News/Press

To the OSU Campus, The OSU Board of Regents on Friday approved a contract with Energy Education, Inc. that could move us to the forefront of energy conservation among higher education institutions. EEI’s energy management program lowers energy costs through extensive education, as well as monitoring, reporting and auditing energy usage on a building by building basis. This undertaking offers us an opportunity to achieve substantial energy savings with no capital expenditure.  In fact, EEI guarantees our savings will exceed the total cost of the energy management program or they will pay us the difference.  For the duration of the seven-year contract, OSU expects a savings of $30 million, with a net savings of $22.6 million. OSU has taken many positive steps through the years to address energy consumption.  This is not a criticism of what has been done.  Rather, it is recognition that with a focused effort directed by national experts, we can do even more.  OSU has a social as well as economical responsibility to conserve energy, and we intend to do so without jeopardizing our educational and research missions. EEI will conduct a sweeping review and audit of energy management practices across the OSU System.  Working closely with our staff, EEI will over time strive to create a consciousness of conservation.  The company says there isn’t one big idea, but hundreds of smaller ideas and initiatives that, when combined together, lower consumption and produce verifiable energy savings at the projected level. We forged this partnership after long and careful consideration.  I’m pleased that it unites us with OSU alumnus William Spears, who founded EEI in 1986.  Over that time, EEI has helped nearly 800 public schools in the U.S. save $1.2 billion in verifiable energy costs. EEI brings the expertise and the proven systems and practices.  Ultimately, however, success rests with each of us doing our part.  You will be hearing more about this critical initiative soon… Thanks to the largest one-time private gift in its history, a $1 million donation from John E. Kirkpatrick, OSU-Oklahoma City will hold an exciting groundbreaking Thursday for a new Agriculture Resource Center, which will house horticulture, agriculture and veterinary classes. The building should be operational in the spring of 2008… One of the most talked about topics at OSU is the creation of a tobacco-free campus.  Students, faculty and staff have all passed recommendations to ban or further restrict tobacco use.  Lee Bird, VP of Student Affairs, is leading a task force that will review these proposals, continue the campus-wide discussion and then make a recommendation on the best path forward.  Other schools and communities will be watching what we do…  I was encouraged by a recent national study that found one-third of current college freshmen say they frequently discussed politics during their last year of high school, up from 26 percent in a previous study and the highest figure in 40 years.  This is a positive sign for our country’s democratic process.  The Student Government Association is one way many OSU students participate politically on our campus.  I applaud all SGA members for the extra hours and valuable service they dedicate to OSU.  I hope you will tell SGA members thanks for the job they do… Gallagher-Iba Arena will be hopping tonight as we host OU in men’s basketball Bedlam.  Go Pokes!  David Schmidly