Langston University President Ruth Ray Jackson announced the university received almost $6 million in additional state appropriation funding for the 2024-25 school year during her State of the University address at the Opening Convocation Ceremony on Aug. 29.
Two and a half million dollars comes from an increase in the state-matched funding for agricultural research and extension.
“This money will be used to fund outreach throughout several counties in Oklahoma, expanding our footprint from 19 counties to 28, bringing educational opportunities and resources to many rural farmers who rely on our services,” Dr. Jackson said.
As a public land-grant institution, Langston University receives federal funding to support cooperative agricultural research and extension through the Sherman Lewis School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. The state is federally mandated to match this funding dollar for dollar. After steadily increasing its funding match over the past few years, Oklahoma has officially reached a 100% funding match for Langston University for the first time, resulting in $2.5 million in additional funding for agricultural programs compared to last year.
The university also received $3.5 million to address deferred maintenance projects. About $2.5 million of this funding will be used to replace the roof at the LU-Oklahoma City campus. The remainder will be used for smaller projects to update infrastructure and address other deferred maintenance projects.
During her address, Dr. Jackson also discussed enrollment, retention, fundraising, and her presidential priorities.
Langston University experienced a growth of about 2.8% in full-time enrollment compared to the 2023-24 school year. Some of the largest increases came from freshman and graduate enrollment.
Dr. Jackson also spoke about initiatives to improve student retention, such as the introduction of the Lion Success Academy. The Lion Success Academy is a new program that provides an additional layer of support for participating students to aid them through their freshman year.
“Our faculty and staff are diligently exploring new strategies and best practices to enhance student success and ensure that every student thrives throughout their academic journey,” Dr. Jackson said. “Our focus remains not only in welcoming new students but in supporting all students through to graduation.”
Dr. Jackson also recognized that one of the challenges students often face is paying for school. Thanks to increased fundraising efforts, the Langston University Foundation provided over $350,000 in student scholarships during the 2023-24 school year.
These fundraising efforts will continue. The next big events are the President’s Scholarship Gala in October and the Annual Day of Giving in March.
Dr. Jackson concluded her State of the University address by challenging each campus community member to continue working to make Langston University better for students and the future.
“As one of only nineteen 1890 Land-Grant institutions in the country, our mission of educating students and the community through cooperative extension, research, and engagement remains a constant theme of our work,” Dr. Jackson said. “The people, programs, processes, public relations, partnerships, and performance we strive to achieve through these priorities all support the purpose, which is our students and their success.
“Let’s keep the state of our university strong.”
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