The OU Board of Regents will discuss a search committee for a new College of Law dean, easement of North Flood Avenue near Max Westheimer Airport and extended sick leave benefits in its meeting Thursday afternoon.
The search committee, which would be co-chaired by OU Vice President and General Counsel Armand Paliotta and Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences Dean David Wrobel, would begin a nationally advertised search for the next College of Law dean.
The current dean, Katheleen Guzman, announced her decision to step down at the end of the academic year in early October.
Along with Paliotta and Wrobel, College of Law professors Steven Gensler and Liesa Richter along with Kenneth E. McAfee Centennial Chair in Law Megan Shaner will be on the search committee.
Department of Political Science Chair and professor Alisa Hicklin Fryar, Department of African and African American Studies professor Kalenda Eaton, Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Linguistics Chair Nian Liu, College of Law's Dean of Student Engagement Jennifer Needham and former Assistant Dean for Students and staff member Stanley Evans along with Brady Trantham, content writer at the Office of Marketing and Communications, would also be members of the committee.
Second-year law candidate Catherine Hensley would be the student representative. Artoush Varshosaz, litigation lawyer at K&L Gates LLP in Dallas, Texas, would be the external community member on the committee.
Out of the 16 deans on Norman’s campus, six are currently interim or acting deans and a seventh, Guzman, will step down at the end of the academic year.
A search committee hasn’t been created for the David L. Boren College of International Studies dean. Former dean Scott Fritzen took a job as president of Fulbright University Vietnam in June and Jonathan Stalling is serving as interim dean through December 2023, according to the September OU Board of Regents agenda.
In September, the regents approved the formation of a search committee for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication dean and qualifications were outlined on Oct. 26 for the new dean.
In their consent docket, the regents will vote to finalize the salary for Kelvin White, who was appointed interim dean of the Honors College last month. White replaces former interim Dean Rich Hamerla, who stepped back to return to teaching.
The Board of Regents will also discuss temporary construction and right-of-way easements requested by the city of Norman to build a multimodal path along the west side of North Flood Avenue. The land borders Westheimer Airport.
A multimodal path is a pathway that allows for multiple types of transportation for travelers.
The Board of Regents will also consider enhancing extended sick leave for employees beginning in January. If approved, the extended sick leave benefit could be used for the illness of a family member with approved medical leave.
Currently, absences due to personal illness will be reported as paid time off for the first five work days before extended sick leave could be applied. If no paid time off remains when an employee falls ill, the first five days of each incident must be counted as leave without pay.
Extended sick leave would apply to the care of a family member if the regents approves this item, not just personal illness.
In September, the regents approved changes and increases to OU employees’ 2024 health plan rates. The premium rates increased by 9%, according to the agenda, compared to the 2023 plan for both active benefits-eligible and non-Medicare-eligible retiree populations.
The agenda also included information about the 2024-25 academic year, including that the spring 2025 semester will start before Martin Luther King Day, unlike in years previous.
OU athletics
The Board of Regents will also discuss an estimated over $1.4 million scoreboard project for the university’s new softball stadium, Love’s Field. The agenda also includes pending approval for the acquisition and installation for the softball playing field, estimated to total about $1,053,945, according to the agenda.
The regents will also discuss approval of an estimated project budget of $15.9 million for expansion and improvements of the Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center.
The regents will also discuss the approval to name the modernized men’s and women’s clubhouse and the full university golf training areas after longtime donor Jerry Ransom. Charlie Coe, legendary professional golfer and whose name is currently honored at the Charlie Coe Golf Center, will be honored inside the clubhouse and in the naming of its driveway, according to the agenda.
The Board of Regents will meet at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.
This story was edited by Karoline Leonard and Taylor Jones. Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
