[JOE HARROZ] Hi, I’m Joe Harroz. President of the University of Oklahoma. I want to welcome you to our Conversations with the President. This platform gives me the chance to talk to some of the great people who make OU so special, and who work so hard OU to new and exciting heights. Those of you who are familiar with the University of Oklahoma know that it’s our people and our community that sets us apart. Make sure that you’re subscribed to Conversations with the President, and you’ll be the first to know when new episodes are released. Let’s get started.
Alright, first thing first: During our last conversation, we were preparing to send off the class of 2022. One commencement and 22 convocations later, we have moved on to summer semester. And many of our students are away for summer break. Before we get too far into summer, I wanted to mention that commencement was truly a celebration of the success of our students. Despite the last-minute changes due to weather, we’ve fully celebrated our graduates and conferred doctoral degrees in true OU fashion. It was a great night. Our commencement speaker David Brooks was outstanding. I encourage you to visit ou.edu/commencement to watch it again. It was a beautiful ceremony and I want to give a shout out to our Events team, led by Mackenzie Dillbeck, staff members, student volunteers as well as our orchestra, band and choir for rolling with the punches and making the 2022 Commencement Ceremony a wonderful experience for everyone involved.
I want to congratulate our geothermal team for placing first in the National Collegiate Competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy. The team designed and proposed a system to repurpose six abandoned oil and gas wells in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to provide clean, renewable geothermal energy for more than 730,000 square feet of educational and municipal buildings. This includes sites within the Absentee Shawnee tribe and the Pottawatomi Nation jurisdiction. By using retired oil wells, the team was able to create a plan that reduces drilling costs to feasibly power local schools, religious centers and government buildings. I am so proud of OU’s continued pursuit of excellence in all fields. Congratulations to our geothermal team.
This past week, Stephenson Cancer Center launched a historic trial for a cancer drug in Oklahoma. This was wonderful news and a sign of the great work going on at our OU Health Sciences Center campus. The drug is now known as OK-1 and it came from the OU College of Medicine and was made entirely in the state of Oklahoma by researcher Doris Benbrook, who is a Ph.D. at the OU Health Sciences Center. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug for clinical trials on humans, which is currently underway at the OU Health Sciences Center on women with advanced stage ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer. This was done entirely in Oklahoma. This innovation is truly remarkable, done without any help from the pharmaceutical industry. This is the stuff of changing lives and saving lives and it’s only available because of OU Health Sciences Center, Dr. Benbrook and the remarkable individuals for whom she has worked. It’s only available at OU Stephenson Cancer Center.
At our most recent Board of Regents meeting, the OU Polytechnic Institute was officially approved. This institute housed at our Tulsa Schusterman campus will offer bachelor’s completion and graduate degree programs focused on innovation and advanced technology. These programs will fill viable high-paying jobs in areas like telehealth, autonomous technology, electric vehicles, cyber security, advanced manufacturing and software engineering. This will be crucial for our partners and fellow Oklahomans in the Tulsa area and the northeastern part of the state. This ratified proposal will now go before the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for final approval, so listeners please stay tuned for more information on the OU Polytechnic Institute. I plan on having a future podcast devoted exclusively to the Institute. These are truly exciting times for the University of Oklahoma.
And finally, as we have in past podcasts, please listen through the rest of this episode. We will be joined by our Men’s Golf Coach, Ryan Hybl, at the conclusion of our show. Stay tuned.
And now, for our featured guest today, I turn our attention to OU’s Vice President of Research and Partnerships, my friend and my colleague, Tomás Díaz de la Rubia. The greatest man in research in higher education and also the greatest name. He joins us today to talk about how his office is changing research and how he is designed it in a way that is creating great excitement and has an incredible future ahead of us.
Let me tell you a little bit about Tomás. We’ll talk in a minute about how he and I first met, but his background is truly remarkable. Before we get too far into the conversation, I want to set the scene and let our listeners know a little about you and about your background.
