On Saturday, the University of Oklahoma removed the interim tag from Joseph Harroz’s title and named him the school's 15th President. Harroz has served as the interim president for nearly a year, following James Gallogly's resignation in 2019.
The day before, Harroz updated the OU Board of Regents on the health and financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Harroz said new freshmen committing to go to college is down two to three percent. And retention rates of students already at the university is also down five to six percent.
A reduction in students and their tuition payments, plus a state budget reduction will lead to rough times financially. But, unlike a lot of colleges around the country, the university is poised to make it through the coronavirus crisis.
"Hopefully, if we do this right, not just get through it, and our touchstone for success isn’t survival. It’s coming through it stronger than we were before," Harroz said.
Harroz also addressed fall sports at OU. He said the Big 12 Conference will ultimately decide if fans will attend games in Memorial Stadium this fall, or if football can even be played. However, he said the school is working with the conference to figure out how sports can be played safely.
Football is an important source of revenue for OU, generating more than $100 million last season.
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