OU receives $15 million pledge
• Donation will pay for more research space.
By James S. Tyree Staff Writer


NORMAN — University of Oklahoma officials announced on Wednesday a $15 million pledge from Charles and Peggy Stephenson of Tulsa — one of the five-largest from individual donors in university history — toward construction of a research center.

The Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center will be built north of the Stephenson Research and Technology Center on OU’s south research campus, east of the Lloyd Noble Center. It will cost an estimated $65 million to $70 million.

The couple five years ago gave $6 million to help pay for the Stephenson Research and Technology Center that opened in 2004, but faculty and students have already used almost all its 94,000 square feet.

The Stephensons said they were willing to pitch in again after they learned of the need during a discussion with OU President David Boren.

A ‘significant’ gift

“When we decided to give to the university, we wanted it to be significant,” Charles Stephenson said. “This is really the venue in which Peggy and I wanted to give.”

Boren said he hopes the project will be under way by the end of the year, and he estimated it would take two years to build. The three-story center will offer about 152,000 square feet to house 30 research areas in the life sciences.

“These groups will be working on projects as diverse as the development of alternative energy sources to new therapies for diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer and other diseases,” Boren said.

Hossein Maymani, OU Student Congress chairman, gave opening remarks for student body president Kenah Nyanat, who was ill. Boren quipped he is sure the flu “will be struck down in the future by research conducted in the life sciences building.”

Bruce Roe, an OU professor of chemistry and among the world’s leaders in DNA research, said more state-ofthe-art research space is imperative. One in three students and faculty at the present Stephenson building is new this school year and more are waiting to come in.

“We have no room for additional faculty and we’re turning away students,” he said.

The new building’s exterior will look similar to the Stephenson Research and Technology Center. Both buildings will share an open design inside that encourages interaction among researchers from different disciplines.

A park will divide the two Stephenson buildings, along with a street to be named Stephenson Parkway.

The south research campus area also includes the National Weather Center that opened last year and One Partners Place. A second Partners place is under construction, and two similar buildings for university, government and private business collaboration are expected to be built.