He came here two and a half years ago in September 2019, coming from Purdue University, where he served as chief scientific officer and senior vice president for strategic initiatives. Prior to that, Tomás was strategy director and innovation leader at Deloitte’s Consulting Energy and Resources Practice Group in Washington, D.C. He worked closely with fortune 500 energy and manufacturing companies to identify new opportunities arising from emerging technologies. Tomás’ career began at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California where he rose from a staff physicist to chief research officer and deputy director for science and technology providing oversight and strategic direction for the laboratory’s 1.6-billion-dollar research program.
So, with that introduction, I am thrilled to work with you and to have you here as a guest, Tomás. You are bringing truly life-changing things to the University of Oklahoma. Welcome and thank you for being here.
[TOMÁS DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Thank you, Joe. The pleasure is mine. It’s great to be here. Thank you.
[HARROZ] Fantastic. We first met, you might tell those who are listening and watching, about how you and I first met.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Yeah, how can I forget? It was a wonderful time. It was a great day. My wife, Clara, was with me and we got to meet with you in your office at the Heatlh Science Center. And really what captured me about that moment was the enthusiasm and the vision for taking what was already an excellent research university, the University of Oklahoma, and taking it to the next level. Taking it really into the top-tiers of research universities in the nation. You know, you made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. It was exciting, and it is still exciting today and it will continue to be exciting for a long time to come.
[HARROZ] It’s remarkable and I’m so glad to have you as a guest. We obviously began and we started in this role for VP of Research and Partnerships, but almost immediately we drew upon your consulting skills and you were one of the critical members putting together the strategic plan for the university. You might tell us how that experience was for you.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] It was a fantastic experience. I love strategy. I always have. My job is to try and focus and think about the future strategically, about where an organization can go, how to take an organization to the next level. And the opportunity to be part of that team to be able to Lead On the university’s strategic plan. To work with the faculty. To work across campus. And you and your team was magnificent. It was an exciting time. It was a difficult time. We had to figure out how we were going to do what we did, but we did it. I think it’s really, truly, an example of what a strategic plan for a university is to look like. It’s not a paperweight, it’s actionable, it’s tactical, it’s strategic at the same time. It’s really great work.
[HARROZ] It is because of the work you put into it. For those who have not yet seen it, it’s at ou.edu/leadon. You were instrumental in it. Especially with the fifth pillar in the Lead On plan which was laying out the strategy for excellence in research for the university. And you came at this in a way, before we get into all the great things that are happening in research, you might just tell our listeners and viewers your thought process of how you architected that strategy for research.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Yeah. I came about it from the perspective that, you know, as a planet, as a society, we face tremendous challenges in the twenty-first century. We face global challenges for us today and for future generations, that require us as universities to be creative, innovative, to identify opportunities to create solutions to these global challenges. I came to it from that perspective. And then we started quickly trimming down to what are those challenges and how do they map into Oklahoma, how do they map into the nation and how do they map into the world. So, we created a framework around that concept of global challenges that I think is serving the university well and I think is serving society very well.
[HARROZ] Well it created a framework that we’re now living by. I know that in our vernacular we talk about verticals and horizontals. But really the verticals are those grand challenges that we at OU under this strategic plan are going to be tackling. Could you list what those grand challenges are?
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Yes, I can. I think the most exciting thing about those verticals, which are aerospace and defense & national security, energy and environmental sustainability, the life sciences and the future of health and society & community transformation. Those four verticals really represent the areas in which what we as a university can focus and bring all our disciplines, all of our colleges, departments and expertise across all the campuses of the university to truly tackle these grand challenges that are going to impact Oklahomans, the nation and the world.
[HARROZ] Yeah, I think this is so important. For me, until you arrived, I hadn’t thought about trying to take all of the disport areas of research done at OU’s leading research university, and trying to answer the question, ‘What are those big initiatives we are going to work to help change lives? How do we change lives through this?’ The work that you did with your colleagues brought forward these four big ideas, these four grand challenges. I want to cover each one of those four and I want to talk about how we achieved those. Can you give me an example of each of those?
