OU Board of Regents will discuss housing and food rates for the next academic year and the Freshman Year Housing Plan at its meeting Tuesday.
The meetings will be held at 9 a.m. at OU Health Campus in Oklahoma City.
2026-27 Housing and Food Service Rates
The board will consider meal plans and room and board rates for the Norman campus residential colleges, residence halls and apartments.
If approved, the student meal plan would see a $145 increase, raising from $3,165 to $3,310. The agenda also lists the establishment of a freshman apartment meal plan of $1,200 for freshman students who live at Traditions Square East.
Couch Center would see an over $100 increase across all its room rates. The rates are listed as follows:
• A two-bedroom suite for four people would increase from $3,850 to $3,965.
• A two-bedroom suite for two people would increase from $6,055 to $6,235.
• A two-bedroom connected suite for four people would increase from $3,850 to $3,965.
• A two-bedroom connected suite for three people would increase from $5,065 to $5,215.
• A two-bedroom connected suite for two people would increase from $6,125 to $6,310.
David L. Boren Hall would see increases of roughly $100 across both its room options. The rates are listed as follows:
• A standard two-person room would increase from $3,125 to $3,220.
• A standard one-person room would increase from $4,610 to $4,750.
Headington Hall would see increases of roughly $200 across all its room rates. The rates are listed as follows:
• A two-bedroom suite for two people would increase from $7,950 to $8,200.
• A two-bedroom suite for four people would increase from $5,550 to $5,750.
• A two-bedroom suite for two people would increase from $6,750 to $6,950.
• A four-bedroom suite for four people would increase from $6,100 to $6,300.
The residential colleges would see increases up to $200 across its room options. The rates are listed as follows:
• A standard room for two people would increase from $3,915 to $4,030.
• A standard room for one person would increase from $6,625 to $6,825.
• A two standard room with living space for two people would increase from $6,700 to $6,900.
• A one-bedroom suite would increase from $8,040 to $8,280.
• A three-bedroom suite with a living space for three people would increase from $7,155 to $7,370.
Cross Village would see increases ranging from $140 to $260. The rates are listed as follows:
• A four-bedroom suite with living space for four people would increase from $6,100 to $6,300.
• A two-bedroom suite with living space for four people would increase from $4,530 to $4,670.
• A two-bedroom suite with living space for two people would increase from $6,750 to $6,950.
• A one-bedroom suite for one person would increase from $8,715 to $8,975.
McCasland Hall would see increases ranging from $130 to $240. The rates are listed as follows:
• A two-bedroom suite for four people would increase from $4,400 to $4,530.
• A one-bedroom suite for two people would increase from $6,200 to $6,390.
• A one-bedroom suite for one person would increase from $8,000 to $8,240.
Traditions Square would see increases of over $100. The rates are listed as follows:
• A two-bed/two-bath single for two people would increase from $4,170 to $4,300.
• A two-bed/one-bath single for two people would increase from $3,615 to $3,720.
• A four-bed/two-bath single for four people would increase from $3,375 to $3,480.
Both housing options at Kraettli Apartments would see increases of $35. The rates are listed as follows:
• A furnished two-bedroom apartment would increase from $965 to $1,000
• An unfurnished two-bedroom apartment would increase from $850 to $885.
Alongside housing increases in existing housing complexes, the board will consider prices for the South building, a currently unnamed dorm at the former location of Adams Hall. The rates are listed as follows:
• A two-bedroom suite for four people would be set at $4,530.
• A one-bedroom suite for two people would be set at $6,390.
• A 1-bedroom suite for one person would be set at $8,240.
• A standard room for two people would be set at $4,250.
Freshman Housing Master Plan
The board will consider approving a total project budget of $23 million for the second phase of the Freshman Housing Master Plan.
At its March 2021 meeting, the board approved the addition of the Freshman Housing Master Plan project to the Campus Master Plan of Capital Improvement Projects.
