The OU Board of Regents approved new housing and food rates for the next academic year, the Freshman Year Housing Plan and elected board officers at its meeting Tuesday.
Faculty appeals board
The news: The board revised the regents’ Faculty Appeals Board Norman Campus Policy, updating two definitions and replacing outdated citations in the former faculty handbook.
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 definition of ‘complainant’ in the policy was 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 “Purpose and Authority” section was redefined 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 Outdated citations to former faculty handbook sections related to ranked renewable term faculty were replaced with the current policy title: Notification of Non-Reappointment of a Ranked Renewable Term Contract Policy.
What they’re saying: OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said that he had two meetings with the faculty senate executive committee regarding Mel Curth’s termination.
“(I) appreciate the fact that we have a Faculty Senate and that they’re a part of this. It’s a huge and healthy part of how I think a vibrant university works, …” Harroz said. “I felt really good about the discussions and the ability to have the candor we had with the Faculty Senate exec, which is a subset of the faculty, and is their leadership.”
Harroz said the Senate may have taken issue with the word “consulting.”
“A part of it was informational and so I understand the position they’ve taken, …” Harroz said. “It may be a fine point of whether it's discussion or consultation.”
The vote: The board unanimously approved the revisions.
2026-27 Housing and Food Service rates
The news: The board approved increased meal plans and room and board rates for the Norman campus residential colleges, residence halls and apartments.
The student meal plan will see a $145 increase, raising from $3,165 to $3,310. The board also established a freshman apartment meal plan of $1,200 for freshman students who live at Traditions East.
What they’re saying: Harroz said increases are the difficult reality of inflation, and the university puts a lot of thought into how to deal with it.
“These (increases) are brought forward through a very disciplined process, with student input, talking about, how do we provide that?” Harroz said.
Additionally, Harroz said some freshmen may be housed in Traditions West due to enrollment rates continuing to increase. This decision follows the university's dedication of Traditions East as freshman housing in November 2025.
“When we look at this year’s class … this year, numbers at this point look like we’re probably gonna be up another (4%-5%). That means that we’ll be needing to use Traditions West, assuming that comes to pass,” Harroz said.
This would mark the sixth consecutive year of record-setting freshman enrollment, despite national enrollment cliffs.
“The growth has been sustained. … Our applications crossed, for the first time ever, 30,000 applications, …” Harroz said. “There are a grouping of schools where the growth is occurring, and we’re fortunate enough to be one of those.”
The vote: The board unanimously approved the rate increases.
Freshman Housing Master Plan
The news: The board approved 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.
What they’re saying: Harroz said approving the plan authorizes critical steps in the master plan, such as the demolition of Walker Tower and Cate Center 3 and the construction of Phase 2.
“There will be three buildings, ultimately on the east side where the other two are right now. Total in these three buildings ... 1,392 beds,” Harroz said.
The vote: The board unanimously approved the project budget.
Discontinuance of Master of Landscape Architecture program
The news: The board discontinued 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.
What they’re saying: According to Harroz, programs go through rigorous review processes before deletion, including involvement with the Provost.
“This started in 2022. There are standards you have to meet in terms of number of students. The program, for it to remain viable, fell below that on the committee and on the provost recommendation,” Harroz said.
Harroz said the funding for the program will be redirected and allocated to other architecture programs.
“While it’s always difficult, it’s a part of the responsibility we have to be good stewards. I appreciate the provost and all of those who have taken time on the academic side to go through the rigorous steps over the last three and a half years and through that process, which I think has been disciplined and thoughtful and serious,” Harroz said.
The vote: The board unanimously voted to discontinue the program.
Carpenter Hall renovations
The news: The board approved a budget for improvements at Carpenter Hall, which holds OU’s musical theatre faculty and dance and performance studios.
According to the agenda, the university proposed 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.
What they’re saying: According to Harroz, renovating Carpenter Hall is possible because of the deferred maintenance fund, which is currently $25 million annually for the Norman campus.
“We’ve never had (a deferred maintenance budget) before. … When you look at Carpenter right next to Jacobson, and you’ve seen Jacobson fully restored, and the unbelievable beauty you can never afford to build again,” said Harroz. “By maintaining it it’s a huge part of our community and culture, it creates these wonderful spaces.”
The vote: The board unanimously voted to approve the budget.
Student Activity Fee distribution
The news: The board approved the distribution of the 2026-27 Student Activity Fee as proposed by the Student Activity Fee Executive Budget Committee, the budget for which is over $5.6 million, an over $400,000 increase from the 2025-26 grand total.
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.
What they’re saying: Harroz said that the budget was reviewed through a process that involves students deeply.
“It’s a great process that we go through,” Harroz said.
The vote: The board voted unanimously to approve the distribution.
Regent officer elections
The news: Regent Rick Nagel was elected chair of the Board of Regents and Regent Bob Ross was elected vice chair of the board. Mackenzie Wilfong was re-elected as the board’s executive secretary.
Nagel was appointed to the board by Gov. Kevin Stitt in April 2021. Nagel serves as the Managing partner of Acorn Growth Companies. Nagel also serves as the treasurer for U.S. Rep. Tom Cole.
Nagel is a member of the board of governors for the Aerospace Industries Association, US Army Association, the US Air Force Association and the National Defense Industrial Association. He also serves on the executive committee of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce.
Ross was appointed to the board by Gov. Stitt in March 2022. Ross is the chair and CEO of the Inasmuch Foundation. Ross is a member of several board of directors, including Freedom Center of Oklahoma City and Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.
Wilfong was elected as executive secretary by the board in May 2024. In this role, Wilfong is responsible for board relations, operational management of the Board of Regents’ office, and fulfills the board’s fiduciary and oversight responsibilities for the university. Wilfong is the primary liaison between the Board of Regents and university administration.
The vote: The board unanimously approved the officers.
This story was edited by Macey Thaxton.