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Yes, let me start with aerospace and defense & national security. The University of Oklahoma has tremendous assets, and you and I have talked about this. We believe that it is the role of a university in the state and the country to help our war fighters, to help our military succeed in their mission to protect us, to give us that security that we so much relish. We have focused, because we are here in Oklahoma, strongly on work that is relevant to Tinker Air Force Base, and the mission of Tinker Air Force Base and the sustainment of the air force fleet of airplanes that we need to protect our nation. We have also focused strongly on the application of our radar capabilities that we have developed over the decades for predicting and understanding weather. We have taken those technologies and are now applying them to very important national security challenges. To critical issues that our adversaries who are real, who are there, who are trying to do harm to us, are putting in front of us, issues that are very important to solve. I think we are bringing solutions to our military on the critical path to success.
[HARROZ] And all this was derivative of the incredible work done over the last twenty years with the National Weather Center.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Absolutely.
[HARROZ] And then from that we‘ve now created, Bob Palmer, Dr. Palmer and his entire group, what many folks don’t know is the most advanced radar research center and development center in the United States and arguably worldwide. And it’s here in Norman.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] It is in Norman. It’s remarkable. It truly is the top research innovation laboratory in the nation. We’re seeing that as we move to develop the next generation of weather radar for the nation, that is going to help us better understand extreme severe weather, save lives along the way with all the other programs we have at the National Weather Center. It’s helping us now transition those technologies and advance and develop those technologies against the major threats that we face from our adversaries around the world.
[HARROZ] And a lot of people wonder and don’t know that among the federally research enterprises around the atmospheric sciences that we are ranked number one in the country.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Number one in the country, Joe. Absolutely. When it comes to atmospheric science and meteorology research, we are second to none. We are way ahead of the pack, and we continue to make tremendous progress with the relationships that we have with our federal consorts are tremendous. The relationships that we have with the state and the local communities, as we bring those technologies to help predict severe weather. It helps us attract the best faculty and the best students in the country here to Norman.
[HARROZ] Yeah, it’s stunning. I could talk about this part forever. It’s obviously important to the University of Oklahoma, critical to the state and our nation, those who we work with and protect. Could you walk us through the next step of the strategic research areas?
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] The next vertical that we focused on is energy and environmental sustainability. You know, we live in a world today that is undergoing an energy transition. We live in a world that in the next twenty and thirty years is going to see energy demand grow by fifty percent or more. Globally, our world in which we are concerned greenhouse gas emissions. When you put all that together, the challenge we all face is tremendous. It is our ability as a university to leverage our knowledge of oil and gas of the subsurface, the geology of the subsurface, with our technologies in engineering and our great chemical engineering and other engineering departments. To bring together ideas around this energy transition. What are the next generation energy transition technologies that we can help invent, that we can help working with companies, bring to market so that we can solve this challenge that we face over the next twenty, thirty years, is really exciting.
[HARROZ] And this involves the reality of cleaning and oil and gas, carbon capture, of clean hydrogen, we talked about geothermal at the top of the show, that’s a great example of converting abandoned oil and gas wells into constructive geothermal energy. And sort of the range of energy transitions to make sure we can power the nation.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] That’s exactly right. We’re very excited about bringing hydrogen into the economy. We think that hydrogen is a great transition fuel that is going to augment oil and gas. It’s going to give us another approach to creating fuels and energy sources that can be decarbonized over time. There is tremendous amounts of enthusiasm and excitement across the state of Oklahoma with all the private sector companies, as well as across the nation in realizing the potential of the hydrogen economy over the next decades.
[HARROZ] Well this isn’t fair. I want to spend a lot of time on each of these. I know our time is limited. There’s so many thoughts and ideas banging around in my head right now. Let's turn now to the third strategic research vertical.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Yes, the third one is around the concept of bringing and developing the basic research in the life sciences that will help us succeed in our clinical enterprise at the Health Sciences Center. It’s in partnership with the Health Sciences Center, the future of health. How do we develop those technologies? Those scientific advances that are going to help us cure diseases, like cancer, like diabetes, in partnership with the Health Sciences Center. So, we see ourselves in Norman as helping the Health Sciences Center by providing basic scientific capabilities, new knowledge, new discoveries that will help advance the clinical mission. It is truly exciting. It’s a new era for us in this space. We are really excited about the new partnerships that are developing.
