Weatherford, OK – Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) Allied Health Sciences students started the fall semester with their programs and faculty together in one location for the first time in many years. The department has moved from six buildings across campus to the third floor of the Chemistry, Pharmacy, and Physics (CPP) Building.
The new location creates a central place for Allied Health courses, labs and faculty. Students from different health care programs will share the same learning environment, which Allied Health faculty and staff say will support greater collaboration between programs and give the department a stronger sense of community.
The new space will also allow for Allied Health programs to increase capacity for more students. New and expanded learning spaces will provide more room for hands-on instruction. The third floor now contains an Anatomage lab with four virtual anatomy tables, a larger Medical Laboratory Technician lab, additional classrooms and a locker room for students in professional programs. Dedicated Surgical Technology and Physical Therapist Assistant labs are scheduled for completion by fall 2027.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to provide our students and faculty with a more cohesive and collaborative department experience,” said Sharon Lawrence, professor and chair of Allied Health Sciences. “Allied Health Sciences is blessed with the very best highly qualified, healthcare certified, faculty and staff. Our collective experience in healthcare allows us to train the next generation of healthcare workers that will positively impact the workforce in western Oklahoma now and in the future.”
The move became possible after the SWOSU College of Pharmacy relocated to the Jerry and Margaret Hodge Center for Pharmacy and Rural Health. That relocation opened the third floor of the CPP Building for Allied Health Sciences.
Two major funding initiatives made the move possible. The first was the combination of funding sources that made possible the construction of the Hodge Center, including a donation from Jerry and Margaret Hodge, funds from the 2020 Yes! Weatherford sales tax approval, and $15 million from the state legislature using ARPA funds. The second was deferred maintenance funds provided by the state legislature that have been used to repair and update the CPP building for use by the Allied Health programs.
SWOSU President Joel Kendall said the move of Allied Health into the new space demonstrates how deferred maintenance funding is helping strengthen critical workforce programs while improving campus facilities.
“The renovation of the CPP Building allows SWOSU to expand opportunities for students entering healthcare fields that are vital to Oklahoma’s future,” Kendall said. “SWOSU is grateful to members of the Oklahoma Legislature for their continued support of our mission through deferred maintenance funding, which allows the university to continue leading the way in rural healthcare.”
These advances in medical technology continue to create new career paths across the health care field, while also meeting the demand for trained professionals who can serve hospitals, clinics, laboratories and other health care settings.
For more information about SWOSU Allied Health Sciences, visit https://www.swosu.edu/allied-health/index.php.
About Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) was founded in 1901 and offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs across three locations in Weatherford, Sayre, and Yukon. The university serves more than 5,000 students and prides itself on affordability, small class sizes, and over 200 faculty and staff committed to helping students achieve their academic and personal goals.
For more information about Southwestern Oklahoma State University, visit www.swosu.edu.
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