Oklahoma State University Student Union | |
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The Oklahoma State University Student Union | |
General information | |
Type | Student union |
Location | Stillwater, Oklahoma |
Coordinates | 36°07′16″N97°04′07″W / 36.12111°N 97.06861°W Coordinates: 36°07′16″N97°04′07″W / 36.12111°N 97.06861°W |
Completed | 1951 |
Renovated | 1960, 1965, 2000, and 2011 |
Technical details | |
Floor area | 543,411 square feet (50,484.5 m2) |
Billed as the largest student union in the world, [1] the Oklahoma State University Student Union is a student activity center for meetings, conferences, meals, recreation, and shopping for students and alumni on the campus of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
A students' union, student government, free student union, student senate, students' association, guild of students, or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizational activities, representation, and academic support of the membership.
Stillwater is a city in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of US-177 and State Highway 51. It is the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of 2012, the city population was estimated to be 46,560, making it the tenth largest city in Oklahoma. Stillwater is the principal city of the Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical Area which had a population of 78,399 according to the 2012 census estimate. Stillwater was part of the first Oklahoma Land Run held on April 22, 1889 when the Unassigned Lands were opened for settlement and became the core of the new Oklahoma Territory. The city charter was adopted on August 24, 1889. Stillwater is home to the main campus of Oklahoma State University as well as Northern Oklahoma College - Stillwater, Meridian Technology Center, and the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.
Constructed in 1951, the Student Union serves as one of the largest and most comprehensive unions in the world. The Student Union was the first union in the United States to be completely funded by self-liquidating bonds. Five major expansions of the Union took place in 1960, 1965, 2000, 2012 and 2016 with an adjacent parking garage built in 1970.
The Student Union was closed during the 2010 - 2011 academic school year for renovation; with the majority of student services relocated to several places around campus like the Classroom Building basement or the "UToo" temporary building.
The Union contains the modern 81-room Atherton Hotel at OSU (formerly known simply as the Student Union Hotel), maintained by the Oklahoma State School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration. The Atherton is named for Oklahoma State alum Bill Atherton and serves as a living classroom for Hotel and Restaurant Administration students while providing luxury boutique hotel services for guests.
The Union is also home to the luxurious Ranchers Club restaurant, a 550-seat theater, art exhibits, lounges, meeting rooms, an extensive food court, bookstores, the OSU Student Store, a recreation center, post office, travel agency, athletic ticket office, and multiple university offices. Many student organizations, including the Student Union Activities Board, are centered at the Union.
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State or OSU, is a large public research university in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and the ninth university in Ohio with the Morrill Act of 1862, the university was originally known as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College (Mech). The college began with a focus on training students in various agricultural and mechanical disciplines but it developed into a comprehensive university under the direction of then-Governor Rutherford B. Hayes, and in 1878 the Ohio General Assembly passed a law changing the name to "The Ohio State University". It has since grown into the third-largest university campus in the United States. Along with its main campus in Columbus, Ohio State also operates regional campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, Newark, and Wooster.
Missouri State University, formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university campus by enrollment, with an official enrollment of 23,697 in the fall 2018 semester on the Springfield campus. The Springfield campus is one of two degree-granting institutions operated by the school, the other being a two-year campus in West Plains, Missouri. A bachelor of science in business from MSU is offered at the Missouri State University Branch Campus Dalian in China. In addition to its main campus, MSU maintains a fruit research station in Mountain Grove and the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies program housed in Fairfax, Virginia.
Oklahoma State University is a public land-grant and sun-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OSU was founded in 1890 under the Morrill Act. Originally known as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, it is the flagship institution of the Oklahoma State University System. Official enrollment for the fall 2010 semester system-wide was 35,073, with 23,459 students enrolled at OSU-Stillwater. Enrollment shows the Freshman class of 2012 was the largest on record with 4,298 students. OSU is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with highest research activity.
Oklahoma State University–Tulsa, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, is the newest institution of the Oklahoma State University System. It was previously the University Center at Tulsa until it became OSU-Tulsa on January 1, 1999. OSU-Tulsa is unique in the fact that it is not recognized as its own entity, but rather an extension of the main Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OSU-Tulsa works in conjunction with the main OSU campus and Tulsa Community College to provide Freshman and Sophomore level courses, enabling students to complete a four-year undergraduate course of study. Howard Barnett, Jr. has served as President of OSU-Tulsa since 2009.