[HARROZ] And it’s stunning. When you look across, it’s amazing how many researchers on the Norman campus are a part of the Stephenson Center drug development clinical trials and all of those that go with it. It really is the idea of taking drugs from the laboratory all the way to the bedside of the patient.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] I’ll give you another example, Joe. One area which today’s important in the clinical enterprise is diagnostics. Diagnosing disease accurately particularly from medical imaging. Data science that artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques are making tremendous advances in helping physicians better diagnose disease. We’re in the middle of that. We’re among the leaders in the country in that respect. Winning grants from the National Institution of Health, that are going to help us advance those technologies, again in partnership with the Stephenson Cancer Center and others, to truly save lives.
[HARROZ] It’s stunning. I want to get to other topics, but I want to make sure we hit our fourth and final strategic research vertical. You might tell us about that.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Yes, we refer to that as the society and community transformation vertical. Really the idea emanated from when you look at technology today, there are a lot of questions today in society as to the impact of that technology. The advances in social media, data science and artificial intelligence – how do they impact society? We talk about the positive aspects of how technology impacts society, but there are also negative aspects in which technology is being developed so quickly globally around the world. See, for example, what is happening in China, with the utilization of artificial intelligence in imagine to essentially control the population. We’re starting through the Institute for Society and Community Transformation, topics like that. How does social media impact perceptions and opinions on the political stage and in many other places? Also, frankly, bringing the social sciences and the humanities with the STEM disciplines to understand issues like health disparities and why are some populations in the nation exposed to more disease like heart disease or cancer or diabetes than other populations? What can we do to eliminate those health disparities in society?
[HARROZ] Yeah, and this is where you see the power and beauty of a comprehensive research university at this scale, because you have social scientists and folks in the humanities working on each of these areas in a way that looks at the whole person, the whole problem, and delivers these global solutions. That has as few externalities as is possible.
Alright, when we went through the process of bringing you on, you said, ‘I’m a good start, but we’re going to need some real horsepower to bring with me.’ You came from Purdue and one of the things you talked about was each of these key research areas, there are those things that you must have that are the foundation for solving those problems. You called these the horizontals. Those things that you must have to solve these grand societal challenges. Can you talk for a minute about what those are and who you’ve brought in to help us have what we need to truly solve these opportunities and challenges.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] You know we truly have an amazing team at the university. Many faculty who was already here at the university, others who we have brought from outside, particularly in these horizontals. What they mean is, as you say, we need to have technical expertise and capabilities across specific areas that are going to enable us to be successful on the verticals.
[HARROZ] Let me try this. So, if we are trying to solve a huge problem around national defense, around radar. You have to have those researchers, but they need those who can help them in their areas, and that includes areas like data science, that includes areas like quantum physics and the application of physics and engineering. You brought in great minds to do this, you might talk about those individuals and what they do.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] We have brought in some really world class faculty, researchers, scientists, engineers, like Dr. David Ebert who came from Purdue. He was the leader of Purdue’s cyber security center, which was one of the top in the nation. He came and joined us here on the promise of this very exciting research that we are launching here at the university. This vision to be at the top. And he has been the data scientist institute for societal challenges, we call it. He brings in data science, artificial intelligence across all the verticals. The latest, most innovative ideas and technologies to solve those grand challenges. Specifically in the areas of quantum physics, quantum research and technology, we brought to the university Dr. Venky Venkatesan. He truly is an inspiration. He’s a world leader in this space. He was just appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society in the U.K. which is just a reflection of the wonderful work he has done over his career. He’s the type of leader that is empowering junior faculty to aspire to new achievements, to excellence. He’s really a force of nature that is helping us transform the university.
