NEWS
NORMAN, Okla. – For the second year in a row, the University of Oklahoma is the No. 1 university to work for in the state of Oklahoma, according to Forbes.
The University also maintained its position as No. 6 in the magazine’s annual list of America’s Best Employers by State, which recognizes employers with at least 500 employees.
“To receive this recognition again is a great honor and a reflection of the intentional choices we make every day to support our people,” said Dorothy Anderson, vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer. “From compensation to benefits, our goal is always the same: to build a workplace where faculty and staff can do their best work and build lasting careers here at OU.”
For five years running, the university has sustained a merit-based raise program for eligible employees, continuing to invest in recruiting and retaining top faculty and staff at OU. That commitment extends to health coverage — as premiums have climbed nationally, OU has taken proactive steps to keep costs below the national trend, including a competitive bidding process for medical and pharmacy benefits and health navigation tools that help employees make cost-effective care decisions. This September, for the third year, OU will conduct the Gallup Q12 survey, a research-backed tool, to measure and strengthen engagement among faculty and staff. The university’s broader benefits package also includes paid parental leave, an expanded slate of paid holidays, educational benefits for employees and their dependents, career development opportunities, wellness programs and employee discounts.
For the eighth annual list, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 245,000 employees at companies with at least 500 people in the U.S. The survey measures every aspect of the employee experience, including wages and benefits, management style, company reputation, flexibility and career advancement opportunities.
The complete Best Employers by State 2026 list is available on the Forbes website.
To learn more about careers at the University of Oklahoma and to view current job openings, visit jobs.ou.edu.
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 healthcare needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
New research from the University of Oklahoma, published in Hepatology, identifies a protein in liver cells that appears to help drive the development of liver cancer associated with obesity-related fatty liver disease.
A decade-long partnership between the University of Oklahoma and Southcentral Foundation, an Alaska Native-owned, nonprofit health care organization based in Anchorage, Alaska, has been awarded a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to grow and strengthen a research workforce serving American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.
Soami Ellis, a recent OU graduate, has become the university’s first professional helicopter major to earn a CFI rating. This milestone is made possible through a recently established School of Aviation program made in partnership with Semper Fly Helicopters in Norman.
