WATCH: Protesters with OU Students for Justice in Palestine disrupted the Board of Regents meeting and were escorted out of the Oklahoma Memorial Union:
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 5:55 p.m. March 10 to include information on Regent Rick Nagel's affiliation with the National Defense Industrial Association.
OU Board of Regents met Monday afternoon to discuss and approve housing and food rates, dean searches, master plan updates and a refresh to the university’s strategic plan.
OU Students for Justice in Palestine
Before the meeting, protesters and members of OU’s Students for Justice in Palestine stood and sat outside the Scholars Room in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, demanding the university divest from its corporate partners involved in weapons manufacturing.
About seven protesters interrupted Regent Rick Nagel’s opening remarks. Nagel is a member of the National Defense Industrial Association.
“We are the Students for Justice in Palestine, and we demand divestment (from) the weapons manufacturers that have dropped bombs on civilians that have killed over 200,000 civilians,” one member shouted.
The board told the protesters they could be removed. The group was escorted outside the room while chanting. The protesters continued to chant and beat drums outside the door of the Scholars Room as the regents continued the meeting.
After a few minutes of continued protest, the protesters were escorted out of the Union.
Regent Natalie Shirley
The board honored Regent Natalie Shirley during her last Board of Regents meeting. Shirley served as chair of the board from 2023 to 2024. She was appointed to the board by Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2018.
“I have been gratified to get to be a part of this group and the amazing work that our teams did here,” Shirley said.
Following her remarks, the board and audience gave Shirley a standing ovation.
Shirley also served as the Oklahoma secretary of education and workforce development from 2015 to 2018 under former Gov. Mary Fallin’s administration. Shirley also served as president of Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City from 2011 to 2017 and was the first woman to serve as president in the OSU system.
The board voted to approve Regent Anita Holloway as Chair Eric Stevenson's successor and appointed Nagel as vice chair of the board effective March 12.
Joseph Harroz Jr. remarks
The news: OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. gave a report and remarks regarding the university.
What they’re saying: At the beginning of his remarks, Harroz thanked Shirley for her work on the board.
“I’ve been doing this for 30 years, working with the board closely for almost all of those; … she is one of the most consequential regents I've had the pleasure to work with,” Harroz said. “This university is better because of you, and I just want to express true gratitude.”
Harroz spoke about the university’s strategic plan refresh
OU’s “Lead On, University” is a strategic plan that includes five pillars representing goals set by the university. Fall 2024 marked the halfway point of the eight-year strategic plan. The refresh process for OU Norman’s Lead On Strategic Plan incorporates the OU Health Sciences' Strategic Plan and a new five-year Strategic Plan for OU-Tulsa.
Harroz said the university has been working on the strategic plan refresh for the past 10 months.
“It'll be five years to the day when we launched the 'Lead On' plan, and this is the 'Lead On' next step. Things that were unimaginable five years ago are in this strategic plan,” Harroz said. “We're going to continue to focus on affordability and accessibility, and we're going to approach this thing the only way a truly great state can do, and that is together.”
Harroz said the strategic plan includes plans to hire 300 new faculty members and positively impact the state through education in a variety of fields.
“As you look across it, there is a fundamental purpose that our students leave here as citizen leaders,” Harroz said. “We saw over the last five years, challenges that are presented, and we anticipate challenges. But I know that with this plan and with the team that we have assembled with this commitment, it is going to be exceptional.”
During Harroz’s remarks, Dr. Ian Dunn, executive dean of the OU College of Medicine, presented updates about the College of Medicine.
Dunn presented a video of Madison Naylor, an OU Health doctor and student who survived the Oklahoma City bombing when she was six months old, in remembrance of the 30-year anniversary of the bombing.
“It’s important to remember the lives that were lost, but also those that were saved, in part to our health system,” Francisco said.
In the video, Naylor discussed her work in pediatrics and her experience with the bombing.
“My mom talks about how I was literally being held by a stranger that was just trying to help evacuate the daycare center. And so she always gets chills when she talks about it,” Naylor said.
Harroz said his godson was in the nursery and survived.
“It’s just a miracle that (Naylor) made it out alive,” Harroz said.
Strategic plan refresh
The news: The board approved OU’s strategic plan refresh.
In April, an executive steering committee chaired by Harroz began the process of refreshing the university’s “Lead On, University” strategic plan.
