Making OSU elite

NewsPress Editorial Board

July 06, 2008 12:24 am

— David Schmidly, former Oklahoma State University president, had a goal of making OSU one of the top 75 research universities in the country — a lofty hope for a land-grant agricultural college in a small state that must divide its resources among two research universities.
But the way donations have been flowing into Stillwater, that goal is not nearly so lofty any longer. With the staggering generosity recently shown — again — by Boone Pickens, combined with the generosity of hundreds of donors during the past six weeks, OSU is on a growth trend that even its highest officials may not fully grasp at this point.
Not that we would begrudge the Cowboys’ football team a national title, or two, but it would be nice if the state became known for something besides college football. OSU is on a path toward becoming a university that will become known for groundbreaking work.
But, at the same time, the old A&M should continue to serve its original purpose — educating the youth of Oklahoma and giving them the opportunity to improve themselves, their lives and their state. Unfortunately, with the rate of recent increases in tuition and fees, some Oklahomans are finding the sticker price of an OSU diploma beyond their budget.
One way to create an elite university is to raise the price to a point where only the elite can afford it. This surely is not the path OSU officials have chosen.
The problem is the path they have chosen may lead to the same result.