Keating and higher education officials plan roundtable on proposed center

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Gov. Frank Keating, the presidents of three of Tulsa's four universities and other higher education officials met to plan another meeting where plans for a research center will

Wednesday, January 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Gov. Frank Keating, the presidents of three of Tulsa's four universities and other higher education officials met to plan another meeting where plans for a research center will be unveiled. Tuesday's session at Oklahoma State University at Tulsa included OSU-Tulsa President Gary Trennepohl, University of Tulsa President Bob Lawless, University of Oklahoma at Tulsa President Ken Lackey and Higher education Chancellor Hans Brisch.

Keating said the 45-minute meeting was a precursor to next month's roundtable in which chief executive officers from 10 of Oklahoma's leading technology companies have agreed to attend. The proposed OU-OSU-TU Center of Excellence will be based on the "research triangle" that now operates among Duke University, the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Lawless said.

Like the North Carolina model, Oklahoma's version would bring together two public schools, OU and OSU, and one private school, TU. February's meeting will focus on "finding out what the business sector wants" in the way of degree programs, research options and continuing education, Keating said. "Now that we have the OU-OSU Research and Graduate Education Center, it is only appropriate that TU be included to make the best use and focus of research faculty and facilities in Tulsa," he said.

Funding for the proposed OU-OSU-TU Center of Excellence "will be made available," Keating said, without elaborating. The OU-OSU-TU Center of Excellence will enable Tulsa to show prospective businesses that it can identify the lack of needed programs and act promptly to correct such conditions, Lawless said. TU's research collateral allows the school to support the research triangle as an equal partner with OU