Cameron University History
The history of Cameron University corresponds to the history of the area it serves in Southwest Oklahoma. It was founded by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1908 as Cameron State School of Agriculture, one of six agricultural high schools in the state, and placed under jurisdiction of the State Commission of Agriculture and Industrial Education. The institution was named for E.D. Cameron, first State Superintendent of Schools.      Cameron University added junior college work in 1927 when local needs demanded access to higher education. With the changed function came the name Cameron State Agricultural College. In 1941 when the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education was formed, Cameron joined the group of institutions governed by the Board of Regents for Oklahoma A and M Colleges.      Baccalaureate degrees were authorized in 1966 by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, following action by the Legislature. In May 1970, the first baccalaureate degrees were awarded. The institution's name was changed to Cameron College in 1971 and was further amended to Cameron University in 1974.      In 1988, the State Regents expanded Cameron's functions to include offerings at the master's degree level. The change in function was the first granted to an Oklahoma institution since Cameron was given authority to offer bachelor's degree more than 20 years earlier. The first master's degrees were awarded in May of 1990.      On June 1, 1992, the governance of the University was transferred by the Oklahoma Legislature to the governing board for the University of Oklahoma, the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. Governance of Rogers State University was similarly transferred to the Board of Regents in 1998.      Cameron University extends itself into the social, cultural, and economic fiber of the community. While instruction remains the primary institutional focus, the faculty and staff interact with constituencies in response to needs for research, economic development, and other educational services. Telecommunications and interactive technology are increasingly important in the delivery of those services, and more instruction is being provided off campus. Technology and automation have also become increasingly important means for the delivery of instructional, administrative, library, and information services both on and off campus. Like their histories, the futures of Cameron University and Southwest Oklahoma are one. The relationship that has brought more than 98 years of progress will continue to prosper well into Cameron's second century.