Oklahoma State University–Oklahoma City (OSU-OKC) is a public university in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is part of the Oklahoma State University System. Founded in 1961 as a branch of Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, its name changed from Oklahoma State University Technical Institute to its current designation in 1990. The school offers more than 40 degrees and/or certificates. Classes are held weekdays and weeknights, on-campus, online and hybrid, with intersession courses available. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Indiana University South Bend is a public university in South Bend, Indiana. It is the third largest campus of Indiana University.
Auraria Campus is an educational facility located near downtown Denver, Colorado in the United States. The campus houses facilities of three separate universities and colleges: the University of Colorado Denver, Community College of Denver (CCD), and Metropolitan State University of Denver. There are around 63,000 students between the three schools. The campus also houses Auraria Higher Education Center, the administrative body that handles parking, maintenance, and janitorial services. The campus is located southwest of downtown, on the east side of the South Platte River and south of Cherry Creek, near the site of the original Auraria mining camp settlement of 1859.
A student center is a type of building found on university campuses. In the United States, such a building may be called a student union, student commons, union or student center. The term "student union" refers most often in the United States to a building, while in other nations a "students' union" is the student government. Nevertheless, the Association of College Unions International has several hundred campus organizational members in the US; there is no sharp dichotomy in interpretation of union in this context. The US usage in reference to a location is simply a shortened form of student union building.
The Ohio Union serves as a student activity center for students of The Ohio State University. When the Union was established in 1910, it was the first student union at a public university. The Ohio Union provides facilities for student activities, organizations/events, and campus and community interaction. Many student services and programs are housed in the union, along with dining and recreational facilities. It also serves as the home base for the D-Tix program, which provides discounted tickets to students. On March 29, 2010, the current Ohio Union was opened to the public.
The Ohio State University at Newark campus is a regional satellite campus of the Ohio State University in Licking County, Ohio. During its early years, classes were held at old Newark High School. In 1966, over one million dollars pledged by 7,000 local citizens to match funds from the state legislature supported the cost of buying 155 acres (0.63 km2) of land and constructing the first building, Founders Hall, which opened in 1968.
Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist liberal arts university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 and is owned by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.
Tulsa Technology Center is a public independent school district affiliated with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.
The Edmon Low Library (ELL) is the main library of the Oklahoma State University System. It is located on the main campus of the university in Stillwater.
The Illini Union, located at 1401 West Green Street in Urbana, Illinois, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, is the student union for the University.
The Spears School of Business is the business component of Oklahoma State University. Located in Stillwater, Okla., the Spears School is composed of seven academic departments with more than 100 tenure and tenure-track educational professionals. The college’s student body is made up of nearly 4,000 undergraduate students pursuing 15 degree fields and approximately 800 graduate students studying in seven different master's degree programs. The Spears School also offers several Ph.D. programs, including business administration, economics and the new Ph.D. in Business for Executives.
The Wisconsin Union is a membership organization at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It operates the Memorial Union, Union South, the Morgridge Center for Public Service, the Hoofer Equestrian Center, Bernie's Place Child Care Center, and a number of food outlets on campus in order to "provide a common life and cultivated social program for its members." Anyone who is approved can join the Wisconsin Union by paying a membership fee. All UW students are members and recent graduates are offered a substantial discount on a life membership. Members receive certain benefits and privileges not accorded the general public. The services and activities provided fall roughly into the three categories of social education, facilities, and retail services.
Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public university in the U.S. state of Georgia with two primary campuses, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta. KSU also holds classes at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Dalton State College, and in Paulding County (Dallas). Present enrollment is over 35,000 students, making it the third-largest university within Georgia and one of the top 50 largest universities in the United States.
The University of Arkansas Campus Historic District is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 23, 2009. The district covers the historic core of the University of Arkansas campus, including 25 buildings.
The LaFortune Student Center serves as the main student center at the University of Notre Dame. Built as Science Hall in 1883 under the direction of Fr. John Zahm, but in 1950 it was converted to a student union building and named LaFortune Center, after Joseph LaFortune, an oil executive from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Commonly known as "LaFortune" or "LaFun," it is a 4-story building of 83,000 square feet that provides the Notre Dame community with a meeting place for social, recreational, cultural, and educational activities. LaFortune employs 35 part-time student staff and 29 full-time non-student staff and has an annual budget of $1.2 million. Many businesses, services, and divisions of The Office of Student Affairs are found within. The building also houses restaurants from national restaurant chains.