Northern Oklahoma College has received a $17 million unrestricted gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the single largest contribution in the College’s history which dates back to 1901.
“Our tagline at Northern Oklahoma College is Life Changing and this gift is truly that for our students and the communities we serve,” said NOC President Diana Morris whose daughter Emma Watkins is a 2021 alumnus of the college.
“I cannot possibly adequately articulate my gratitude for Ms. Scott’s vote of confidence in the mission and activities of the college by allowing us to allocate the resources as we believe are in the best interest of the college,” Morris added. “Her donation will assist us as we seek to achieve our vision of serving as a model institution and leader in academic quality and cultural enrichment, promoting student success, collaborative learning, creative and forward thinking, and community responsiveness.”
This gift arrived at an already exciting and pivotal moment in the life of the college according to Sheri Snyder, Executive Director of the NOC Foundation, the College’s Vice President for Development and Community Relations, and a 1991 alumnus of the college.
“We already have a renewed sense of energy as we prepare to celebrate NOC’s 125th year in Tonkawa next year,” Snyder said. “We are in absolute awe of and extremely grateful for Ms. Scott’s incredible generosity and recognize the enormous responsibility that comes with stewarding these funds.”
Brad Purdy, Chair of the NOC Foundation Board of Trustees and a 1985 alumnus of the College pointed out that this transformational gift does not negate the need for continued fundraising for the college to support existing scholarships and programs.
“We hope this announcement will make our donors even more excited when they open their mail to find information about the annual year-end Greater Gifts drive, recognizing that the college will be using the unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott to create new scholarships and programs,” Purdy said.
Mike Loftis, Chair of the NOC Board of Regents, a 1974 graduate and Distinguished Alumnus of the College, said the gift will make the NOC Foundation’s upcoming Strategic Planning Retreat an exciting one.
“Due to the unrestricted nature of the gift, the Foundation and the College can work together to determine a spend down plan addressing institutional priorities much more aggressively than would have been possible otherwise,” Loftis said.
While that retreat will not take place until January, decisions concerning the allocation of these funds will center on the college’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan. That plan was developed with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Blueprint 2030 in mind, particularly the emphases on growing the student pipeline and producing workforce ready graduates.
The four pillars of NOC’s Strategic plan are Student Engagement and Satisfaction, Staculty (staff + faculty) Engagement and Satisfaction, Maximizing External Partnerships, Improving and Maintaining Facilities.
The Northern Oklahoma College Foundation serves as a private 501(c)(3) tax-exempt fundraising organization for the benefit of Northern Oklahoma College, as designated by the NOC Board of Regents. Its primary purpose is to enhance the educational opportunities and the overall environment of NOC. The Foundation receives and manages donated funds to ensure that donors’ intentions are honored and resources are managed prudently in support of students, faculty, staff and programs for the College.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services which create life-changing experiences and develop students as effective learners and leaders within their communities in a connected, ever-changing world.
NOC serves nearly 3,200 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, the NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater, and the University Center in Ponca City. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College or giving to the NOC Foundation, please contact the development office at (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
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