Schusterman Learning Center Now Open
MILESTONE: University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren was at the Schusterman Learning Center Dedication on Oct. 15. The Center is located at 4502 E. 41st St. Boren says this dedication marks a milestone in growth and opportunity offered to students at OU-Tulsa.
DANIEL C. CAMERON for GTR Newspapers
Dedication of the first building of the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center designed solely for student classrooms, study and social space was Oct. 15.
The $12.2 million Schusterman Learning Center, 4502 E. 41st St. was funded by the State Higher Education Bond Issue, which was passed by the State Legislature, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Additional major gifts were made by Founders of Doctor’s Hospital, Inc., and the Diane and Lindsay Perkins Family.
Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Schusterman Family Foundation says they are committed to enhancing the quality of life in Oklahoma, especially in the areas of education, child advocacy and community service and that the new learning center will help OU-Tulsa prepare students for careers and service in each of those areas.
The 47,000 square-foot Learning Center, located on the east side of the campus, was designed to support the advanced instructional methods used at OU-Tulsa, including team and distance learning and extensive use of technology in the classroom setting.
The focal point of the Learning Center is the Founder’s Hall and academic commons, providing study and social space for students. The multi-purpose area, which features a rotunda surrounded by columns, provides space for University and community events.
Gerard P. Clancy, M.D., OU-Tulsa president, says that student enrollment has more than doubled to over 1,500 students since 1999, the first year the center was open. That type of rapid growth necessitated additional learning space for our students. The Schusterman Learning Center provides much needed classroom as well as social space for the faculty, staff and students, he says.
The building provides OU-Tulsa with its largest auditorium on campus. The Perkins Family Auditorium seats more than 300 students in theater-style seating with state-of-the-art technology including push-to-talk microphones and multiple electrical outlets for laptop computers. Two smaller lecture halls accommodate 90 students each; one large classroom seats 70; and there are eight additional classrooms that seat 30 to 40.
Students enrolled in all programs at OU-Tulsa will use the new Learning Center, which incorporates advanced classroom technology and wireless computer access throughout the building. Classes have been meeting in the Learning Center since the beginning of the fall semester.
William O. Ray, Ph.D., associate vice president for academic affairs at OU-Tulsa says the Learning Center supports active and team learning in classrooms that feature the latest technology while still being inviting and comfortable for students, as well as being a multi-use space that will enable OU-Tulsa to share it with the community for a wide variety of events.
The University of Oklahoma Schusterman Center is home to all OU programs in Tulsa. Located at 41st and Yale, the campus greatly enhances OU’s presence in the community and expands educational, research and patient care programs for the community. The OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center currently offers six bachelor’s degree completion programs, 16 master’s programs, a doctor of medicine degree, a doctor of pharmacy degree and 10 residency programs in medicine. For more information about OU-Tulsa, call 660-3000 or visit http://tulsa.ou.edu.
Updated 11-24-2008
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