[HARROZ] It’s stunning. So, to solve these grand challenges, you must have the underlying capabilities that provide the infrastructure you need. People like Venky, calling someone a Member of the Royal Society “Venky” seems wrong, but these are truly world class individuals that are bringing this to bare here at the University of Oklahoma. They came in no small part, in some cases, exclusively because of the leadership you brought. I'm just remarkably thankful for that.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Well, I’d like to point out also Joe, another one of these horizontal areas which is very important to the point you were making earlier, is on public policy research and analysis. We have outstanding faculty at the university in that space that are truly world leaders in developing an intersection of technology and policy. Dr. Hank Jenkins-Smith and Dr. Carol Silva lead that institute. That brings what we think about the next generation of life sciences technologies, is not just about the science, but its about the regulatory environment, the public perception, the policy issues that go along with any of these challenges that we face. That’s why it’s important for us to have as one of our horizontal areas of expertise this area of public policy research and analysis.
[HARROZ] Okay, so all of this has taken place over your last two years. How are we doing?
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] I think we are doing really well. It’s not really for me to say, but if you look at the numbers, the numbers, I think, speak volumes. You mentioned that we were ranked number one in the nation in atmospheric science and meteorology. That’s a historical strength of the university, but I think at the same time you know we have been growing our research enterprise and our ability to compete for federal research dollars in the state and corporate has really increased. Right now we are growing at a rate of about twelve percent per year, thirteen percent per year. I’ll buy that return anytime.
[HARROZ] Well and in fact, it is by our own measures it is exceeding what we thought was, as you and I sat down with others and we laid out what was our greatest aspirations, it is for us to become an AAU-caliber institution. Truly among the elite research universities in the country. We laid out a multi-year plan, and in that plan the hope was, and the need was to grow at seven percent per year. And obviously that has been eclipsed.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] We have eclipsed that to the point where we are the number one research university in the state by a lot. But we are among the top fifty research universities in the nation. That’s a big deal. We’re not the largest public university but we are among the top fifty and growing. Scaling those rankings. When you look at the university together as an enterprise, Health Sciences, Norman, Tulsa, we rank in the top eighth percentile in research expenditures. We have been gaining ground over other public universities year after year over the last three years.
[HARROZ] It’s remarkable. And the research is not just theoretical, it’s applied. One of the strengths that you brought was how do we use our research enterprise to change lives, improve the economy of the state, to improve the lives of others? You might, see your title we talked about and the one you insisted on was not just ‘VP of Research’ but ‘VP of Research and Partnerships.’ Just a couple of minutes about partnerships and why that’s so important to you.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] It is important. At the end of the day, new knowledge changes lives if it gets out into society. And to get into society you have to create partnerships. Those partnerships that we’re developing here in Oklahoma with the state, with companies, are helping bring new companies to create new demand for new jobs for high tech areas. Those partnerships are crucial to our success if we want to have a true impact on society. That’s why I insisted on that title. It’s one of the things that drives me and makes me excited. Working with excellent faculty at the university, we are creating an innovative ecosystem around OU that I think for years to come will have huge impact on the economy and the well-being of Oklahomans and the nation.
[HARROZ] I can tell you what you’ve done, already in the two and a half years you’ve been here, has been remarkable. Bringing everything you had in your time consulting at Deloitte, from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories to your time at Purdue. It's been a great two and a half year, which I know is just the beginning. As you look out say, five to seven years, what do you hope to see us accomplish as a university?
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] I think when you look out over the next five years, you’re going to see the University of Oklahoma truly as a leader in research in the nation in some of the areas we talked about. In the energy transition, in national security and defense. In bringing life sciences discoveries to the clinic, to the patient. In quantum technologies, artificial intelligence. The things that are truly moving the world to the next stage, that are going to help us make the planet a better place for future generations. That’s where I think we’re going to be, Joe. We have incredible faculty. We have incredible students at the university. They’re committed to the mission of creating and transmitting new knowledge for the betterment of future generations and I’m excited about it. I think we’re on the path.
