RBPEA: Rose State College and 72nd Air Base Wing and Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, Tinker Air Force Base Published March 13, 2024

Twenty-seven business and higher education collaborations across the state were recently honored for their innovative efforts in advancing Oklahoma’s workforce education. The Regents Business Partnership Excellence Award, presented by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, celebrates successful partnerships between higher education institutions, businesses, and the community, aimed at enriching the higher education learning environment through State Regents’ Economic Development Grants. At the annual event, Rose State College celebrated its partnership with 72^nd Air Base Wing and Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, Tinker Air Force Base. 

These partnerships involve institutions providing $500 in tuition waivers to employees of partnering businesses, offering internships for current students at these businesses, facilitating faculty externships with partnering businesses, and/or enhancing partnerships with additional equipment, materials, or supplies. The State Regents match these waivers with a $500 contribution. 

“Producing more workforce-ready graduates by partnering with the business community and connecting students to the workforce is fundamental to meeting Oklahoma’s future workforce needs,” said Garrett. “We are proud to recognize these partnerships, which demonstrate successful collaborations with public, private and nonprofit partners to strengthen Oklahoma’s economy.”

Rose State College has joined forces with the 72nd Air Base Wing and Oklahoma City ALC, TAFB, to establish a strategic alliance aimed at advancing STEM education and enriching additive manufacturing instruction. Through the generous donation from the Tinker Reverse Engineering and Critical Tooling (REACT) Lab of a cutting-edge 3D printer, Rose State College has taken a significant step forward in enhancing instruction and fostering student success. This cutting-edge printer enables the exploration of intricate structures and is compatible with various materials, opening doors for research and development projects and contributing to the evolution of additive manufacturing education at RSC.