High Tech

By Jim Sluss, Ph.D., Interim President, The University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

As the nature of work changes due to the introduction of new technologies and automation, an educated workforce with the skills, training and adaptability for learning is more important than ever to meet the needs of high-tech job creators. Leaders from the business, government, nonprofit and higher education communities joined forces many years ago to plan for growth in regional access to higher education, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs.

The Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance works to grow the pipeline of pre-K-12 students who are academically ready to pursue higher education, whether at the college level or with a focus toward a skilled high-tech trade.

Tulsa Community College is an ideal starting point for college-bound students seeking a two-year associate degree. The Holberton School, a coding school that produces software developers without a typical two- or four-year degree, is another option.

Tulsa Tech, part of Oklahoma’s CareerTech system, also offers technology programs for non-degree seeking students.

In 2022, members of the business and philanthropic communities partnered with the University of Oklahoma to create the OU Polytechnic Institute, which will focus on advanced applied technology degrees focused on changing workforce needs of industry.

The Tulsa Higher Education Consortium, with generous support from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, brings together TCC with eight area universities to improve transfer student success for those moving on to pursue bachelor’s degrees. Coupled with a broad offering of STEMfocused master’s and doctoral research degree programs, this next-generation workforce can meet the needs of current and future job creators.

To retain this talent, Tulsa Regional Chamber, City of Tulsa and George Kaiser Family Foundation launched Campus Tulsa, an initiative to encourage college graduates to begin their careers in Tulsa and create diverse and inclusive work environments in which they can thrive.

Tulsa’s research community is growing, fostered by leading-edge investigations into focus areas such as cybersecurity, aerospace and defense, advanced mobility, health and biosciences, energy technology and data analytics. This research is being conducted within our comprehensive universities in partnership with industry, government and nonprofit organizations. For example, the GKFF-funded Tulsa Innovation Labs brings strategic focus to Tulsa’s economic development activities in the high-tech domain. The University of Tulsa, long at the forefront of research and education in cyber security, recently partnered with TIL to establish the Cyber Innovation Institute. To create a pipeline of qualified students, TIL partnered with TCC to establish the Cyber Skills Center. Oklahoma State University-Tulsa has a robust materials science and engineering program developing advanced materials for energy, medical, electronics, aerospace and defense technologies. The University of Oklahoma-Tulsa is a leader in self-organizing and 5G cellular networks incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of things and big data analytics.

Disruption, the acceleration of technology development and easy access to information on a global scale exemplifies the 21st century innovation environment. Tulsa is prepared for this environment, and tomorrow’s high-tech researchers and innovators can be found today in the classes and labs of Tulsa’s research universities, regional universities, community colleges and technology centers.