquaticus-demolished-new-sea-lion-exhibit-planned/70649713007/