OU Board of Regents Approves Academic and Administrative Appointments and More; Harroz Touts University’s Strategic Successes

TULSA, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents met today to approve academic and administrative appointments and other items.

During the meeting, held at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center, the Regents approved the appointment of Gary Raskob as senior vice president and provost for the OU Health Sciences Center and Armand Paliotta as vice president and general counsel.

Raskob has served as the Health Sciences Center’s interim provost since January. Since then, he has helped usher the campus into a new chapter during a transformational period for the university and for the future of the state. Prior to his interim appointment, Raskob served as dean of OU’s Hudson College of Public Health for 20 years – making him the longest-serving dean at OU when he was named to his interim role.

Paliotta is an OU alumnus who will return to his alma mater from the Oklahoma City law firm Hartzog Conger Cason LLP, where he serves as a member of its executive committee. His 30 years of legal experience spans a wide range of practice areas, including business and financial transactions, health care, complex contract negotiations, real estate finance, securities and business law, tax planning and tax controversies, and sports franchise matters.

“Gary Raskob and Armand Paliotta are highly respected leaders in their fields who have demonstrated a deep commitment to OU and our public mission,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “I’m confident that in their new roles, they will inspire our students, faculty and staff to continually pursue excellence and drive the university forward as we work to fulfill our purpose of changing lives.”

In his remarks during the meeting, Harroz emphasized a number of monumental achievements that have occurred since the Regents last met in June – several of which have broken university records: welcoming the largest freshman class in OU history; setting a new fundraising record of over $317 million in fiscal year 2022; fostering a burgeoning OU research enterprise to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow; and experiencing the tremendous growth of OU Online, with more than 3,000 students currently enrolled and on track to graduate.

“Each one of these successes is individually impressive, but when taken collectively, we clearly see how the exceptional strides we’re making across OU are forming the bedrock of our bright future,” Harroz said.

Harroz also mentioned several additional benchmarks that not only demonstrate OU’s commitment to moving our state forward, but also are the byproduct of strategic partnerships. Harroz pointed to the forthcoming launch of the OU Polytechnic Institute, the preliminary approval of $110 million in American Rescue Plan Act allocations toward the OU enterprise, and OU’s role in securing the $35 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration toward the Oklahoma Biotech Innovation Cluster as a few examples that leverage OU excellence and utilize external partnerships for the betterment of all Oklahomans.

“All of these initiatives put our state in a position to create meaningful, generational change, and are powerful examples of what’s possible when we work hand-in-hand with our partners at both the state level and in the private sector,” Harroz said. “These relationships are instrumental in our progress – even in our position as a comprehensive research university, it would be impossible to achieve such milestones without them. The collective impact we are making today is laying a firm foundation for an even stronger, healthier Oklahoma.”

The board is set to next meet in November.