STILLWATER – There is sadness on the Oklahoma State campus. What has been reported for close to 18 hours is absolutely true. Dr. Kayse Shrum is resigning as President of Oklahoma State University.
Shrum became the President in June of 2021. She will leave in June, making her tenure four years.
It is unbelievable anyone would want a President to resign who has been as successful as Dr. Shrum in leadership, fundraising and strategic planning. Our reports are that the negotiations of a resignation began last week. The Oklahoma State and A&M Board of Regents will officially announce the resignation early Wednesday morning. It will be interesting to see if there are any further developments revealed on this story.
The 19th President of OSU, Shrum faced a lot of challenges such as the continuing effects of COVID-19 and within six weeks of taking over as President Big 12 founding schools University of Texas and University of Oklahoma announced they were leaving the Big 12 Conference, and that caused major disruption and concern in the conference. Dr. Shrum was a leader in the Big 12 recovery including a heavy hand in hiring Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark.
Shrum became more visible on campus, often taking walks during the day to meet and speak with students. Shrum became active in student causes. This was a purpose she saw for the entire university and the land-grant mission under which it was established. She initiated a plan for the Oklahoma State future through a strategic planning process. The result was the We Are Land-Grant strategic plan that included projects and strategy to establish OSU as the nation’s premier land-grant university by addressing societal problems, providing world-class education and preparing students for future challenges.
Dr. Shrum showed her prowess at fund raising that she used in Tulsa to build up OSU-Tulsa and the Oklahoma State University Medical School. Dr. Shrum is a 22-year veteran of the OSU system having started as a faculty member at The Oklahoma State University health Sciences Center in Tulsa in 2002. In 2013, she took over leadership of Oklahoma State University Medicine.
She is capable of dealing with important leaders and celebrities, putting her foot forward for the betterment of the school or entertaining students and being as casual as you would expect a university president to be.
Dr. Shrum enjoyed Oklahoma State victories in academics as well as athletics. She especially enjoyed the win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, her first year as President. She enjoyed all the trips of Cowgirls softball to Oklahoma City for the NCAA World Series.
She was a huge friend to athletics having been a student-athlete herself as a softball pitcher. She understood the role of athletics, and especially football, at Oklahoma State and the future of the school and the athletics department.
Throughout Shrum’s tenure, Oklahoma State University has set multiple enrollment records, including the highest undergraduate enrollment, largest first-time freshman class and becoming Oklahoma’s largest university system. OSU also set records for non-residents, Honors College, Spears School of Business, Native American, first-generation, online and new graduate students. Despite this growth, OSU has maintained flat tuition and mandatory fees for three consecutive years, emphasizing student access, STEM education and workforce readiness.
Relationships, fund raising, competitive attitude and ability to motivate faculty, coaches, athletes, and students. She checked all the boxes of a modern-day President.
I encourage all Oklahoma State constituents to seek for themselves why this would have happened. It shouldn’t have.
Reports are the Oklahoma State and A&M Board of Regents have plans to announce and interim President later this week. Shrum, who will receive a settlement, also has had some very attractive future opportunities. I do know she wants Oklahoma State University to do well and will do all within her power to continue to do that while she is still on campus (scheduled until June). Shrum and her husband, Darren, who was also very active on campus, as well as her children that attended Oklahoma State, will continue to support the university.
