Eastern Oklahoma State College has announced a plan to construct new student housing to accommodate 40 students in Wilburton. Eastern’s Board of Regents and the EOSC Development Foundation have agreed on a partnership to help build and finance the estimated $3 million project.
The new construction will take place on the east side of campus and will include 20 double-occupancy rooms each with its own private bathroom.
Eastern Regent Latt Jeffrey said new student housing was the number one need expressed by Eastern students, faculty, staff and the Board of Regents during the development of the college’s new strategic plan.
“We are currently near capacity in our useable residential space and this new construction will address an immediate need for additional, updated housing on the Wilburton campus,” Jeffrey said. “We don’t want to stop here. Our goal is to phase in more student housing in the future by either renovating existing residence halls or building additional units such as this one. This is a major first step to empower our recruitment staff and division leadership to aggressively pursue enrollment growth.”
Eastern President Dr. Janet Wansick expressed gratitude to the EOSC Board of Regents and EOSC Development Foundation Board for working together to help meet the needs of students.
“Research shows that students who live on campus have increased graduation rates and experience a greater sense of belonging,” Wansick said. “Expanding and updating our student housing is critical to our efforts to provide the best experience possible for our students.”
Wansick said the college will begin the formal bidding process to select a construction firm in the next few weeks. She hopes construction of the new housing will be completed and ready for students by the spring 2024 semester.
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