For many Broken Arrow area residents, August means the end of summer vacation and a return to classes and back-to-school schedules.
For me, the most exciting part of this month is seeing students return to all three of our campuses to start the fall semester courses and activities.
August is also the anniversary of the opening of the NSU-Broken Arrow campus. The campus has now been serving students and the surrounding community for 21 years this month.
Plans for the NSU-Broken Arrow campus date back to the late 1990s when the Oklahoma legislature altered the University Center at Tulsa (UCAT) and opened the door for NSU to develop a new campus site within the Tulsa metropolitan area. Just like the great city of Broken Arrow, its NSU campus has continued to grow and develop over the last two decades.
The NSU family is proud to have a campus embedded within the Broken Arrow community and is cognizant of the responsibility entrusted by its constituents, who without their investment the campus would not have been a reality. Because of this, our NSUBA campus is always looking for ways to support and be of service to those in the area.
At the heart of its operations, NSUBA offers a higher education option right here in Broken Arrow. Hardworking students who are also parents, employees, caregivers and business owners do not need to leave town to advance their academic career.
Today, the campus offers many programs and services both academic and non-academic to Broken Arrow area residents. With more than 30 undergraduate majors, nearly 20 graduate majors and several other certificate programs, the campus has learning opportunities for everyone.
NSUBA provides flexible course formats and schedules to cater to its majority adult student population with many classes offered in-person, online and in blended formats. Evening and weekend course offerings also make earning credits and advancing your career even more accessible.
Academic and certification programs are available in many top fields and industries like education, criminal justice, social work and more.
A college degree or certificate might be exactly what you are waiting for to upskill in your current career or role. NSUBA is here to help you take that first step, whatever it might look like.
While this campus was created to academically benefit those in the surrounding community, its impact goes far beyond the classroom walls.
Each year we strive to find new opportunities for the institution to support and be used by the community for events, meetings, career fairs and more. The hope is that the campus facilities will be a place where people, including students and non-students, will learn, connect and share ideas for many years to come.
This past spring, NSUBA partnered with Work In BA to host a career fair and the Supply Chain Management and Logistics Conference. Local employers were able to gather at NSU to connect potential employees to roles within their businesses. NSU is proud to help foster these relationships and economic development right here in our community.
This campus truly belongs to the community. To find out how you can take advantage of the spaces and services at NSUBA, contact BAevents@nsuok.edu.
NSUBA offerings do not stop there, though. The campus is committed to providing support through many services to the Broken Arrow community.
Eye exams are available on campus for patients of all ages at the Lesley L. Walls Vision Center. The clinic offers contact lenses and spectacles, as well as outside prescription needs.
Discounts are available for patients with an active NSU ID. VSP and several other major insurances are also accepted.
The center is located on the NSUBA campus in the Education Building. For more information or to make an appointment, call 918-449-6210.
The campus will soon open the Little Rowdy Child Care Center. The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the NSUBA a 4-year grant at $135,755 per year through its Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS) to make childcare more accessible to college students.
All NSU-Broken Arrow students can take advantage of the campus-based child care services for a fee. Students in the CCAMPIS program may be eligible for free or reduced rates. The Little Rowdy Child Care Center will be a drop-in child care service for children ages eight weeks to 8 years old for no more than three hours per day, Monday through Thursday in the fall and spring semesters during peak times of the day.
Broken Arrow is a city where opportunity lives. I look forward to seeing NSUBA continue to contribute to those opportunities for many years to come. Check back each month for updates on what NSU is doing for you.
Dan Mabery is Vice President of University Relations at Northeastern State University.
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