ConocoPhillips donates $2 million to O S U

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma State University officials announced Thursday gifts of more than $2 million from energy company <b><a class="headlinelink" href="http://www.kotv.com/main/home/searchKOTV.asp?mainSearch=ConocoPhillips">ConocoPhillips</a></b>.<br/><br/>Gene

Thursday, June 2nd 2005, 7:33 pm

By: News On 6

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma State University officials announced Thursday gifts of more than $2 million from energy company ConocoPhillips.

Gene Batchelder, ConocoPhillips chief information officer and 1969 OSU accounting graduate, presented a check to OSU President David Schmidly and other officials.

Schmidly noted that the donation strengthens ties between the university and the company that hires more OSU graduates than any other. Houston-based ConocoPhillips employs more than 3,100 at a refinery in Ponca City and operations in Bartlesville.

Half of the donation covered a pledge payment on the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center. The ConocoPhillips S.P.I.R.I.T. Scholars Program received $400,000, the William S. Spears School of Business received $205,000 and $165,000 went to the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The College of Arts and Sciences received $80,000 and $150,000 went to miscellaneous support.

Funds will cover a variety of projects, including scholarships.

The S.P.I.R.I.T. scholars (Safety, People, Integrity, Responsibility, Innovation, Teamwork) program allows participants to visit executive board rooms and ConocoPhillips facilities.

The alumni center is slated for completion at the end of June with a grand opening on Sept. 3.

The donation continues recent philanthropic activity by the company in Oklahoma. In May, ConocoPhillips announced that it would build museums in Bartlesville and Ponca City that will contain oil-related artifacts, photographs and historical items.

The company will provide up to $5 million for each of the museums, which are to be completed by May 2007, in time for Oklahoma's centennial celebration.

Phillips Petroleum Co. and Conoco Inc., both formerly headquartered in Oklahoma, were combined into ConocoPhillips in 2002.