Dear OU Community,
Welcome to a new year at OU! As our campuses come alive with activity and possibility, the excitement of the fall semester is everywhere. Whether you’re new to OU or returning to familiar surroundings, each of you contributes to what makes this university extraordinary, shaping its character and driving its future.
That collective energy and dedication is evident in many ways, perhaps most strikingly in our record-breaking enrollment. Across all OU campuses, enrollment grew at the fastest pace in nearly five decades. This fall, we are again welcoming our largest freshman class ever. With 6,251 students, the Class of 2029 continues a spectacular trend: our fifth straight year of record-setting freshman enrollment and the third consecutive year that a record number of Oklahomans have chosen to start their freshman year at OU. In just three years, our incoming class sizes have surged more than 30%. At OU Health Sciences, we’ve seen double-digit growth in first-year students over the last two years, while OU Online enrollment more than doubled in five years. This unprecedented growth reflects what students and families see in OU: a place where affordability and excellence come together in ways unmatched anywhere else.
And enrollment is only part of the story. Our research and health missions are flourishing, delivering life-changing impacts that are propelling us toward AAU status. We’ve shattered fundraising records two years in a row, helping us keep excellence and affordability at the forefront. Our campuses are transforming before our eyes, from the completion of McCasland Hall and the Jones Family Welcome Center to a new state-of-the-art life sciences laboratory building now rising on the Norman campus. We’re also excited to introduce new campus traditions, like tailgating on the North Oval. We are taking pivotal steps to expand world-class, research-driven cancer care across Oklahoma. Just last week, we celebrated the opening of OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at Norman Regional – the result of a visionary partnership with Norman Regional Health System – and this fall, we’ll break ground in Tulsa to further extend Stephenson’s life-saving reach. These achievements – and so many more – are proof of the remarkable impact we create together as a community.
The road ahead is brimming with possibility. With your enthusiasm, commitment, and the bold vision of our newly refreshed Strategic Plan, we are poised to push boundaries, celebrate new milestones, and create opportunities that change lives.
Here’s to another great year at OU!
Live On, University,
Joseph Harroz, Jr.
President