According to the agenda, a 24-member cross-campus working group composed of students, faculty and staff representatives from the Norman campus, OU Health Sciences Center and OU-Tulsa campus examined the strategic plan and input to inform recommendations to the committee on the plans’ next phase, which would go from 2025 to 2030.
What they’re saying: Harroz thanked the board for the approval and its engagement in the process.
“We've had 15 separate interactions with committees and with the board, so (I’m) beyond grateful for the input on that,” Harroz said.
The vote: The board approved the proposal.
Housing and food rates
The news: The board heard the 2025-26 room and board rates for Norman and Health Sciences Center residential colleges, residence halls, apartments and meal plans.
According to the agenda, the standard meal plan, which is currently at $3,075, is proposed to increase $90 to $3,165.
For Walker and Couch centers, the new rates for the two-bedroom suite for four people will have a $110 increase to $3,850 per semester, and a two bedroom suite for two people will have a $175 increase to $6,055 per semester. A two-bedroom connected suite for four people will have a $110 increase to $3,850 per semester, a two bedroom connected suite for three people will have a $145 increase to $5,065 per semester and a two-bedroom connected suited for two will have a $180 increase to $6,125 per semester.
For David L. Boren Hall, a standard room for two will see a $90 increase to $3,125 per semester. A standard room for one will increase $135 to $4,610 per semester.
For Headington Hall, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite for two people will increase $450 to $7,950 per semester; a two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite for four people will increase $350 to $5,550 per semester; a two-bedroom, one-bathroom suite for two will increase $400 to $6,750 per semester; and a four-bedroom, two-bathroom suite for four people will increase $550 to $6,100 per semester.
For residential colleges, a standard room for two people will increase $115 to $3,915 per semester, and a standard room for one will increase $190 to $6,625 per semester. A one-bedroom suite will increase $235 to $8,040 per semester, and a three-bedroom suite will increase $210 to $7,155 per semester. The two standard room for two people will not increase and remain $6,700 per semester.
For Cross Village, four-bedroom suite will increase $170 to $6,100 per semester, the two-bedroom suite for four people will increase $130 to $4,530 per semester, the two-bedroom suite for two people will increase $200 to $6,750 per semester and the one-bedroom suite will increase $255 to $8,715 per semester.
For Traditions Square, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom single room will increase $120 to $4,170 per semester; a two-bedroom, one-bathroom single room will increase $105 to $3,615 per semester; and a four-bedroom, two-bathroom single room will increase $100 to $3,375 per semester.
For Kraettli Apartments, a two-bed furnished apartment will increase $30 to $965 per month, and a two-bed unfurnished apartment will increase $25 to $850 per month.
For McCasland Hall, a new first-year residence building set to open in August, a two-bedroom suite for four people will be $4,400 per semester, a one-bedroom suite for two people will be $6,200 per semester, and a one-bedroom suite for one person will be $8,000 per semester.
According to the agenda, all increases were within a range of 3%-6%. It also listed a comparison chart to Oklahoma State University and other colleges in the Southeastern Conference. In the chart, OU ranks as No. 11 with a $13,565 housing rate for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Vanderbilt University is No. 1 with $22,424 while Auburn University is No. 17 with $11,431.
What they’re saying: Harroz said the increases to Headington Hall are higher than the others due to higher demand.
The vote: The board approved the housing and food rates.
Dean searches
The news: The Board of Regents approved dean searches for the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences and Michael F. Price College of Business.
According to the agenda, current interim dean for the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, Petra Klein, who has been in the position since December following the death of former dean Berrien Moore III, is not eligible to become a candidate.
The agenda states the current interim dean for the Price College of Business, Laku Chidambaram, is eligible for the position. Chidambaram has served in the position since July 13 after former dean Corey Phelps stepped down to become the dean of the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University.
André-Denis Wright, senior vice president and provost, is set to chair the committee for the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences dean search, while OU College of Law Dean Anna Carpenter is set to chair the Price College search.
What they’re saying: Harroz said the search committee for the new dean of Price College has yet to find the candidate the university is looking for.
“Search didn't find the candidate we were looking for, and we want to reconstitute and make sure we get the right candidates during this time period," Harroz said. “If approved, Dr. Chidambaram will continue doing a great job.”
The vote: The board approved both dean searches.
Master plan updates
The news: The board approved several updates to the Campus Master Plan of Capital Improvements Projects.
According to the agenda, updates to the Gallogly College of Engineering have estimated costs of $105 million, $80 million of which will be funded from state appropriations. The remaining amount will be funded through the university and private funds.
