PRESIDENT, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY AND OSU SYSTEM

Position Description and Major Responsibilities

Oklahoma State University is a comprehensive research and land-grant university with statewide, national, and international responsibilities.  The University is dedicated to providing its students with exceptional academic experiences, conducting scholarly research and other creative activities that advance fundamental and applied knowledge, and disseminating beneficial information to the people of Oklahoma and throughout the world.  Strong and effective leadership is required for the University to fulfill its land-grant mission.

The University System serves more than 32,700 students on five campuses and offers more than 350 undergraduate and graduate degrees and options, as well as professional degree programs in medicine and veterinary medicine.  OSU has 13,942 total employees, including 2,167 faculty.  Major collegiate units on the Stillwater campus include colleges of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources; Arts and Sciences; Education; Engineering, Architecture, and Technology; and Human Environmental Sciences; the William S. Spears School of Business; and the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.  As President of the OSU System, the President’s responsibilities include the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, OSU-Tulsa, OSU Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa and its OSU Medical Center, OSU-Oklahoma City, and OSU-Okmulgee.

The President reports directly to the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma State University and Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges.  In accordance with policies set forth by the Board, the President provides overall leadership and direction for the University and components of the OSU System, hereafter referred to as OSU. 

The President is expected to:

• provide the vision and leadership needed to ensure that OSU anticipates the changing needs of society and responds quickly and effectively to those needs;

• work with a wide range of internal and external constituencies to develop and address priorities and strategic objectives which build on OSU’s strengths and opportunities and are consistent with the mission, role, and scope of OSU;

• implement processes that ensure the efficient, effective, and responsible use of OSU’s human, financial, and physical resources;

• nurture excitement and excellence in academic endeavors and reward intellectual achievement and service to the mission of OSU;

• position and create awareness of OSU as a leader with respect to growth, economic development, and enhancement of the quality of life within Oklahoma;

• be an effective ambassador to represent OSU to alumni and general public, business and government leaders, and the State Regents for Higher Education;

• take a proactive role in the generation of state, federal, and private funding needed to produce excellence in instruction, research, and extension/public service;

• play an interactive and visible role in the activities of OSU, seeking and effectively utilizing input from faculty, staff, students, and alumni on critical issues;

• embrace, expand, and harmonize the spirit of community and loyalty shared by all OSU constituents.