At the March 2022 meeting, the board selected Flintco LLC as the choice construction managers for the project. At the March 2023 meeting, $195 million was allocated for the Phase 1 budget. The board approved a construction cost limit of $169 million to complete the project’s first phase at its June 2023 meeting.
According to the agenda, Phase 1 of the project is expected to be completed by this summer, and OU is planning to begin design and enabling work for Phase 2.
If approved, Phase 2 will consist of three buildings, currently designated as buildings A, B and C, the agenda reads. Building A will be located at the north end of the site at Cate Center Drive and Asp Avenue. Building A will be approximately 120,000 gross square feet and will accommodate 396 student beds in traditional semi-suite and suite units. Building B will be constructed on the current site of Walker Center and will be roughly 175,000 gross square feet and hold 600 student beds. Building C, located at the South end of the site, will mirror Building A in size and capacity.
Phase 2 of the project will also include the Cate laundry and Walker Center demolitions and all associated utility and infrastructure relocations, the agenda reads.
The proposal requests a budget not exceeding $9 million to contract and make payments for the remediation and demolition of Walker Center. According to the agenda, this price includes the cost of work, construction manager’s direct project management, fees, bonds, insurance and owner contingency.
The agenda states funding has been budgeted from housing, donor and bond funds.
Faculty Appeals Board
The board will consider revisions to the Regents’ Faculty Appeals Board Norman Campus Policy.
The agenda states the changes are the result of a routine policy review and are intended to provide more clarity and accuracy around the policy.
The definition of ‘complainant’ in the policy would be updated to state that a complainant must be a member of the regular faculty as defined by the Charter of the Regular Faculty and Faculty Senate. The intent of this revision, according to the agenda, is to add specificity regarding who may file an appeal.
The change comes after the OU Faculty Senate approved a resolution in February affirming the university did not consult the senate executive committee in the termination of graduate teaching instructor Mel Curth despite the university’s assertion it did.
The “Purpose and Authority” section would be refined to consistently reference “a faculty member of the Regular Faculty” when describing people who can file appeals.
Outdated citations to former Faculty Handbook sections related to ranked renewable term faculty would also be replaced with the current policy title, Notification of Non-Reappointment of a Ranked Renewable Term Contract Policy, according to the agenda.
Substantive Program Changes
The board will consider program additions, requirement changes, name changes and deletions.
The board will consider the deletion of the earth observation science for society and sustainability graduate certificate. According to the agenda, the program has been suspended since 2022 and there are no students enrolled in the program. Four classes, GRAD 5103, 5203, 5303 and 5403, would be terminated.
The board will also consider the deletion of a master of arts and a master of science in interdisciplinary studies. The agenda states there are no students enrolled and no courses would be terminated.
The board will also consider the deletion of the clinical mental health counseling option of the masters of human relations program. The agenda states the program is no longer offered and has been replaced by the master of clinical mental health counseling.
According to the agenda, there are no students enrolled and no courses would be deleted. The agenda states the option is 60 credit hours, so total credit hours for the degree would change from 36-60 hours to 36 hours.
The board will consider degree changes to the following programs:
Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication
• Creative media production, Bachelor of Arts
• Journalism advertising, Bachelor of Arts
• Journalism, Bachelor of Arts
The board will consider program requirements to the following programs:
Dodge College of Arts and Sciences
• Community health, Bachelor of Science
• Health and exercise science, Bachelor of Science
College of Atmospheric and Geographic Science
• Environmental studies, Bachelor of Arts
Gallogly College of Engineering
• Healthcare information systems, Bachelor of Science
Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts
• Music, Bachelor of Arts
The board will consider name and requirement changes to the following programs:
College of Atmospheric and Geographic Science
• Environmental sustainability, Bachelor of Science
• Geographic information science, Bachelor of Science
Dodge College of Arts and Science
• Information science and technology, Bachelor of Science
The board will consider the following program changes recommended for approval by the Graduate Council:
Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts
• Drama, Master of Arts
Price College of Business
• Digital marketing, graduate certificate
• Finance, Master of Science
• Management of information and technology, Master of Science
Gallogly College of Engineering
• Biomedical engineering, Master of Science
The board will request the addition of a Level V concentration in classical archaeology for the Bachelor of Arts in classics.
