The Eastern Oklahoma State College Board of Regents approved a memorandum of understanding among the college, Carl Albert State College and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education on Thursday.

“We want to partner,” said Leland Walker, chairman of the EOSC Board of Regents. “We want to be cost-effective. We want to do what’s good for students and I think this does that.”

The MOU was created by EOSC to solidify the partnership between the two southeastern Oklahoma colleges. The MOU will create a combined committee made up of members of both boards of regents to act solely on issues pertaining to the sharing of resources. The committee would be comprised of three board members from each college’s board of regents and a member appointed by the governor’s office.

EOSC and CASC have partnered to maximize efficiency in several projects in the past. The two institutions have a faculty and course sharing agreement, along with Connors State College, that started in the fall of 2021. Since that time, EOSC and CASC have shared approximately 40 courses affecting 637 students. To date, existing partnerships between the colleges have saved an estimated $80,000 annually.

The approval of the MOU comes on the heels of EOSC announcing a third consecutive semester of increased enrollment. Enrollment for Spring 2024 is up 7.63 percent by headcount and 5.73 percent by credit hours compared to Spring 2023.

“This MOU is not about any individual,” said EOSC President Dr. Janet Wansick. “This is about protecting student access and student success in southeastern Oklahoma.”

The MOU will now go to CASC and ORHE, which may consider approval of the document at future meetings of their respective boards.