Science center dedication coming in summer

The Robert P. Todd Science, Engineering and Math Center will be unveiled this summer. In addition to various labs and classrooms, the SEM Center also houses a greenhouse. The Center is named in memory of the former OCCC president who died in 2005.



The Arts Education Center is scheduled for completion in May 2008. It is the third area the college is expanding and building along with the already-completed Robert P. Todd Science, Engineering and Math Center, and the Health Professions Education Center.



The Health Professions Education Center is in the beginning stages of construction. It has a completion date scheduled for May 2008.


Photos by Carrie Cronk

By Amanda Bittle, Editor

A campus addition almost two years in the making will be officially unveiled this summer.

The dedication ceremony for the Robert P. Todd Science, Engineering and Math Center is planned for 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 19, said President Paul Sechrist.

The ceremony will take place in the lobby of the SEM Center, which is near the new Math Center.

“There will be a time to reflect on the life and contributions of former President Robert P. Todd and a brief ceremony to dedicate the center to the teaching and learning of science and math,” he said.

During the ceremony, two plaques will be revealed. One will feature a portrait of Todd. The other will acknowledge the students whose fees will repay the bond for the construction of the $10 million center.

There also will be a tour of the center and an informal reception for attendees. The ceremony is open to the public, Sechrist said.

Members of the Todd family, as well as the OCCC Board of Regents, faculty, staff, students and community members will attend, he said.

Glen Johnson, chancellor for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, is scheduled to speak at the ceremony. Other speakers include OCCC Board of Regents Chairwoman Alice Musser, Sechrist, Academic Affairs Vice President Felix Aquino and Science and Mathematics Dean Max Simmons.

The speakers also will include students, though which students has yet to be determined.

The highlight of the dedication will be the tours, Sechrist said. Faculty, lab personnel and students will be on hand to give information about labs and instructional areas.

Construction of the SEM Center began in July 2005. It was completed in March 2007, four months ahead of schedule, Sechrist said.

Sechrist said the new center will give OCCC students an educational advantage.

“With this addition to the science and math complex, OCCC now boasts the finest science and math labs and classrooms in the region.”

Two other campus construction projects also are in progress.

The Arts Education Center and the Health Professions Education Center both are scheduled for completion in May 2008, said Project Manager Larry Barnes.

In spite of setbacks due to heavy rain, Barnes said, both projects are expected to be completed on time.

Editor Amanda Bittle can be reached at SeniorWriter@occc.edu.

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