OU Board of Regents approved tuition increases, $420 million in construction project bonds and a longevity bonus for OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. during its meeting Tuesday.
Tuition, fee increases
The news: Regents approved increased costs for tuition and mandatory fees, housing and meal plans and parking. Increases are as follows:
• 3% housing rate increase.
• 3% meal plan rate increase.
• 5% parking rate increase.
Tuition and mandatory fees will see a 3% increase for undergraduate and graduate students. According to the agenda, these costs have increased by 2.5% per year for in-state undergraduate students and 3.2% per year for out-of-state undergraduate students over the past five years.
Undergraduate students: Increases for undergraduate students are as follows:
• In-state tuition increase from $179 to $184 per credit hour.
• Out-of-state tuition increase from $604 to $622 per credit hour.
• In-state full-time flat rate tuition and mandatory fees increase from $5,090.25 to $5,242.50.
• Out-of-state full-time flat rate tuition and mandatory fees increase from $14,150.25 to $14,581.50.
Graduate students: Increases for graduate students are as follows:
• In-state tuition increase from $393.75 to $405.75 per credit hour.
• Out-of-state tuition increase from $719 to $740.50 per credit hour.
What they’re saying: Harroz said that great universities aid their students in affording tuition.
“This is what great public research universities do,” Harroz said. “They aren’t the cheapest, but they are the best value, and they find a way to make sure that every individual that has the ability has a way to afford it.”
Post-Tenure review
The news: Regents revised its post-tenure review policy to align with a recent executive order from Gov. Kevin Stitt removing tenure at public universities.
The executive order, issued by Stitt in early February, directs regional universities and community colleges to phase out lifetime tenure, shifting instead toward renewable contracts based on performance and student outcomes.
The policy revisions include modifications to timelines for committee feedback and development plan processes.
What they’re saying: Harroz said the review comes “in compliance with the executive order” and that several committees were involved in reviewing the policy.
“We involved the faculty senate on the Norman campus in the post-tenure review policy, which I think the process and the substance are a national model,” Harroz said. “This is now being also adopted by the Health Campus. The big difference is there's not a committee, a structure on the Health Campus, so there's some minor changes, but is materially and substantively the same, and they are in compliance with, upon (Regents’) approval, the executive order.”
Academic policies, codes
The news: Regents revised the university’s academic integrity code, Academic Appeals Board Policy and free-speech related policies with Student Rights and Responsibilities Code.
Revisions to OU’s academic integrity code include updates to language surrounding existing processes carried out by the Office of Academic Integrity.
The revised code will also reiterate professor authority over grade decisions and include recommendations of qualifications for advisors.
The Academic Appeals Board Policy will see revisions in compliance with House Bill 3700, which requires Oklahoma colleges and universities to adopt a policy ensuring student grades are evaluated solely on an academic basis.
The bill comes after the university received national attention when psychology student Samantha Fulnecky publicly contested a grade for religious discrimination on a Bible-based essay.
Regents approved changes to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Code regarding free-speech related policies to improve clarity and ensure the policy “reflects a balanced approach to maintaining campus order while protecting expressive rights,” according to the agenda.
Freshman housing master plan
The news: Regents approved a $295 million total project budget for the second phase of the Freshman Housing Master Plan, which includes the $23 million approved in March to fund the demolition of Walker Center and Cate Center 3.
The university will open a new residence hall, the South Building, completing phase one of its plan this fall. Phase two of construction will replace Walker Center with three new buildings, with a goal for all three buildings to be completed by fall 2030.
What they’re saying: Harroz said the building is on time to open this fall, and the university plans to begin construction of the second phase of the housing plan in fall 2028.
“What this item does is it authorizes phase two, which is a $295 million commitment for those three buildings …” Harroz said. “The first phase would open up not this coming fall, but two years from this fall. So it's the only one year gap we have.”
Merit-based raises, Harroz compensation
The news: Regents approved a $15 million merit-based raise program as part of the proposed 2027 fiscal year budget. The program is intended to support employee recruitment and retention, and will include faculty, staff, graduate assistants and postdoctoral studies, according to the agenda.
Regents also approved a longevity bonus for Harroz, extending his contract until June 30, 2032 and keeping his base salary and bonus pay the same for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
In June 2025, Harroz received a salary increase of $75,000, which brought his salary to $575,000. He also received a one-time lump sum payment of $200,000.
Beginning June 2027, Harroz will have an automatic stay bonus, increasing annually in June as follows:
• A $200,000 bonus for 2027,
• A $225,000 bonus for both 2028 and 2029
• and $250,000 bonus for 2030, 2031 and 2032.
In June 2025, Harroz received a salary increase of $75,000, which brought his salary to $575,000. He also received a one-time lump sum payment of $200,000.
Several changes were made to the salaries of OU Athletics employees:
Joseph Castiglione, athletics director emeritus, received a contract extension to June 2027. His payment will go from $1.59 million to $360,000. The change follows OU’s hire of new athletic director Roger Denny.
Jim Nagy, football general manager, received a contract extension to June 2030 and will receive an increase in outside income from private funds from $550,000 to $700,000 in 2026 and $800,000 in 2027. His base salary will remain $300,000.
Ryan Humphrey, men’s basketball assistant coach, received a contract extension to 2027 and will receive an increase in outside income from private funds from $220,000 to $230,000. His base salary will remain $260,000.
What they’re saying: OU Marketing and Communications Vice President Jennifer Hollingshead said the bonus is an incentive for Harroz to maintain his position.
“We have a strategic plan in place, and they want to make sure that there’s continuity in leadership, so he’s being incentivised to sort of stay at home as president of the university,” Hollingshead said.
$420M in project bonds
The news: Regents approved a plan to issue approximately $420 million in bonds to fund various unspecified projects, including student housing construction, additional parking and athletics projects.
What they’re saying: Harroz said the bonds are a “material step” and will fund phase two of new student housing and renovations the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Posthumous degrees
The news: Regents awarded two posthumous Bachelor of Sciences degrees.
The board awarded Diego Dorantes Sanchez a posthumous bachelor’s degree in anthropology following his disappearance last summer while snorkeling off the coast of Taiwan.
The board awarded Freya Cordelia Winters a posthumous bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering following her death in February.
