OU Names Chief Strategy Officer

NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma has named Jim W. Morrison its new chief strategy officer. In this role, Morrison will serve as a senior leader at OU, overseeing the coordinated implementation of OU’s strategic plan to ensure university-wide alignment and progress across all three OU campuses.

Morrison brings to this role nearly 20 years of experience in higher education administration and consulting. Most recently, he served as associate provost for strategic initiatives at the University of Notre Dame, leading major cross-college initiatives, including efforts to advance ND Health, data science and analytics, and lifelong learning. He also directed the Deans’ Collaborative Initiative program, cross-college academic planning committees, external partnerships and major university grant proposals, including a $42.4 million grant from the Lilly Endowment for iNDustry Labs (the largest grant in Notre Dame’s history) and a $20 million gift from IBM for the Notre Dame-IBM Tech Ethics Lab (the largest corporate gift in Notre Dame’s history).

“Jim Morrison has focused his career on higher education strategy and improvement, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him on board as our chief strategy officer,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “As we continue to pursue higher levels of excellence at OU, it is crucial that we are guided by a united vision and strategy that stretches across our university. Jim’s expertise will help drive our key institutional goals forward, ensuring consistent progress and growth.” 

Morrison’s career experience has included guiding senior administrators at major research universities and academic health care organizations on projects related to strategic planning, academic program development, research administration, financial analysis, policy and governance, and external affairs.

Prior to Notre Dame, Morrison served as a senior-level administrator at the University of Mississippi. As director of strategic planning, he managed numerous strategic initiatives, including the development and implementation of the university’s long-term strategic plan, along with nearly 75 unit-level academic and operational strategic plans.

His career also includes experience as a management consultant for several major research hospitals and universities, including Harvard University, Yale University, Georgia Tech University, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Morrison earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Managerial Finance from the University of Mississippi, a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from Columbia University and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Management from the University of Georgia.