Rose State is vital part of Midwest City landscape
Since its opening in September 1970, Rose State College has been an integral part of Midwest City, as an educational institution and a community partner.
The college was an idea spawned by Midwest City’s first school superintendent, Oscar Rose, who thought a community college would elevate the educational status of the community and bring notoriety.
His idea caught on, and in 1968 voters in Midwest City, Del City and parts of southeastern and northeastern Oklahoma City approved the college district.
The vote followed passage of Senate Bill 2 in 1967, a law that enabled districtoperated community colleges to receive state aid. Voters then passed a $1.75 million general obligation bond issue, a two-millage levy for operating expenses in 1969 and a three-millage levy for operations in 1970.
Originally Oscar Rose Junior College, it was renamed Rose State College by the state Legislature in 1983.
Rose State is a publicly sustained, open-admissions, associate degreegranting college that provides lower-division programs of higher education and community services. It has grown from an enrollment of 1,700 when it opened in 1970 to a regular fall enrollment of about 8,200. The campus covers 120 acres and has 25 buildings.
Over the years, it has made many strides to improve the college experience and educational offerings for its students. It offers 60 academic programs designed to transfer to four-year colleges or universities. The degree programs are centered around business and information technology, engineering and science, health sciences, humanities and social science.
Rose State offers baseball, softball and men’s and women’s soccer and is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Seeing growth
When Jeanie Webb became president in 2013, one of her goals was to offer students the opportunity to live on campus. In 2015, Rose State opened The Village at RSC, which houses up to 180 students in apartment-style living.
“Currently, we have students that come from 62 of the 77 Oklahoma counties. Our residence life has significantly contributed to this growth, and we are hopeful the growth will continue,” she said.
Another one of Webb’s goals was to become the best community college in the region with increased graduation and success rate. She said Rose State must strive to provide a university type of experience through more personalized education, with more small classes, engaged faculty, outside classroom learning experiences, residential life and athletics.
“Students who attend Rose are building a life resume, as well as an academic resume,” Webb stated.
A $21.9 million bond issue was passed in 2013. Renovations have been made to the aquatic center and academic buildings, fiber-optic cable was laid throughout campus, the residence hall was built and a new Learning Resource Center/Library was built.
Webb said a short-term goal is completion of the Student Union, financed through the Oklahoma State Regents Master Lease Program. She said it will serve as the living room of the college and provide students and the community with a firstclass facility to eat, learn, be entertained and interact with one another.
The RSC Foundation, founded in 1977, has provided thousands of dollars in scholarships every semester. Director Cindy Mikeman said the foundation has three primary goals: to raise private funding levels, increase the number and amount of scholarships and to make students' dreams a reality.
“We work every day to fulfill our vision, and that is to provide scholarships for all who qualify and to fund educational enhancements that improve the college and the community’s quality of life,” Mikeman said.
The marketing team also has a key role to play in the success of the college. Tamara Pratt is vice president of external affairs and marketing.
“Our biggest challenge, much like other community colleges, is to successfully communicate the great educational opportunities that awaits students at RSC and to also let everyone know about the unique courses of study that are offered,” Pratt said.
Pratt said the college is doing an excellent job of keeping up with curriculum trends, as it rolls out course studies in areas such as cyber security, drones, emergency management, paralegal, nursing and dental hygiene.
Pratt also mentioned the success of the professional training facility and the Hudiburg Chevrolet Center. The training facility trains thousands of adult learners from a variety of organizations every year. The Hudiburg Center, in conjunction with the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall, holds entertainment and educational programs.
Webb said the college serves a crucial function in the community and state.
“We are proud to work closely with Tinker Air Force Base and the aerospace industry. We have innovative academic courses that look to the future of the state,” Webb said.
Webb said graduation and retention rates continue to grow. And completion of the bond projects, including a library of the future, are among the highlights of the decade, she said.