Oklahoma's six regional universities have lost top faculty candidates since Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order in February ending tenure for new hires at those schools.

The order, Executive Order 2026-07, directs the Regional University System of Oklahoma's six campuses to replace lifetime tenure with renewable contracts tied to performance and student outcomes. OU and Oklahoma State University are exempt.

The fallout is reaching Norman. OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. used his State of the University address on Sept. 2 to warn that OU must reform its own tenure practices or risk lawmakers imposing restrictions on the flagship campus. He pointed to national attacks on faculty governance and tenure as evidence the threat is real.

"We cannot say we are for shared governance, and then not do this, because it's disingenuous and they will take it away from us," Harroz said.

He announced a new presidential advisory council on "accountable shared governance," organized into three areas: faculty hiring, evaluation and curriculum; advisory input; and informational updates. Harroz said he wants the council's recommendations ready before the next legislative session begins in February 2027.

A bill that would have expanded the tenure ban to OU and OSU, Senate Bill 1782, passed the Senate Education Committee in March but stalled.

Regional schools feel the squeeze

Oklahoma Watch first reported that the six RUSO schools are struggling to fill positions without a tenure track to offer.

At East Central University in Ada, two of four vacated positions in history and criminal justice remain unfilled after lower-than-normal application rates and multiple candidate withdrawals. In the computer science department, the top candidate declined the job, and ECU hired its second choice.

ECU Vice President and Provost Jeff Gibson said the order has him worried about retaining the school's 26 tenure-track faculty members.

As of July 24, the six RUSO campuses had hired 44 faculty members who would have been on a tenure track before the executive order, according to data collected by the RUSO Board of Regents. Across the system, 661 of 1,287 full-time faculty are tenured, with another 269 on a tenure track.

Amy Anne Ford, a RUSO Board of Regents member, told Oklahoma Watch the ban is driving away top talent. She said smaller communities like Alva and Ada already struggle to recruit, and the loss of tenure adds another barrier.

The RUSO Board adopted a rule to honor tenure commitments for faculty already on a tenure track, aiming to avoid lawsuits.

OU exempt from ban

OU Provosts André-Denis Wright and Gary Raskob emailed faculty in February confirming the university will continue to award tenure based on internal merit processes, OU Daily reported.

Michael Givel, president of OU's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, called the executive order "an attack on academic freedom" in February. He warned that weakening instruction at RUSO schools could affect OU students who transfer from those campuses.

AAUP national president Todd Wolfson wrote in a February 2026 statement that the order strips away protections for academic freedom and will have consequences for students, families and the state's economy.

What comes next

Stitt will term out of office in January. His executive orders are set to expire 90 days after the next governor's inauguration unless the incoming governor renews them, according to the Oklahoma Policy Institute.

A group of state lawmakers called the RUSO Caucus is pushing to end the order before then. State Sen. Kelly Hines, R-Oklahoma City, a caucus co-chair, told Oklahoma Watch the ban is sending candidates to OU, OSU or out of state entirely.

At OU, Harroz is betting self-regulation will keep the legislature at bay. The advisory council's first recommendations are due before the February 2027 session.