Discontinuance of Master of Landscape Architecture program
The board will consider discontinuing the Master of Landscape Architecture program in the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture.
According to the agenda, discussion of the program’s viability has been ongoing since 2022. The Board of Regents’ Program Discontinuance Policy conducted a formal review and submitted its recommendation to the provost in November 2023.
In March 2024, the Board of Regents approved continuing the program as long as it achieved a target enrollment of 40 students by Sept. 8, 2025.
The 2024-25 annual report for the program noted that first-year enrollment for the 2023-24 year was eight incoming students, which increased to 13 incoming students in the 2024-25 year.
In December, Elaina Maurer, a second-year student in the program, published a petition requesting a reconsideration of the decision to discontinue. As of Thursday evening, the petition has 989 signatures.
“Given that the Board-approved condition for continuation was not satisfied, the University has determined that discontinuance is warranted,” the agenda reads. “Resources currently supporting the program will be redirected to other areas within the college.”
Following Board of Regents action, a program discontinuance request will be submitted to the Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education. A teach-out plan will be implemented to ensure remaining students are able to complete their degrees.
Campus Master Plan of Capital Improvement Projects
The board will consider modifications to various project plans listed in the Campus Master Plan of Capital Improvements, including campus infrastructure, the Freshman Housing Master Plan, parking expansion and the new Life Science Laboratories Building, among other projects.
The Campus Master Plan of Capital Improvement Projects at the Norman campus is estimated to cost over $2 billion, according to the sum of all cost estimates listed on the agenda.
The university is requesting $5 million for classroom renovations and improvements to address overcrowding and to replace outdated technology.
According to the agenda, the university is planning a parking expansion project, which includes the construction of an approximately 750 space parking garage and new surface parking across campus with an estimated cost of $25 million.
Campus infrastructure improvements and deferred maintenance projects, which have an estimated cost of $125 million for the next five years and $370 million for the next six to 20 years, include:
• Subsystem repairs and replacements
• Upgrades to or replacement of existing elevators and air handlers
• Roof repair and replacement
• Update of fire alarm systems and fire suppression systems, a new addition to the plan
• Interior remodels and upgrades
• Accessibility improvements
• Energy conservation work
• Utility upgrades
Financial policy revisions
The board will consider revisions to two policies relating to the university’s finances.
The board will consider changes to OU’s Financial Emergency Policy, including adjusting the policy’s name to the Financial Exigency Policy, the agenda states. The policy outlines a framework for managing severe, imminent financial crises that threaten the institution's survival.
“A state of financial emergency will be declared whenever the Education and General Part I budget allocation to the agency necessitates reductions in faculty or staff or reductions in operational budgets that would seriously erode program quality,” the policy reads.
The revised policy would add the Oklahoma Geological Survey as the university’s fifth budgetary agency. The original four listed in the policy include OU’s Norman campus, OU College of Law, OU Health Campus and OU-Tulsa.
The policy’s definitions section will also adjust to outdated descriptions of the Health Center, OU-Tulsa and the Professional Practice Plan, according to the agenda.
OU’s Deficit Policy strictly prohibits deficits in university departments, requiring immediate corrective action and monthly reviews by leadership, the agenda states. The board will consider a revision to the Regents’ deficit policy to increase the threshold for submitting a corrective action plan for deficits expected to continue for 180 days or more from $50,000 to $250,000.
Carpenter Hall renovations
The board will consider a project budget for improvements at Carpenter Hall, which holds OU’s musical theater faculty and dance and performance studios.
According to the agenda, the university is proposing a project budget of $9.4 million, with an additional over $6 million contract to Timberlake Construction, which reportedly has been identified and is available in the university’s deferred maintenance program budget.
