The Oklahoma Senate has confirmed Eric Stevenson to a full seven-year term for the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents. The vote was 45-1. An OU graduate, he was appointed to the Regents by Gov. Kevin Stitt and his appointment was carried by Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat.
The Board is a seven-member official governing body of OU, Cameron University and Rogers State University.
“We are very pleased to have Eric join the Board of Regents. I particularly appreciate the leadership and support of the State Senate and Senator Greg Treat for their deliberative process and support of Eric’s confirmation. Eric’s large corporation experience in organizational leadership, governance, and communications, as well as being a loyal OU graduate will be most beneficial and impactful as a member of the Board,” said Chairman Leslie Rainbolt-Forbes.
“OU is fortunate to have a leader join its Board who is passionate about the role of a comprehensive university in the lives of our students and the economy of the state. I appreciate the Governor’s vision for the tremendous asset Eric will be to our university and our plans for the future,” said James L. Gallogly, OU President.
Stevenson is a 1985 graduate in business administration, and has served on the OU Price College of Business Finance Advisory Board. He is the senior vice president of retirement plans distribution at Nationwide Retirement Plans. Prior to this position he served in various roles at Nationwide Financial including as vice president of marketing and senior vice president and chief sales officer.
Stevenson met last week with OU student leaders. He shared his gratitude for his opportunities at OU and pointed to his job as a Resident Advisor in the dorms, his fraternity activities, and his internship at Proctor and Gamble as important building blocks for his successful career. He expressed his support for efforts to control increases in tuition to assist first generation college students.
Established in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a doctoral degree-granting university and leader in research, healthcare, and academic activity impacting the state of Oklahoma and global community. The Norman campus enrolls more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City enrolls more than 3,000 students and the OU-Tulsa campus enrolls more than 1,000. Of the 4,385 incoming freshmen in 2018, the average ACT score is 26.2 and is one of the most diverse and inclusive groups of incoming students in university history. OU began a new focus in 2018 to double research efforts in the next five years, promote OU Medicine as the healthcare provider of choice in the state of Oklahoma, and grow the university in northeastern Oklahoma.