[HARROZ] I am smiling because two and a half years ago when we met, you, me and your wife Clara. You talked about making this big move from Purdue to the University of Oklahoma. We talked about the ability to change literally the face of Oklahoma and the lives of so many people. We talked about how in a short time, Oklahoma was a place where you could become a part of the fabric of society. Sitting here, it’s so much fun to share via podcast you and what you and Clara have done. What you’ve brought to our community and what you’ve brought to the university. Only two and a half years, you’ve become a part of the university family in a way that I think is really special. I can’t tell you how grateful I am and how much I enjoy working with you and being a colleague and a friend.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Well thank you. We do feel a part of the university. We are excited to be here. We’re a part of the community. It could not happen without your leadership and without the leadership of the team that you’ve built to take the University of Oklahoma to the next level. Thank you for placing your confidence in us.
[HARROZ] No, thanks.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] It was the best move we’ve ever made.
[HARROZ] Well I love it. It is for us as well. Look forward to so many years. We should focus more next time on my leadership. All kidding aside, what you’ve done is spectacular. What you’ve done with the faculty and staff that are part of the research enterprise. Everyone is working so hard. It’s not lost on me or anyone else that all of this progress is taking place during COVID. During two years of complete disruption. While we sit here in these chairs and talk glowingly about all the work that’s been done. I’m certainly not the one writing the proposals and doing all the hard work. When you see what our scholars are doing, what our scientists are doing, what our staff is doing, the amount of hard work to advance society and humanity, it is humbling and I’m grateful for your leadership and I know both of us are so grateful for all of those individuals that make these possibilities happen. So thank you.
[DÍAZ DE LA RUBIA] Thank you.
[HARROZ] I now want to congratulate the incomparable Patty Gasso and the women’s softball team for winning the school’s sixth national championship. It was a Red River Rivalry Championship series, so that made it even more memorable. Coach Gasso and her players have done so much for women’s sports in the last three decades. With games being broadcast on ABC and primetime on ESPN, women’s sports are becoming more prevalent across the country as a result. This is the full realization of Title IX. Coach Gasso and her championship teams have been a large reason for that, and we are so proud of them
And finally, I want to congratulate Coach Skip Johnson and our baseball team for their incredible run to the College World Series in Omaha. Although they came up short against a great Ole Miss team, we could not be prouder of our baseball players, coaches and staff. What a season. After starting off a little shaky, the team regrouped and won the Big 12 tournament and brought a lot of pride to the Sooner nation through the NCAA tournament. We look forward to the future of our baseball program as well as look forward to the future upgrades of L. Dale Mitchell Park
Congratulations to our women’s tennis coach Audra Cohen. Following the best season in the program’s history where her team won the Big 12 Conference crown and reached the national championship, Cohen was recently named ITA National Coach of the Year. In addition, senior Ivana Corley was named the National Arthur Ashe Leadership Award winner. Our future in women’s tennis is heading in the right direction with Cohen’s leadership and great players like Ivana.
We are experiencing a tremendous showing by all our athletic programs, and we still have half a year left of 2022.
And finally, I want to welcome our fantastic men’s golf coach, Coach Ryan Hybl. Coach, thank you for joining us. It is an absolute pleasure to have you. It is rare for a person who is your friend, who then comes to the university. You took over thirteen years ago as the men’s head golf coach. While we kid a lot and we’re friends, what you’ve done over the last thirteen years is stunning. Eleven consecutive presences in the NCAA Tournament. Once again making it to match play, the final four teams in the country playing for a national championship. What you have been building is impressive. So lucky to have you at the university. Thanks, and tell us about the season and the outlook for the coming year.
[RYAN HYBL] Well I appreciate you having me on. It was a fantastic year, one for the record books for us. We picked up seven wins this year. Probably even more, we had the toughest schedule in the country.
[HARROZ] Can we pause here. You picked up seven wins of tournaments this year. Is that a school record? That’s stunning.
[HYBL] Yeah, that’s our record book keeping all the way probably all the way up to the mid-eighties. We’ve had some big-time teams historically with our golf program. This one was one for the record books like I just said. It was incredible. The amount of momentum that we were able to sustain and maintain throughout the year was incredible. All the way through Big 12 Championship and the Regionals where we hosted at our lovely Jimmy Austin OU Golf Club. And then to the national championship. We finished tied for first in stroke play. We lost to Arizona State in the first round, but just can’t say enough about this great squad. What they’ve accomplished. The effort they put forward. Yeah it was about as good a season as you can have without hoisting the national championship trophy, which is what we’re all gunning for.
