Tandy Foundation Pledges $8 Million To Name New OSU-CHS Medical Academic Building

TULSA, Okla., July 31, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Foundation is helping transform medical education through an $8 million donation to support the construction of a new medical academic building at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. The announcement was recently made at a special ceremony on May 26 at the academic health center campus in Tulsa.

In recognition of the contribution, OSU is naming the new 84,000-square-foot facility the A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Medical Academic Building. The new four-story building will be constructed on the northwest corner of the campus, located at 1111 W. 17^th St., off Southwest Boulevard.

"The Tandy Foundation's transformative gift will be instrumental in funding construction of this new facility that will significantly impact medical training for our students and state," said OSU President Burns Hargis. "We greatly appreciate the Tandy Foundation's support in helping us fulfill our land grant mission to train physicians to serve rural and underserved Oklahoma."

The A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Medical Academic Building will include a hospital simulation center with an emergency room, operating room, intensive care unit, birthing suite and ambulance bay that will enable students to simulate procedures and practice skills commonly utilized in hospitals across the country.

"We are excited to support Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in its efforts to train physicians who want to live and work in Oklahoma," said Tandy Foundation Representative Paul Giehm. "OSU has taken a lead role addressing the severe physician shortage that is impacting health care in our state."

More than half of OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine graduates establish practices in rural or underserved areas of Oklahoma and 85 percent of OSU-COM students are from Oklahoma.

The Tandy Medical Academic Building will facilitate training, educational programs and camps for thousands of medical residents, nurses, emergency services personnel and other health care professionals from across the state, as well as students from public, private and charter schools.

"This generous contribution from the Tandy Foundation will greatly enhance the instruction we offer our medical students," said OSU Center for Health Sciences President Kayse Shrum. "The state-of-the-art facility will provide the quality training necessary for the next generation of physicians as we work to address health care needs in rural and underserved areas of Oklahoma."

OSU-COM increased enrollment in each medical school class to 115 students in 2012 to help address Oklahoma's physician shortage. The Tandy Medical Academic Building will provide expanded clinical skills labs, a new osteopathic manipulative medicine lab, classrooms, lecture hall, conference facilities and student study space to accommodate this increased enrollment.

"We are grateful to receive this gift as a continuation of A.R. and Marylouise's legacy for expanding educational opportunities in the Tulsa community," said Kirk Jewell, President of the OSU Foundation. "The facility will enable OSU Center for Health Sciences to impact health care for citizens in northeastern Oklahoma and across our entire state."

OSU-CHS, in partnership with its eight OSU Physicians Clinics and OSU Medical Center, serves more than 240,000 patients each year.  

Construction on the new facility is expected to begin later this year. Construction of a temporary parking lot for the project is underway.

About the OSU Foundation
The Oklahoma State University Foundation serves as the private fundraising organization for OSU, as designated by the OSU Regents. Its mission is to unite donor and university passions and priorities to achieve excellence.

About OSU
Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant system of interdisciplinary programs to better prepare students for success. As Oklahoma's only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research, and outreach. OSU has more than 35,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 23,000 on its Stillwater campus, with students from all 50 states and 118 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 200,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.

Contact: Sean Kennedy, Marketing & Communication Services - OSU Tulsa
Phone: 918.594.8360
Email: sean.michael.kennedy@okstate.edu
Websites: okstate.edu and OSUgiving.com

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SOURCE Oklahoma State University Foundation