O-S-U Grad Donates $1 Million to Alma Mater for Trading Floor

An Oklahoma State University graduate donated a million dollars to his alma mater Thursday. The former student is now president of an energy company, and wants to give students a chance to experience

Friday, March 3rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

An Oklahoma State University graduate donated a million dollars to his alma mater Thursday. The former student is now president of an energy company, and wants to give students a chance to experience the world of commodity trading.

It was gloomy day outside the College of Business Administration, but inside most everyone was smiling as a million dollars changed hands. Chuck Watson, a 1972 O-S-U graduate, handed over the check. He's the president of Dynegy - a Houston-based energy trading company. The money will build an energy commodities trading floor at O-S-U, similar to the one at the Williams Company in Tulsa.

Students will conduct mock trades, just as they would if it were their real job. Dana Kostelnik, a business major from Tulsa, hopes to make use of the new opportunity.
"It will really put you in touch with the real world as far as what's really going on," she said. "You don't have to look at a book and read about the exchanges and what's going on in the markets. Having the real actual experience of seeing it is a great opportunity."

Watson contributed $250,000 of his own money for the gift, because he thinks students need the skills to participate in the electronic revolution of the workplace. "In the future when they go to work for companies, they're going to have to have an intimate knowledge of this type of trading," Watson said. "I think this gives Oklahoma State a real leg up in helping them know how to do this."

Christi Standridge of Bartlesville hopes experience on the trading floor will help her get a better job. "A lot of finance majors do go into brokerage companies and stock trading, so there really isn't a chance in college to get that type of experience," she said. "This will provide that experience for people."

With the handshakes out of the way, the college hopes to begin planning immediately, with the expectation of a ribbon cutting for the trading floor next January. Oklahoma State and the University of Texas will be the only two schools in the Big 12 conference with trading floors. The money donated Thursday will pay for construction and the salary of a professor in the O-S-U's business college.