OKLAHOMA CITY – Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt spoke at a meeting of the State Regents for Higher Education Thursday. The governor used a good portion of his speech to praise the regents for their work over the past year.
Then he told the regents about two executive orders he issued last week which would make dramatic changes to the higher education system.
One order would require colleges and universities to consider student wages and employment when approving or sunsetting programs and, at the same time, reduce the number of hours needed for a bachelor’s degree to 90.
The governor’s second order would take major steps toward eliminating tenure for college and university professors.
“I’m filing another executive order spurring boards to enact tenure reform,” Stitt said. “No taxpayer- funded job should skip performance reviews. Standardized teaching loads or research dollars don’t let tenured professors teach nothing and research nothing. This session, I’ll push tort reform to cap wrongful termination suits, enabling removal of underperformers. Oklahomans back excellence, not privilege over performance.”
Still, even with his proposed changes, Stitt was vocal in his praise of the system.
“Since I became Governor in 2019, we’ve watched OU and OSU undergo great wins both academically and in sports,” the governor said. “Our universities are positioning Oklahoma students for success in any field they choose.”
Stitt pointed to nursing as an example. He said when he first became governor, hospital CEOs told him the state had a nursing shortage and needed higher ed to train more nurses.
“I went to OU Health and asked how many nurses they were graduating. They said 250,” he said. “I asked how many applications they were getting, around 550. I said, “Why can’t we train all 550 if they want to be nurses here in Oklahoma? We pushed past faculty ratio excuses by benchmarking against competitors like Texas A&M. One of my favorite press conferences was with OU Health’s Joe Harroz when they announced accepting all 600 nursing applicants.”
Stitt said higher ed turned the gap “into a huge victory.”
“Over 1,000 new nurses from OU in 2024 alone,” the governor said. “They added an LPN-to-RN program and an online option. We’re meeting workforce needs- that’s what higher ed should do.”
The governor also applauded the efforts by OU and OSU to increase enrollment. “Back in 2019, I brought Joe Harroz and Burns Hargis together and said, ‘Let’s grow our universities to 40,000 students.’ We were in the twenties then, stagnant since I was a freshman at OSU in 1991,” he said. “Some worried about out-of-state students frustrating the Legislature, but let’s educate Oklahomans and attract Texans who fall in love with our state and stay. Today, we’re closing in fast on 40,000—at 36,000 now. Joe told me he didn’t think it was possible, but you’re crushing it.”
In addition to higher ed, Stitt bragged on the state’s CareerTech system. “On CareerTech, we have 122,000 students in secondary programs,” he said. “Streamlining into higher ed pathways positions us for top 10 national workforce readiness. Make it permeable: career tech to bachelors.”
Sean Burrage – who previously served as a college president and a state Senator – said in a media statement the governor’s executive orders “reflect his ongoing engagement with public higher education and out share commitment to accountability, affordability, and alignment with Oklahoma’s most pressing workforce needs.
“The State Regents support collaborative data collection to strengthen decision-making and are building a performance- based institutional funding formula and a framework to evaluate accelerated bachelor’s degrees in terms of workforce demand, academic quality and institutional mission,” Burrage’s statement said.
Burrage said the regents welcome the opportunity “for a meaningful, statewide dialogue regarding faculty tenure models.”
“Academic instruction is the most important work that happens on campuses and institutional faculty provide essential learning support and mentorship for our state’s future workforce,” he said. “We stand ready to serve as a resource to the governing boards and institutions as they review the executive order and work through any necessary policy changes.”
State lawmakers – along with the regents – will continue their evaluation of the governor’s proposals this session. Oklahoma’s legislative session will end at 5 p.m. on May 29.