Pete, lest we not forget - Downtown's 5.5M sq feet is LEASIBLE!!!!!! There is more if you include owner occupieds (which DEVON tower wont be included in the 5.5M total, so either stop including it in the leasible 5.5M number OR include ALL of downtown, which would be about 8M today).

Ed, I wasn't trying to diss OBU in my comment above. I am glad OBU has their MBA and grad programs downtown.

What I meant to say, when i said a major university - I meant, a major undergrad campus. I have given PLENTY of examples and even links earlier. If you guys care to click either link, you would see what Im talking about.

We need YOUNG PEOPLE IN DOWNTOWN, NOT JUST OLD FOGIES who will head for home in Edmond after working hours. Having a UNDERGRAD campus (either university or a collage of 'em) in downtown - will add to downtown's urban vibe and make it so that young people will want to stay in OKC.

It works for Portland, it works for Denver, why not work for OKC?

Denver did NOT plan for a downtown campus in their civic master plan, it was newly constructed in the 1980s and (the biggest construction) 1990's, I lived in Den during the mid 1990's, just when Araria campus was getting big!

Guys, Im not just talking classes or programs, I know downtown already has that. NOOOOO!

For the umteenth time - IM talking about having a MAJOR CAMPUS (you know, buildings surrounding a lawn; where classes are taught and students contribute to the vibe of downtown). those said students will LIVE in downtown, most likely work in or near downtown, and play in downtown.

Having that mindset as a young person bodes well for OKC, since they will carry the torch and pass it on to other young people (as in, tell everyone they know that OKC is cool/hip; and when they invite their friends from Chicago, NY, LA, ...; those kids will decide for themselves when they would see the downtown campus/vibe).

OCU is OK - I personally would like them to create a better campus vibe/community, but to have a downtown campus - even for OCCC - it would bbe centrally located for the metro area and would be ACCESSIBLE since we need to raise our OKC/Oklahoma education scores!!!!!

See what Im getting at? We kill all birds with one stone - build a downtown campus (for OCCC or a collection of schools; have undergrad and pre-collegiate courses there; the students create a young HIP vibe for downtown; the campus is accessible to the OKC metro and to students who otherwise might not have the goods to get into OCU/OU/OBU main campus or grad programs.

By the way, Seattle doesn't have a school downtown (Portland does, and Portland has a better downtown hip vibe than Seattle) and I can confirm for you that MOST downtown workers in Seattle dont have grad degrees (and many dont have any degree at all!). I assumed the same for OKC, but I could be wrong.