Established in 1901, Northern Oklahoma College was the first public two-year community college in Oklahoma. It serves around 3,200 students each year, split between its main campus in Tonkawa and sites in Enid, Ponca City and Stillwater.
Scott's gift is the largest Northern Oklahoma College has ever received — it's nearly twice the money it got from the state budget this year. It's an unrestricted gift, which means Scott did not stipulate how the money should be spent.
"We already have a renewed sense of energy as we prepare to celebrate NOC's 125th year in Tonkawa next year," NOC's Vice President for Development and Community Relations Sheri Snyder said in a statement. "We are in absolute awe of and extremely grateful for Ms. Scott's incredible generosity and recognize the enormous responsibility that comes with stewarding these funds."
As the school launches its strategic plan for the rest of the decade, officials say the open-ended donation will allow them to "address institutional priorities more aggressively" than they could have before. Leaders will discuss how to do that at an upcoming strategic planning retreat in January.
Update from Nov. 25, 2025, 1:55 p.m.: Northeastern State University in Tahlequah announced Monday it also received a $17 million unrestricted donation from Scott.
NSU began as the Cherokee National Female Seminary in 1851. Nearly 175 years later, the four-year university and graduate college serves more than 8,000 students at its campuses in Tahlequah, Broken Arrow, Muskogee and online. More than one-third of those students are Indigenous.
NSU officials said the money will be used for "expanding academic innovation, improving student support, and upgrading facilities to meet the needs of a growing campus."
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