Regents Authorize RSU To Select Architect For Economic, Community Development Building

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents has authorized Rogers State University to select an architect for the Center for Economic and Community Development on the Claremore campus.

The OU Board of Regents – RSU’s governing board  – this week approved the university to negotiate agreements for architectural services for the building, which would house RSU’s Center for Economic and Community Development.

The center was established in July 2002 to foster regional economic development and address the educational needs of business and industry in northeastern Oklahoma.  The center provides assistance with business planning, organization, financing, management, workforce development, production, and marketing.  The center also conducts economic, demographic, and social research related to economic development, and publishes economic data reports for Rogers, Mayes and Washington counties.

The regents authorized the university to negotiate terms with the architectural firms that have been evaluated and ranked earlier this year by an interview committee of RSU and Claremore Industrial and Economic Development Authority representatives.

The building would include office space, computer resources, conference/meeting rooms, a business resource library, administrative offices and other facilities. The building would also provide incubator space for entrepreneurial business and technology companies, as well as provide a support system for entrepreneurial companies.

The 6,000-square-foot facility is projected to cost about $650,000 with completion targeted for early 2005. RSU has secured public and private funds to construct the facility. The proposed location for the building is on RSU’s Claremore campus, just west of the rifle range.

For more information about the Center for Economic and Community Development, call (918) 343-7533.