The updates are meant to address critical space needs for the college and review potential expansion or renovation to several existing buildings. The agenda states that the goal of the master plan is to optimize space usage, consolidate programs and enhance educational experience for all students.
The board also approved $22 million to renovate the Chemistry Annex Building. The renovations would reconfigure the space, upgrade building systems and improve accessibility. A study to support each of these needs will be required, the agenda reads.
The board also approved $6.75 million in the construction of an Infrastructure Transportation Building. According to the agenda, the building will be an office and laboratory located on the OU Research Campus with the intention to offer space for the engineering college to support transportation research.
The facility will include unmanned vehicles, battery testing, fuel cell testing and an open dry lab. The project will also include an office space for up to 12 faculty members and 40 graduate students. Funding for construction will be divided by the state, donor funds and university sources.
The vote: The board approved the improvements.
Suicide prevention
The news: The board approved the Suicide Prevention Resource Center to contract with the Education Development Center for their professional services.
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center is funded through a five-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration with a total of around $37.9 million.
According to the agenda, the Education Development Center was chosen because it was the only entity besides OU Health Sciences Center to receive the Suicide Prevention Resource Center award, which they received 17 years before the Health Sciences Center.
The agenda states the Education Development Center possesses significant staffing resources and expertise relevant to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center project and would provide consulting hours to support four of its goals:
Increase capacity of health, behavioral health systems and clinical workforces to screen, assess, treat and transition care effectively to reduce suicide deaths and attempts among those at risk who are in care.
Increase capacity among state, tribal and community systems, and their workforces to implement what works to reduce rates of suicide deaths and attempts in populations they serve.
Develop strong national public-private partnerships among key stakeholders from multiple sectors to advance the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, and develop policy and practice.
Increase the availability of effective, appropriate resources to support suicide prevention among individuals at highest risk, survivors and their families to improve crisis response, help loved ones reach care and increase access to community supports for mental wellness.
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center is funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and has its own line in the federal budget, according to the agenda.
The vote: The board approved the proposal.
Airplane purchases
The news: The board approved a proposal to compete, negotiate and award contracts and place orders of up to $2.2 million for the purchase of five airplanes for the School of Aviation.
The new airplanes are meant to expand the fleet in order to meet increasing student enrollment. According to the agenda, in November 2022, the School of Aviation was approved to expand its fleet by nine aircrafts, which arrived in February 2024. This purchase allowed enrollment to increase by 79% in comparison to fall 2022, according to the agenda.
The school, with the consultation of the Office of Budget and Financial Planning, developed a multi-year budget to increase freshman by another 60 students and expand the airplane fleet with five modern state-of-the-art airplanes.
According to the agenda, the funding necessary for the expansion has been identified as available within the School of Aviation's operating account and other accounts set aside for aviation.
What they’re saying: Harroz said the purchase of the additional five airplanes would allow the School of Aviation to take in 60 more students.
The vote: The board approved the purchases.
Morris sculpture
The news: The board approved the donation of a bust of former OU Provost J. R. Morris.
Morris was a faculty member and top academic official at OU for four decades. During his time at OU, he was an academic counselor and taught graduate psychology classes. He served as associate dean of University College, vice president of University Community and provost and senior vice president of the Norman campus for nine years. He also served as interim president of the university from 1982 to 1994.
Upon retirement, Morris received the title of provost emeritus and regents professor emeritus and was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 1996. He died on Sept. 28.
The bust was created by OU artist Sohail Shehada and is expected to be placed in the Bizzell Memorial Library, according to the agenda. Shehada also created the Michael F. Price statue located outside the north entrance of Price Hall, which was unveiled in December.
What they’re saying: Harroz commended Morris and the work he did at the university.
“Here at OU, he is truly a legend,” Harroz said. “We sit here because of him and others like him. He has been a dean, he was a provost for almost a decade, and he was truly beloved.”
The vote: The board approved the donation of the sculpture.
Street acquisition
The news: The board approved authorizing the university to negotiate the acquisition of a single family home located on 425 Page Circle upon consultation with general counsel.
According to the agenda, the university wishes to purchase for strategic purchases due to the home’s proximity to campus and location near other single-family homes already owned by the university.
The board will also consider entering into any agreements and execute and acquire any deeds, or instruments that may be necessary to transfer any titles for the transaction.
What they’re saying: Harroz did not specify why the OU wished to make the purchase, he said the university has a strategic interest in the property.
The vote: The board approved the street acquisition.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Ana Barboza.
