Celebration marks major milestone for Human Performance and Nutrition Research Institute
Oklahoma State University’s new Human Performance Innovation Complex will be named after the late T. Boone Pickens, a legendary businessman and mega-philanthropist.The complex's name recognizes and honors Pickens, a beloved alumnus who has significantly transformed OSU through nearly $650 million in donations.
In June 2023, a $120 million legacy gift from the T. Boone Pickens Foundation to OSU provided funding for student scholarships and $25 million for the OSU Human Performance Innovation Complex. The complex, which will be located north of the Sherman E. Smith Training Center, will house and support the work of OSU’s unique Human Performance and Nutrition Research Institute.
"The T. Boone Pickens Foundation's allocation of $25 million for the innovation complex marks a significant step toward establishing a world-class research institute on our Stillwater campus next year aimed at improving the health and well-being of all Oklahomans," OSU President Kayse Shrum said. "And we are pleased that this one-of-a-kind complex will bear the name of an American pioneer in corporate fitness — Boone Pickens."
The institute will leverage research and experience from departments and colleges around the OSU System, including the College of Education and Human Sciences; Ferguson College of Agriculture; the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology; the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center; the College of Osteopathic Medicine; and the National Center for Wellness & Recovery in Tulsa.
The cross-disciplinary applied research approach is a key component of HPNRI and its parent organization, The Innovation Foundation at OSU.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt praised the Pickens Foundation's generosity and Pickens' enduring legacy.
“Boone Pickens was a great Oklahoman who loved his state and his university — Oklahoma State. For decades, he preached the importance of physical fitness and its importance for a strong workforce and healthy workplace. He faithfully and vigorously worked out every morning at dawn, setting an example for all around him,” Stitt said. “While wise to follow Boone's example, I am optimistic the Boone Pickens Human Performance Innovation Complex can play a large role in bringing about transformational change in health outcomes for all Oklahomans. He would be proud of this development on the OSU campus.”
Lance Walker, named the inaugural HPNRI Rick and Gail Muncrief executive director in 2022, expressed gratitude for the Pickens Foundation's support.
"Boone Pickens understood the link between productivity, fitness and happiness,” Walker said. “He started a trend in 1979 when he built a $2.5 million, 30,000-square-foot fitness center at his company's Mesa Petroleum headquarters in Amarillo, Texas, introducing one of the first corporate wellness programs in the United States. Boone would tell his Mesa employees that good health does not just happen but requires individual effort and would warn that a person's health would deteriorate without regular physical exercise. Boone's words are as real today as they were in 1979, and they will inspire the groundbreaking initiatives in this complex named after him."
Responding to the naming announcement, Jay Rosser, Pickens’ longtime head of public affairs, noted how honored Pickens would be to have his name associated with a complex and institute dedicated to promoting healthier lives.
“Boone was a lifelong health and fitness advocate,” Rosser said. “He championed the phrase, ‘I don’t want to grow old and feel bad, and I don’t want others to, either.’ He was competitive in every aspect of his life and believed health and fitness improved productivity. The naming of the Human Performance Innovation Complex reflects his leadership in that field and will prove invaluable for future generations of Oklahomans.”
The advanced Boone Pickens Human Performance Innovation Complex and HPNRI are committed to conducting cutting-edge research, educating the next generation of health and wellness professionals, and providing evidence-based solutions to improve human performance and nutrition.
The state of Oklahoma supported OSU’s land-grant mission by providing initial funding of $50 million through the American Rescue Plan Act for HPNRI. The complex is supported by the $25 million allocation from the Boone Pickens legacy gift and additional fundraising continues. Architects are finalizing the facility design, and site preparation and construction will begin in 2025.
