Western Oklahoma State College

Western Oklahoma State College
Motto A Smart Start
Established 1926
President Dr. Phil Birdine
Undergraduates 1,500
Location Altus, Oklahoma, USA
Colors Green and Gold
Nickname Western
Mascot Pioneers
Website wosc.edu

Western Oklahoma State College, formerly known as Altus Junior College, is a community college located in Altus, Oklahoma. In 2004 it graduated 272 with associate degrees. Of its 1500 undergraduates, 58 percent are female and 42 percent are male as of 2003. The ethnic composition of the students is 2003 was 74 percent white, 11 percent Hispanic, 10 percent black, 4 percent American Indian/Alaskan, and 2 percent Asian/Pacific Islander.

History

Western Oklahoma State College was founded in 1926 under the name Altus Junior College. In 1974 state legislature changed its name to the present Western Oklahoma State College.

In 2012, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that NCAA athletes had allegedly been taking 10-day online courses from Western Oklahoma when they don't meet academic standards at their own institutions. Western Oklahoma president Phil Birdine defended the program, saying the school was "not a course mill."[1] The college ceased offering the courses in early 2013 after the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education recommended the courses be immediately discontinued.[2] Nevertheless, the college's regional accreditor placed the college on probation in April after they "found the college's 10-day accelerated online courses don't meet quality and rigor standards required of compressed-format courses."[3]

Athletics

WOSC is involved in intercollegiate sports such as men's basketball, women's basketball, softball, baseball, rodeo, cheerleading, and golf.

Under its coach, Kurt Russell, WOSC has recently built a highly successful baseball program. The school is especially noted for its success in recruiting Latino players from northeastern cities such as New York City and Philadelphia, and from Latin American countries, to come to Altus. The team has made it to the national junior college Division II World Series in each of the last four seasons,[4] and in 2011 WOSC defeated Mississippi's Jones County Junior College to win the national championship.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Wolverton, Brad (9 November 2011). "Need 3 Quick Credits to Play Ball? Call Western Oklahoma". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  2. ↑ Silas Allen (January 30, 2013). "Western Oklahoma State College will stop offering quick-credit courses, officials announce". The Oklahoman. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  3. ↑ Silas Allen (April 19, 2013). "Western Oklahoma State College on probation after review of online courses". The Oklahoman. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  4. ↑ Jorge Castillo, "Latino Players Find Home on the Prairie", The New York Times, October 11, 2011.
  5. ↑ Lee Coleman, "Western KOs Jones County for Juco crown", Enid News & Eagle, June 4, 2011.

Coordinates: 34°40′08″N 99°20′14″W / 34.66889°N 99.33722°W / 34.66889; -99.33722

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