As Oklahoma colleges and universities continue to look for opportunities to make higher education more affordable, Rose State College and Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) announced a partnership to combine fiscal and educational resources. This new partnership will create better services for students and will alleviate some of the budget issues facing many colleges and universities across the country. The presidents of the two colleges signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to confirm the partnership agreement in a signing ceremony Wednesday, May 23, 2018, at 10:00 am in the Governor’s Conference Room at the Oklahoma State Capitol Building.
The first initiative includes OCCC and Rose State working toward issuing a joint request for proposal (RFP) for campus food services. The request will include not only cafeteria services, but also catering and event servicing. This request will evaluate possible efficiencies and costs savings associated with both institutions contracting with the same vendor.
“Food services are a significant expense to our colleges, mostly due to the labor costs,†said OCCC President Jerry Steward. “Combining both OCCC and Rose State into the same service contract will lower these costs and at the same time, allow for better services to our students.â€
In addition to services, the two colleges are also jointly bidding on various goods and supplies, such as cleaning and paper products as well as hardware. The combined efforts allow for volume discounts, creating substantial cost savings.
“Cost reductions are critical for all institutions as we constantly assess our business models,†said Rose State President Jeanie Webb. “I am excited to step out in this proactive approach with our partner to address challenges and creatively identify ways to better serve our students while serving the state of Oklahoma.â€
In addition to resource consolidation, an exchange partnership was established to offer French and Russian language courses for students at both campuses. Students needing language credit hours in French or Russian are now able to take these courses without the need to transfer colleges.
Rose State College and OCCC are both urban, two-year institutions in the Oklahoma City -metropolitan area.
In February 2018, the Task Force on the Future of Higher Education released its report on the future of higher education in Oklahoma, a systematic review of higher education. One recommendation specifically included streamlining functions between OCCC and Rose State College.
Two-year colleges like Rose State and OCCC offer degree programs that prepare students to transfer to a four-year college or university or immediately enter the workforce upon degree completion. For more information about enrolling in classes offered in this exchange program, contact the office of Academic Advising at OCCC at 405-682-7535, or the Academic Advisement office at Rose State College at 405-733-7408.