Abstract
For over a decade, the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) has been engaged in defining its role within the Oklahoma City (OKC) Metropolitan Area. By 2013, an enhanced physical presence developed for UCO within OKC itself, including the creation of the Academy of Contemporary Music and the CHK|Central Boathouse. Afterwards, and in accordance with UCO’s strategic plan, Vision 2020, the Brookings Institution and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce explored links between OKC and workforce development needs, in parallel with planning for an Innovation District. Emerging from that planning is UCO Downtown, a flexible urban learning facility on the border of OKC’s Business District and the recently designated Innovation District. An upcoming renovation of offices and business incubators will provide additional space for the growth of UCO Downtown, as well as serving as home to Customized Education, a non-degree credit program serving metropolitan businesses. With substantial enrollment increases during the first three cycles of enrollment, programs have begun to anchor themselves into the OKC Downtown. The convergence of UCO Downtown with recent recommendations by the Brookings Institution forms the basis for UCO’s goal of serving OKC’s workforce (especially in STEM) as well as the broader OKC community (Arts, Business, Education, Government, etc.). The purpose of this paper is to describe a case study for the introduction of a learning facility in an urban environment (Oklahoma City) and to reflect on important lessons drawn from that experience. We hope this article will benefit others with similar objectives in their own institutional strategic plans.
Highlights
Researchers have amply well documented the relationship between colleges and universities to the economic development of state economies for Oklahoma
Given the continued and substantial decline in federal and state funding for higher education, the special role that metropolitan universities play, in providing education that supports the economic momentum of the states they serve, is increasingly important
This paper chronicled the journey of one metropolitan institution, the University of Central Oklahoma, to enhance its physical presence in the downtown metropolitan area (Oklahoma City), including the establishment of a downtown teaching facility
Summary
Researchers have amply well documented the relationship between colleges and universities to the economic development of state economies for Oklahoma. The vast majority of these professions (engineers, nurses, software developers, etc.) are compatible with if not directly linked to metropolitan areas. The role of the accessible, public university is paramount. The top 100 metropolitan areas cover only 12% of the land area of the United States but contain two-thirds of its population and generate 75% of its GDP (Katz and Bradley, 2013). Public colleges and universities have an important role in the metropolitan and urban environments throughout the country, and the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area is no exception
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