State gains in research funding

DATELINE: NORMAN

NORMAN - Oklahoma's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research has been so successful, it may become obsolete.

Congress created the program to help develop research infrastructure in states that traditionally received little federal funding for research. Since 2003, State Regents have invested $10.1 million in matching funds for federal projects through the program, garnering more than $114 million in national funding from agencies like the National Science Foundation, National Institutes for Health and NASA.

"Oklahoma now stands at the highest levels of funding among the EPSCoR states," State Regent Ron White said.

That success, if boosted by a $1 billion endowment in the state's Economic Development Generating Excellence (EDGE) fund, would take Oklahoma off the list of states needing EPSCoR assistance.

"No state has ever graduated from EPSCoR," said Frank Waxman, director of the Oklahoma program. "It's like 'Hotel California,' you can never leave."

Gov. Brad Henry said this week that he will push a dedicated funding source for EDGE, which would allow the state to earmark about $50 million a year in research opportunities.

Waxman spoke Thursday to State Regents for Higher Education meeting in Norman. Regents took no action on the informational item but praised Waxman's efforts.

OSU admission standards may change

Regents also moved closer to easing admission standards for incoming freshmen at Oklahoma State University. They approved posting OSU's proposed new admission standards, a necessary move before the governing body can give final approval at its next regular meeting.

The new standards, approved last month by OSU regents, would allow first-time, incoming freshmen who meet the State Regents for Higher Education requirements for admission to be considered for admission to OSU. The regents' standards for admission are a grade-point average of 3.0 or an ACT score of 22.