University Center of Southern Oklahoma

The University Center of Southern Oklahoma (formerly known as the Ardmore Higher Education Center) is a consortium-model higher education delivery system which provides academic degree programs from four participating institutions of higher education located in southern Oklahoma. Freshman through graduate courses are offered and students can earn college credits for the purposes of transfer to another college (for completing a degree), or students may complete their degree program on-site.

The four participating institutions for the University Center are:

In 1974, the Oklahoma Legislature created a pilot higher education program called the Ardmore Higher Education Program (which eventually became the University Center of Southern Oklahoma) and housed it on the campus of Ardmore High School; 110 students enrolled in the first semester and chose from among ten college course. By 1977, the pilot program was made permanent by statute and was placed under the administration of the Office of the Chancellor for Oklahoma Higher Education.

By the early 1980s, (due to increasing enrollment) a new building was constructed on property belonging to the Ardmore School District (funded, in part, from an endowment from the Noble Foundation). With more space, enrollment expanded to more than 750 students (with more than 90 college courses then available). At that time, the institution was formally known as the "Ardmore Higher Education Center."

In 1985 new legislation was passed and an independent governing Board of Trustees was established, with its members appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma.

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