OU’s Norman and Health campuses announced the merger of their graduate colleges and the integration of their university libraries Wednesday.
OU’s Norman campus Provost André-Denis Wright and Health campus Provost Gary Raskob wrote in a joint press release that the two graduate colleges will transition to one college at the beginning of the spring semester under the direction of Norman Graduate College Dean Randall Hewes.
The OU Graduate College will remove administrative barriers to cross-campus engagement and facilitate cross-departmental graduate programs, allowing students and faculty to collaborate and study on any OU campus, according to the release.
Signature events, such as the Norman campus 3-Minute Thesis Competition and the Health campus GREAT Symposium, will also expand under the new OU Graduate College, according to the release.
“We know a change this substantial will require continuous work by many to succeed,” the release states. “Our next steps include meetings with key stakeholders to obtain input on challenges and opportunities facing graduate education across our campuses, and ways in which the new OU Graduate College can best respond.”
The press release recognized and thanked Anne Pereira, who served as the dean of the OU Health Campus Graduate College for over a decade.
“(Pereira) was instrumental in the success of the College’s GREAT Symposium. Her continued support throughout this process ensures a smooth transition,” the release states. “As she returns to the College of Pharmacy to focus her efforts on research, we know she will continue to elevate our university mission and reputation.”
A cross-campus task force to review graduate education policies and support structures will be established in the Graduate College’s first year.
The release states that the Norman, Tulsa, and the OU Health Campus library services and leadership will be unified under the leadership of Dean Denise Stephens.
Wright and Raskob wrote in the release that the transformation will leverage shared resources, expertise and infrastructure, and support interdisciplinary research and artificial intelligence literacy.
The library archives that will be included are Bizzell Memorial Library, Fine Arts Library, National Weather Center Library, Youngblood Energy Library, Western History Collections, Donald E. Pray Law Library, Congressional Research Collections & Political Archives at the Carl Albert Research Center, Library Service Center satellites, OU Health’s Robert M. Bird Library, and OU-Tulsa’s Schusterman Library.
“We are grateful to the leadership and staff at these locations for their ongoing support and collaboration during this process,” the release states.
The University Libraries System is planned to be complete by June 30, with a series of unit-level transitions starting in early 2026.
“This process will be guided by principles of transparency and a commitment to excellence. It will include stakeholder engagement, audits of services and collections, and the development of a unified administrative and operational framework,” the release states. “As part of this work, we will also identify and assess entities across campuses that function as libraries to determine the appropriate scope of integration.”
The provosts wrote that the integrations are intended to align with OU’s “Lead On, University” strategic plan.
“We recognize the complexity of these endeavors and the importance of thoughtful collaboration,” the provosts wrote. “We are confident that, together, we can build a library and graduate system that reflects the aspirations of One OU – supporting our scholars, students, and communities with the tools and spaces they need to thrive.”
This story was edited by Ana Barboza. Gretchen Schultz copy edited this story.
