[2] Founded in 1979 as a conservative Islamist organization to combat leftist, more secular, student groups,[3] the OSU has evolved to support democracy and reform in Iran [4] and thus is now in opposition to the political heirs of its founders.

Originally known as the Office for Strengthening of Unity Between Universities and Theological Seminaries (Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat-e Hozeh va Daneshgah), according to Iranfocus.com, the OSU was set up by Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, at a time when Beheshti was Iranian Supreme Ruler Ruhallah Khomeini's top confidant and a key figure in the clerical leadership.

[3] (One of the first political offices held by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was as representative of students at his university, Elm-o Sanaat, at the OSU in 1979.

[3]) During the crackdown on universities in 1980, which Khomeini called the Islamic Cultural Revolution, Ahmadinejad and the OSU played a critical role in purging dissident lecturers and students many of whom were arrested and later executed.

[5] In 2001, Ali Afshari, one of the leaders of OSU, was sentenced to five years in jail: four years "for acting against national security by participating in the Berlin Conference, six months for establishing a crisis centre" in the OSU, and "six months for disseminating propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.