Improvements listed in the agenda include:
• The replacement of existing air handling units
• An upgraded pneumatic controls
• New ultraviolet disinfection lighting
• Additional energy-saving mechanisms including LED light fixtures and window replacement
• A new fire alarm system and additional fire suppression
• A new elevator
• Renovated restroom facilities
• Improved sound mitigation
• New furniture
• Implementation of access control on exterior doors
Student Activity Fee distribution
The board will consider the distribution of the 2026-27 Student Activity Fee as proposed by the Student Activity Fee Executive Budget Committee.
The executive budget committee is composed of the OU Student Government Association president, Undergraduate Student Congress and Graduate Student Senate chairs, Campus Activities Council chair and vice president for student affairs and dean of students.
In the 2026-27 academic year, the university saw a fee increase from $7.60 per credit hour to $7.65 per credit hour. The fee, which is handled by SGA, goes towards various student life entities.
The budget total is over $5.6 million, according to the agenda, an over $400,000 increase from the 2025-26 grand total.
The proposed budget distribution appropriates:
• $1,357,413.33 to the dean of students, about a $200,000 increase
• $378,833 to Fitness + Recreation, about a $20,000 increase
• A flat rate of $93,184.28 to the Office of Advocacy and Education
• $122,555.68, or 2% of total funds, to the reserve. This is an allocation required by regents’ policy.
• A flat rate of $63,793 to Student Conduct
• $1,044,825.43 to OU SGA
• A flat rate of $1,077,466.28 to Student Life
• A flat rate of $401,907 to Student Media
• $1,097,806 to the University Counseling Center, about a $60,000 increase
OU Student Media refers to the department that houses the OU Daily.
Principal gifts to OU
The agenda shows gifts and commitments received by the OU Foundations including:
• $3,000,000 from an anonymous donor for scholarships in the Gallogly College of Engineering
• $2,500,000 from the McCasland Foundation to support OU athletics
• $1,500,000 from an anonymous donor to benefit OU athletics
• $1,000,000 from an anonymous donor to support OU athletics
• $1,000,000 from the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation for the OU Health Behavioral Center
• $1,000,000 from Mark and Kim Parry to benefit OU Athletics
• $1,000,000 from Brad Haines to support research at the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center
• $1,000,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the Indigenous Futures Lab in the Native American Studies Program
• $1,000,000 from Dr. Rao L. Atluri and Kusuma K. Atluri to support the Atluri Family Prize in Literature at World Literature Today
OU athletics will receive a total of $6 million across four donors.
Selection of Design Consultants and Construction managers
The board will consider revisions to the Selection of Design Consultants & Construction Managers Policy.
According to the agenda, the proposed revisions clarify the policy does not apply to architects selected through the university’s on-call architectural program. The policy’s introduction has also been updated to specify that architects whose total annual compensation under the program does not exceed $250,000 per vendor are exempt from the policy’s outlined selection procedures.
The revision also updates various titles and units within the policy. The changes are listed below:
• Senior vice president for Administrative Affairs would become senior vice president for Strategy and Finance.
• Physical plant would become facilities management
Quarterly report of on-call architects, engineers, construction services
According to the agenda, the university spent a total of $472,848 on professional architectural, engineering and construction management on the Norman campus in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.
The agenda states that the university completed a $403,542 parking lot expansion contract with Clyde Riggs Construction.
In March 2023, the Board of Regents authorized a group of architectural and engineering firms to provide professional on-call services and authorized a group of construction management firms to provide on-call services for minor construction and renovation projects.
Statements of revenue
According to the agenda, between December 2024 to December 2025, student tuition and fees have increased by roughly $22 million, rising from $203,958,000 to $225,909,000.
Federal grants have increased by approximately $5.5 million, rising from $83,914,000 to $89,477,000. State grants and contracts have dropped by roughly $10 million, dropping from $67,674,000 to $57,016,000.
Overall, OU has risen in net position from last year by roughly $55 million.
This story was edited by Macey Thaxton and Audrey McClour. Tori Pham copy edited this story.