[HARROZ] Yeah, it was an incredibly exciting year. As you know since you’ve played with me, I love the game. For some reason I couldn't make it when I came to OU, back with the ‘89 National Championship team. But I follow you closely in your career and followed the players this year and what they’ve produced. Especially since it’s a young team this year. And you all did an absolutely remarkable job. I do want to add, in addition to the work they’ve done you were named the National Coach of the Year. Which is just a huge accolade not just for you but for the school as a whole. I just wanted to recognize that and say congratulations.
[HYBL] Thank you. It’s one of those awards that says we play great golf. It’s purely a program award. I love that. When our program gets recognized as being one of the best programs in the country, that’s special. It's special to be at a place like the University of Oklahoma, where we have the opportunity, not just in our sport, but in multiple sports. You saw it all spring long, with softball, with baseball finishing up like they just did. Obviously with women’s gymnastics and men’s gymnastics. Everyone is competing at such a high level here at the university. It’s truly special. We kind of chuckle on our golf squad how other programs might talk about how they’re so-and-so football school or basketball school or golf school. We do everything great here at the University of Oklahoma, it is truly a special time to be here.
[HARROZ] It is. I mean, just this spring alone like you said, it’s been something you could never imagine, and the great thing is that it’s being sustained. Our crew of coaches could not be better. As you look out over the next few years, knowing what you’ve already done the last thirteen years, even though you’re way too young to call it this yet, but what you are building is truly dynastic. A lot of folks have jumped from job to job, you’ve been here for thirteen years. Some folks leave when it’s convenient. Some folks take other opportunistic positions, and you’ve put in thirteen years here. We hope you’re with us forever, but as you look at this program where we are today. What’s been built over the last thirteen years. How do you project this program over the next three to five years?
[HYBL] Well that’s what we’re working on right now with recruiting efforts. With our facilities. We’re getting ready to make some extreme changes to the Charly Coe Center and a performance center that we’ve been kind of working on for many, many years. I’m thinking about the next three to five years but I’m actually thinking that much more, fifteen to twenty years, to be honest with you, kind of a macro level. Trying to make sure that we are in a position to continue to grow as a program. Because having a great golf program is truly special because golf connects so many people. You know, our sport is unique when football guys basketball guys get done, they want to play golf. When softball girls get done, they want to play golf. Everyone wants to eb connected to the golf program which allows us some opportunity to continue to build and develop our program into the best in the country which is where we’re heading and as we move into the coming year, we’ve got some great recruits coming in. We have a great schedule. Looking forward to just kind of seeing. We had some big transition, Chris Gotterup, the best player in the country this past year, Logan McAllister, finished second on the PGA Tour U. Both of those guys are playing professional golf now. So we’ve got some big shoes to fill. We’re going to have nice experience coming back from some of the younger guys. But we’ve got to develop our guys into having a little more firepower, so these are the years that excite me that much more because we don’t quite know what we have just yet. And when the guys get back on campus, you know we will put our head down and get after it like we always do and be excited for the opportunities ahead of us.
[HARROZ] That’s great. Whenever my son, who’s coming here as a freshman here next year, was going through his golf season at his high school, I asked, ‘What are your hopes for your golf your senior year, any thoughts about playing in college?’ He immediately said, ‘Look, I can never play for Ryan Hybl.’ Because he inherited his dad’s genes, he had no chance. What you’re doing is special, truly grateful for it. Can’t wait to watch the next years to come. Congratulations on ana amazing season that’s a culmination of thirteen years of hard work. Congrats to you and the program for getting National Coach of the Year. Can’t wait to see what’s next, Coach.
[HYBL] Thanks, Joe, I appreciate it.
[HARROZ] Alright, see ya soon.
[HYBL] Thanks
[HARROZ] Thank you everyone for listening to conversations with the president. I want to thank our guests Tomás de la Rubia and Coach Ryan Hybl. Don't forget to subscribe to Conversations with the President. I'm looking forward to our next conversation.
