Overview
- An executive order signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt bars future lifetime tenure at the state’s regional universities and community colleges, with current tenured faculty keeping their status.
- The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University may continue to grant tenure, but faculty there will undergo mandatory reviews at least every five years that can lead to termination for sustained underperformance.
- A companion order directs the State Regents to tie allocations to workforce and employment outcomes under a new performance-based funding model.
- The directives require enhanced tracking of graduate wages, job types, hours worked and employment locations, and mandate a 90-day feasibility study on a 90-credit bachelor’s degree pathway.
- The AAUP condemned the move as a threat to academic freedom and recruitment, and reporting notes regents’ approval is viewed as likely because most were appointed by Stitt.