Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) is a
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in
Goodwell, OklahomaGoodwell is a town in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,192 at the 2000 census.Goodwell is the home of Oklahoma Panhandle State University, established in 1909.- Geography :...
. OPSU is a
baccalaureateA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
degree granting institution. General governance of the institution is provided by the Board of Regents of the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges. Academic programs and financial support are authorized and coordinated through the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) was created by an act of the
Oklahoma LegislatureThe Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
in 1909 as Pan-Handle Agricultural Institute offering secondary agricultural education for the Panhandle area.
Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) is a
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in
Goodwell, OklahomaGoodwell is a town in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,192 at the 2000 census.Goodwell is the home of Oklahoma Panhandle State University, established in 1909.- Geography :...
. OPSU is a
baccalaureateA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
degree granting institution. General governance of the institution is provided by the Board of Regents of the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges. Academic programs and financial support are authorized and coordinated through the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
History
Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) was created by an act of the
Oklahoma LegislatureThe Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
in 1909 as Pan-Handle Agricultural Institute offering secondary agricultural education for the Panhandle area. In 1921, the legislature authorized the school to offer a two-year college curriculum, and the name was changed to Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1967, the school was designated as Oklahoma Panhandle State College of Agriculture and Applied Science. In 1974, the University assumed its present name.
Academics
The university is organized into six schools that offer associate degrees and
bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s in such areas as
historyHistory is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns...
,
educationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
,
businessA business is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and/or services to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, most being privately owned and formed to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its owners and grow the business itself...
, and
nursingNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from birth to the end of life....
. OPSU's
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
-related degree programs produce valued and competent graduates who are qualified to work in the region's many bovine, equine, swine, and farming-related industries.
OPSU is regionally accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to grant associate and bachelor's degrees. It is also approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Education for the preparation of elementary and secondary teachers.
The constituent schools are:
- School of Agriculture
- School of Business and Technology
- School of Education
- School of Liberal Arts
- School of Science, Mathematics, and Nursing
- University College
Athletics
OPSU competes as a founding member of the
Heartland ConferenceThe Heartland Conference is an NCAA Division II college athletic conference founded in 1999. The majority of members are in Texas, with additional members in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.-Member schools:...
as the
Aggies (except
rodeoRodeo is a sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western...
and football). The university sponsors
footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
, softball (women), baseball (men), and men's and women's
golfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
, cross-country running, and
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
. The football team plays at
Carl Wooten FieldCarl Wooten Field is a stadium in Goodwell, Oklahoma on the campus of Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Carl Wooten Field is the home stadium for PSU's American football and athletics teams. It has also hosted local soccer matches....
and competes in the NCAA Division II Independent Football Alliance.
A point of pride for OPSU is its men's and women's
rodeoRodeo is a sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western...
teams, nicknamed the
CowboyA cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century became a figure of special significance and legend. A subtype, called a wrangler,...
s and
Cowgirls, respectively. The school is a member of the Central Plains Region of the
National Intercollegiate Rodeo AssociationThe National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, based in Walla Walla, WA, was established in 1949. NIRA sanctions more than 100 college rodeos every year in the United States, and represents over 3,500 student athletes attending more than 135 member colleges and universities...
(NIRA) and has won several regional and national championships in the sport. As part of their scholarship package, rodeo team members may receive lodging in special housing and stalls for their animals.
External links