Skip Navigation

Office of the President

Joe Harroz Jr., President of the University of Oklahoma with students

 Together, as a university community, we endeavor to become worthy of our past – the tremendous legacy we have inherited – and to deliver on our promise of changing lives for generations to come. 

– President Joseph Harroz, Jr.



Inauguration of the 15th President of the University of Oklahoma

Joseph Harroz, Jr. was inaugurated as OU's 15th president and delivered his vision for the future of the university on September 17, 2021.

See Inauguration Highlights



 

 

Messages and Statements

Stephenson Cancer Center

A Message from President Harroz – Celebrating NCI Renewal at Stephenson Cancer Center

May 05, 2023

Today, the University of Oklahoma and our health care partner OU Health are celebrating a significant milestone: OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center at OU Health Sciences has achieved renewal of its status as a National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center. This accomplishment recognizes the cancer center’s continued growth as a statewide cancer network that provides leadership in patient care, research, education, and community outreach. Patients who are treated at an NCI-designated cancer center have improved long-term survival rates and better quality of life, and renewal of this distinction will undoubtedly save countless lives and enhance care for the people of Oklahoma.

Pride of Oklahoma marching

A Message from President Harroz – There's Only One Oklahoma

February 24, 2023

We’re only two months into the new year, yet we’ve already seen a cascade of achievements worth celebrating at the University of Oklahoma. From setting new records for research expenditures, to announcing our early move to the SEC, to bringing in the highest number of undergraduate applications in OU history, to gaining momentum toward our historic $2 billion fundraising goal, the building blocks for our university’s next chapter are materializing right before us.

Interlocking OU logo, SEC logo, Summer 2024

A Message from President Harroz – OU Moving to SEC

February 09, 2023

Today we announced that the University of Oklahoma and the Big 12 Conference agreed to terms that will enable us to officially join the SEC for the fall 2024 athletics season, pending final approval of the OU Board of Regents. This comes one year earlier than originally expected, and we are pleased we could arrive at this decision in close collaboration with Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark and other Big 12 Conference members. Together, we created a path forward that delivers the stability and certainty we have all sought over the past 18 months.

  

Lead On, University

Officially launched in July 2020, Lead On, University defines a clear plan for the Norman campus’ future and the comprehensive strategies to achieve it. As the university’s first Strategic Plan in a generation, it aims to position OU as a top-tier public research university that fosters a culture of innovation, excellence, and inclusivity.

The heartbeat of the Strategic Plan echoes the university’s fundamental purpose – We Change Lives – three small but powerful words that affirm who we are and inspire our path forward.

  

  

Follow @ou_president on Instagram