Okla. Admin. Code § 1:2017-38
To the Honorable Members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the Honorable Members of the Oklahoma State Senate, the Oklahoma Chancellor of Higher Education and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education:
WHEREAS, the State Regents Task Force on the Future of Higher Education is currently reviewing the structure of Higher Education in Oklahoma, an effort that I commend and support;
WHEREAS, due to shrinking resources across the country available for Higher Education several states have recently undertaken or considered consolidation measures including Connecticut, Georgia, and Nevada;
WHEREAS, administrative consolidation will allow for more effective distribution of resources and educational programs throughout the state to better serve students and meet the needs of our economy;
WHEREAS, administrative consolidation will allow higher education to focus on the areas that will strengthen career pathways and result in fewer dropouts and more students graduating on time; and
WHEREAS, administrative consolidation will also lead to significant administrative savings, including, but not limited to, IT and energy efficiency savings.
I, Mary Fallin, Governor of the State of Oklahoma, pursuant to the power and authority vested in me by Sections 1 and 2 of Article VI of the Oklahoma Constitution, and to strengthen and support efforts at efficiencies in the best interests of the State of Oklahoma, hereby direct as follows:
In order to stabilize funding and strengthen public confidence, the Oklahoma Chancellor of Higher Education and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall develop a plan to be presented to the Governor and Legislature for the administrative consolidation of universities, colleges, centers and branch campuses by December of 2018. I further direct the Chancellor and State Regents of Higher Education to execute the plan by December of 2019.
Copies of this Executive Order shall be distributed to the Oklahoma Chancellor of Higher Education and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, every member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, every member of the Oklahoma State Senate, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Secretary of the Senate, and the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Oklahoma to be affixed at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, this 21 day of November, 2017.
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA
Mary Fallin
ATTEST:
Dave Lopez
Secretary of State
Okla. Admin. Code § 1:2017-38