Students at Odyssey Leadership Academy will have a new home this fall on the Oklahoma City University campus, officials from both schools announced today.
The two institutions have signed an agreement to make OCU the home base for Odyssey, a private, nonprofit sixth- through 12th-grade school that was founded in Oklahoma City in 2015.
The agreement calls for Odyssey to host classes and utilize office space on the OCU campus; for Odyssey students to have access to concurrent college classes at OCU; and for faculty from the two schools to collaborate on elective courses and enrichment experiences.
Odyssey had been weighing options for a new home following several years of operation in Oklahoma City. The move to OCU and the city’s Uptown District allows Odyssey to align with the only four-year university located in the heart of Oklahoma City.
Odyssey founder and Executive Director Scott Martin said the partnership also represents a philosophical alignment for the school’s students.
“At Odyssey, we are known for our experiential learning style, where students are given the opportunity to display their creativity and innovation,” Martin said. “We know creativity, innovation and authentic experience are part of the mission at Oklahoma City University as well, and we couldn’t be happier to call OCU home.”
OCU President Kenneth Evans said university officials have placed an increased emphasis in recent years on developing community partnerships and supporting the city and its residents. Welcoming Odyssey to campus is another example of the university living out its mission, Evans said.
“We are so pleased to be able to expand our on-campus community to include Odyssey’s roster of bright and inquisitive learners,” he said.
Odyssey currently serves roughly 50 students and maintains a cap of 75 pupils. The new home base on the OCU campus will allow the school to grow its cap over time, officials said.
The partnership is also expected to provide high-performing Odyssey 11th- and 12th-graders with exposure to OCU’s world-class performing arts programs in dance, music and theatre.
Odyssey begins its next school year in August. For more information about the school, go to www.odysseyleadershipacademy.org. More information about Oklahoma City University is available at www.okcu.edu.
