OSU History       

Oklahoma State University was founded on December 25, 1890, as Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, just twenty months after the Land Run of 1889. When the first students assembled for class on December 14, 1891, there were no buildings, no books, and no curriculum.

In 1894, two and one-half years after classes began in local churches, 144 students moved into the first academic building, later known as Old Central, on the southeast corner of campus. In 1896, Oklahoma A&M; held its first commencement with six male graduates.

On July 1, 1957, Oklahoma A&M College became Oklahoma State University. Technical branches were established in Okmulgee in 1946 and in Oklahoma City in 1961. (In 1990 their names were changed to OSU-Okmulgee and OSU-Oklahoma City.) In July of 1988, the Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery became the College of Osteopathic Medicine of OSU.

Location. OSU is located in Stillwater, a north-central Oklahoma community with a population of more than 42,000. Stillwater is approximately 60 miles from the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metropolitan areas and is readily accessible from other major population centers by interstate highway and air.

The University is coeducational and has an enrollment of approximately 26,000 students on its four campuses. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctor's degrees in a large number of fields, as well as the professional Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees. Specialist in Education degrees are also offered in selected fields.

Although OSU is a large, comprehensive university, its size does not minimize the personal attention given to each student. The individual is more than just a number at this university. OSU encourages all students, when they first enroll, to identify the college in which they wish to major. Once the student has identified his or her major department, he or she becomes a very important individual to the faculty and advisers of that department. Because the average number of students majoring in any one department is less than 150, the student can count on personal attention in a friendly environment.

The Size of the University has many distinct advantages. OSU's 2 million volume library, its modern research laboratories and equipment, excellent physical education, recreation and student union facilities, nationally-recognized residence halls programs, outstanding cultural events, and 36 nationally-affiliated fraternities and sororities, all provide a stimulating educational and social environment.²

OSU Campus

Aerial View-1

Aerial View-2                                  Aerial View-3                               Student Union
 

Food Research Center                   Wes Watkins Center                          Morrill Hall
 

Gallagher-IBA Arena                       Edmon Low Library                           Nobel Research Center
  

  
Advanced Technology Research Center         Student Union                   Theta Pond-1
 

OSU Spring

Theta Pond-2                                     Theta Pond-3                               Woods

 

OSU Winter

Edmon Low Library                    Student Union                                          Whitehurst

 

Past OSU President                   Advanced Technology Research Center      Willard Hall

Student Union                              ³

Theta Pond         

  In 1895, a pond for use as a reservoir was built by students under the direction of Dr. James C. Neal, director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, to solve the water shortage problems being experienced by the OAMC campus. Known as both the College Pond and the Horse Pond because of its proximity to the Horse Barn (previously called the College Barn), this shallow pond was built using teams of horses which removed the top layers of soil and created a dirt embankment to catch runoff water. For the campus, water was pumped from a well by a windmill into a cistern in the middle of the pond, and subsequently distributed to the rest of the campus.

The horse barn burned down in 1922, and the pond was subsequently renamed Theta Pond, after the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house, then located across the street. After it was no longer needed as a water source with the construction of a new power plant and the use of a well located west of Murray Hall, Theta Pond gradually developed as a favorite scenic landmark at OSU.

In 1928, Theta Pond was drained in order to be enlarged and, in 1943, was remodeled by adding a rock spillway, an island, and an ornamental rock bridge, and at the same time increasing the depth of the pond to twenty-two feet at its deepest. Pre-war Civilian Conservation Corps workers supposedly constructed the two smaller satellite ponds during the thirties.

The Development of Theta Pond

The Muck

Headline from The Daily O'Collegian

Because Theta Pond is a natural drainage area for parts of campus, unwanted sediment would naturally collect. At one point the depth was reduced to nine feet which practically killed the pond. Several clean-ups were attempted. In 1963, students arranged for a muck removal and in 1972, another cleanup was arranged, this time by the Student Council on Pollution and Environment with help from the 245th Engineering Corp of the Stillwater National Guard, who removed more than 300 tons of silt and decayed matter from the two satellite ponds. In 1977, a new drainage system was added, and in the early eighties, the floating water fountain was installed.
 

Extracurricular Activities

First started in 1907, class tug-of-wars across the Horse Pond were an annual event, the losing class being given a slimy award.
 

It is uncertain when "pond-tossing" first began, but it has since become a traditional rite of passage for initiations, engagements, birthdays, and other important events.
 

Over the years, a few strange items have found their way into Theta Pond. The Sirloin Stockade bull, shown here, is one example. In 1981, a full-size Ronald McDonald statue was pulled from the pond.

Wildlife

Theta Pond is home to various types of wildlife, including birds, squirrels, swans, and the popular ducks and geese.

One unique inhabitant was Sam the alligator. Sam was kept in a cage at one end of the pond, but managed to tour many of the sororities and a few fraternities on campus.
 

Education

Many classes have used Theta Pond for educational purposes. Each semester biology classes study the pond's environment and inhabitants, while other classes use the area for a welcome break from the classroom. Children are always fascinated by the pond and its denizens.

OSU students first participated in concrete canoe races in 1973. Since then it has been an annual event of the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Built by casting a light-weight reinforced concrete shell over a forming mould, students every year attempt to make a lighter and more maneuverable canoe than the last.
        

 ¹

Sources

1.   "SCUA--Exhibits--Theta Pond." http://www.library.okstate.edu/scua/theta.htm (08/04/04 04:30:42)

2.   http://osu.okstate.edu/about/history.htm (08/03/04 17:42:55)

3.   "Visual Communication & Image Processing Laboratory ::Album::." http://www.vcipl.okstate.edu/album.html (08/04/04 04:02:50)

Bibliography

"SCUA--Exhibits--Theta Pond." http://www.library.okstate.edu/scua/theta.htm (08/04/04 04:30:42)

"Visual Communication & Image Processing Laboratory ::Album::." http://www.vcipl.okstate.edu/album.html (08/04/04 04:02:50)

http://osu.okstate.edu/about/history.htm (08/03/04 17:42:55)