NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma Michael F. Price College of Business recently unveiled a statue of the college’s late namesake.
Price’s statue was created by OU School of Visual Arts Professor Sohail Shehada and is located outside the north entrance of Price Hall, facing Asp Ave. and Campus Corner down the street.
Price, who attended OU from 1969 until graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance in 1973, continued to give back to his alma mater until his passing in 2022. In 1997, Price made a historic donation of $18 million to the College of Business, which was considered the largest single gift given to a public university at the time.
That gift funded several faculty positions, a library endowment, scholarships and graduate assistantships, and an MBA student support center. The gift also endowed the Price Scholars program for OU MBA students to travel to New York to participate in internships on Wall Street, take courses and live at NYU.
“Michael F. Price transformed the trajectory of the College of Business with his incredible gift, resulting in the first college at OU being named after a benefactor,” said Laku Chidambaram, the interim dean of the college. “His gift, which was among the largest received at that time by a public business school, led to the building of Price Hall and the recruiting of world-renowned faculty to endowed Price Chairs.”
The college's building is connected to historic Adams Hall, where Price attended as a student. Price Hall was dedicated in 2005.
The statue unveiling was preceded by an event headlined by speakers including OU President Joseph Harroz Jr., Interim Dean Chidambaram and OU Athletic Director Joe Castiglione. Price’s wife, Jenny, his children and, grandchildren were also in attendance.
“Having spent over 30 years of my life here at the university, you see so many figures that are so formative,” said Harroz. “One of those that seemed larger than life to me was Michael Price.”
Harroz spoke about Price’s graciousness towards the university he loved. The president connected Price’s “generational story” through the experience of his son, who is a finance major at the Price College of Business. He rounded out his speech by highlighting the upward trajectory of the college as a direct result of Price’s love for the university.
“He was fearless and a step ahead of the competition,” Harroz said. “He saw opportunities where others saw none, and he would routinely turn lumps of coal into diamonds.”
"Here’s what I have observed in my nearly 25 years at OU: When people talk about their relationship with the Price College of Business, they simply say, “I work at Price” or “I go to Price” or “I give to Price” … the “business” part is implied because Michael Price is synonymous with business.,” Chidambaram added.
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 3:29 p.m., Dec. 6, 2024, to include the contribution of the sculptor, Sohail Shehada.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
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