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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: OU Public Affairs

(405) 325-1701

NORMAN— Devon Energy Hall, the new state-of-the-art engineering facility at the University of Oklahoma, will be dedicated in a public ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26. Speakers will include OU President David L. Boren; Larry Nichols, chairman, co-founder and CEO of Devon Energy Corp.; OU College of Engineering Dean Tom Landers; Devon intern and petroleum engineering senior Adela Porter; and Outstanding Senior Man and industrial engineering student David Stubsten. The building helps meet the growing needs of the College of Engineering, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2009.

“Devon Energy is one of the most constructive corporate citizens in the state and the Nichols family ranks among the most generous donors to the university in its history,” said OU President David L. Boren. “The university is deeply grateful for the role played by Devon and the Nichols family in providing enhanced educational opportunities for OU students. The building symbolizes their important role in the life of our state.”

The 103,000-square-foot, $30 million building houses three types of classrooms, all specifically designed with student needs in mind. Classes can be held in a seminar room, group-oriented room or a 60-seat teaming room. Marker walls and moveable tables allow flexibility for students working on projects during class time.

“By partnering with the University of Oklahoma to build Devon Energy Hall, we are investing in the future engineers of our state,” said Larry Nichols, chairman and CEO of Devon Energy. “This facility will provide the tools necessary to develop a pipeline of engineers to help our industry produce the natural gas and oil needed to fuel our nation.”

In addition to these classrooms, four floors contain research spaces for such areas as weather radar, microelectronics and software, including private break-out spaces where multiple projects can be worked on simultaneously. Close at hand to these areas are faculty and research offices, conveniently located for easy student access.

To further promote student-faculty interaction, as well as dialogue between different engineering disciplines, small and large team rooms are located along the main corridors, where anyone can stop and investigate current projects. Forum rooms serve simultaneously as study, lounge and seminar areas, while computer areas include a computer science teaching lab and a digital design lab.

Devon Energy Hall also provides a new home for the schools of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering, which were previously scattered across campus.

The building was made possible bya $10 million gift from Devon in 2004 — at the time, the largest single corporate gift in OU’s history — and was named in recognition of the company’s generosity.

Devon CEO Larry Nichols and his wife, Polly, an OU graduate, have perpetuated the company’s support initiated by Larry’s father, Devon co-founder and Chairman Emeritus John Nichols, and his wife, Mary, both of whom are OU graduates.

For more information about the ceremony or for accommodations on the basis of disability, please call the Office of Special Events at (405) 325-3784.