Members named for the Presidential Search Committee at Oklahoma State University

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Thirty-six individuals representing a diverse group comprised of faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members, and regents will serve as members of the Oklahoma State University Presidential Search Committee. The committee will conduct a national search to find a successor to OSU President Burns Hargis, who recently announced his plans to retire in July 2021. Upon his retirement, Hargis will have served 13 years as president of OSU.

“We have brought together OSU campus and community stakeholders from inside and outside our university to identify a diverse and impressive pool of candidates to recommend for the presidency of our great land-grant institution,” said Rick Davis, Chair of the OSU/A&M Board of Regents.

OSU Regent Joe D. Hall from Elk City, Oklahoma, will chair the search committee. Now in his third eight-year term on the OSU/A&M Board of Regents, Hall was part of the process that resulted in the selection of Hargis as president in 2008 and several other high-profile leadership appointments. Hall graduated from OSU in 1983 with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering.

“I am pleased Regent Hall agreed to chair the committee,” Davis said. "His experience with previous searches and knowledge of OSU and the system will be invaluable. Selecting the next president to lead OSU and its system institutions is critically important as we seek to maintain the momentum built during the successful Hargis presidency.”

“The members of the search committee share a singular goal to help the regents identify the best person to lead OSU in the years ahead,“ Hall said. “I am pleased with the diversity and variety of the members and their willingness to engage in this meaningful task. We are committed to conducting a thorough and expeditious national search as the committee identifies candidates capable of leading one of the nation’s premier land-grant academic, research and healthcare institutions.”

Buffkin/Baker, a national search firm steeped in university presidential search experience, will be assisting the regents and search committee.

“We also want to encourage input from the broad OSU community, and have created a website (presidentsearch.okstate.edu) where people can offer their thoughts and ideas as well as stay informed of the search,” Hall said.

The committee’s first task will be to develop a position profile, outlining the qualities and characteristics sought in the next president of OSU and the OSU System.  In addition to OSU in Stillwater, the system includes OSU-Tulsa, OSU-Oklahoma City, OSU Institute of Technology in Okmulgee, the OSU Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, and the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine in Stillwater.

The search process will continue during the spring semester with the goal of naming a new president before the end of this academic year, June 30, 2021.

The OSU Presidential Search Committee

OSU/A&M Regents

Mr. Joe Hall, Chair

Mr. Calvin Anthony

Mr. Rick Davis

Dr. Trudy Milner

OSU – Stillwater faculty

Dr. Pamela Lovern

Dr. Heather Fahlenkamp

Dr. Beatrix Haggard

Dr. Jose Sagarnaga

OSU students

Ms. Jaden Kasitz

Mr. Luke Muller

Ms. Maegan Berg

Ms. Jada Lusk

OSU – Stillwater staff

Ms. Tashia Cheves

OSU/A&M Board of Regents staff

Mr. Jason Ramsey 

OSU – Stillwater administrator

Mr. Kyle Wray

Vice President of Institutional Diversity

Dr. Jason Kirksey

OSU Athletics Department representative

Mr. Chad Weiberg

OSUIT representative

Dr. Scott Newman

OSU – Oklahoma City representative

Ms. Tamra Banks Johnston

OSU – Center for Health Sciences representative

Ms. Sherrita Sweet

OSU – Tulsa representative

Mr. Brett Lessley

OSU Foundation President

Ms. Blaire Atkinson

OSU Alumni Association representative

Mr. Tony LoPresto

City of Stillwater representative

Mayor Will Joyce

At-Large representatives

Mr. Bill John Baker, Mr. Mike Boynton, Mr. Joe Eastin, Ms. Kay Ferguson, Ms. Terry Stuart Forst, Ms. Helen Hodges, Dr. Brett Jameson, Mr. Ross McKnight, Mr. Malone Mitchell, Mr. Rodd Moesel, Mr. Carl Thoma, Ms. Lou Watkins, Mr. Sam Combs, Mr. Robert Cummins

MEDIA CONTACTS: Shannon Rigsby | Public Information Officer | 405-744-9081 | shannon.rigsby@okstate.edu

Jane Braden | Gooden Group Managing Director | office: 405-715-3232 | cell: 405-818-1905 | jane@goodengroup.com