20 of the 26,000 students enrolled in the Oklahoma State University (OSU) system attend classes at the flagship campus in Stillwater. Stillwater is home to Eskimo Joe's one of the best sports bars and restaurants in the country and is Nebraska's most popular post-football game hangout. Cowboy football is a way of life in Stillwater, as it should be, considering that OSU has seen the likes of legends like Barry Sanders, OJ Simpson, and Thurman Thomas pass through its doors.
Football and post-game partying are, of course, only one part of life at OSU. The university is sometimes referred to by its old name: "Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (Oklahoma A & M)", as this is a reflection of the university's history as an agricultural and engineering school. Even today, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the College of Engineering are internationally renowned. The reputations of both are partly responsible for Congress' decision to establish a Sun Grant Research Initiative program at OSU. These research grants are given to universities with the facilities and expertise required to help develop environmentally friendly biologically-based energy sources. OSU's current moniker, however, reflects the fact that it presently offers a much more diverse list of academic programs. Included amongst this growing list of quality programs is the OSU Medical School, which is held to be one of the best in the country. The Math Department is also widely respected, as its production of 5 Sloan Fellows (as many as MIT) has led to its classification as one of the nation's four most innovative departments by the American Mathematics Association. The Occupational Education Program has been granted top-10 status by US News and World Report and the meteorology department's research done in conjunction with the University of Oklahoma has won awards from the American Meteorological Society.
On top of its outstanding reputation for both education and research in a wide range of fields, OSU is also known for providing great value. OSU has been recognized as one the best buys in higher education, as it not only offers the one of the best educations available in the Western United States, but offers it at an extremely reasonable price. Stillwater's low cost of living also contributes to OSU's status as an affordable university, as many upperclassmen can afford to live off campus.
There are many outstanding extracurricular activities available at OSU beyond the weekly fall fervor surrounding Cowboy football. Many of these are tied to specific programs, like communications and journalism: the campus radio station (KOSU) has won five prestigious Edward R. Murrow Awards for broadcasting excellence and OSU's daily paper (the "O'Collegian") has been recognized as one of top student-run newspapers in the country by the Associated Collegiate Press. Some are a bit more all-encompassing: the "Orange Peel" is the nation's largest student run concert-event and has attracted national musical and comedic performers.
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