ICYMI: Governor Stitt Discusses Education Progress, Future Priorities For Higher Education with State Regents

OKLAHOMA CITY (February 5, 2026) - Governor Kevin Stitt offered remarks during a meeting with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education this week in Oklahoma City.

He highlighted recent higher education achievements like 88 percent of degrees aligning with workforce needs, and research breakthroughs at OU (weather & radar, defense & aerospace, cancer) and OSU (rural health, drones, agriculture) while outlining future priorities such as tenure reform, 90-hour bachelor's pathways, and apprenticeship expansion.

Watch the speech here.

Speech as delivered:

Well, it's an honor to be with you. First, I want to thank you for your service to the state. You have such an important job directing higher education across Oklahoma. On behalf of four million Oklahomans, thank you for your service. You don't get the credit you deserve, and I appreciate your leadership. I'm honored that you've accepted the challenge to put yourself out there and lead with integrity.

Since I became Governor in 2019, we've watched OU and OSU undergo great wins both academically and in sports. To brag on OU for a second, they've won four national championships in gymnastics and four in college women's softball. Oklahoma State has won two cross-country championships, which I'm proud of, and a golf championship just last year. David Taylor has OSU's wrestling program doing amazing things. And in OU's second year in the SEC, they made the college playoffs, which is incredible.

I got a call early one morning, back in 2021 from Governor Abbott. He asked, "Governor, what are we going to do about the most pressing issue facing our two states?" I thought, "Border?" But he said, "What are we going to do with OU and Texas going to the SEC?" I replied, "I don't think we can get in front of that train." But it's a new day in higher education when, at my State of the State address, I look up and see the OU president and OSU president holding hands.

Our universities are positioning Oklahoma students for success in any field they choose.

Take nursing, for example. When I first became governor, hospital CEOs told me we had a nursing shortage in Oklahoma and needed higher ed to train more nurses. I went to OU Health and asked how many nurses they were graduating. They said 250. I asked how many applications they were getting, around 550. I said, "Why can't we train all 550 if they want to be nurses here in Oklahoma?" We pushed past faculty ratio excuses by benchmarking against competitors like Texas A&M. One of my favorite press conferences was with OU Health's Joe Harroz when they announced accepting all 600 nursing applicants.

Today, we've turned that into a huge victory: over 1,000 new nurses from OU in 2024 alone. They added an LPN-to-RN program and an online option. We're meeting workforce needs- that's what higher ed should do.

Get with industries, figure out the demand, and meet it. It's simple. If we do, companies will keep coming here for our labor.

You've risen to the challenge. I challenge our university system to prioritize degree programs matching workforce needs, like engineering (Boeing needs more), Tinker-related fields, healthcare, and computer science. In 2025, 88 percent of degrees and certificates awarded align directly with Oklahoma's top workforce needs. Our public higher ed system has seen five straight years of fall enrollment growth, something I'm proud of.

Back in 2019, I brought Joe Harroz and Burns Hargis together and said, "Let's grow our universities to 40,000 students." We were in the twenties then, stagnant since I was a freshman at OSU in 1991. Some worried about out-of-state students frustrating the legislature, but let's educate Oklahomans and attract Texans who fall in love with our state and stay. Today, we're closing in fast on 40,000 at 36,000 now. Joe told me he didn't think it was possible, but you're crushing it.

Early on, from my business background, I challenged OU and OSU on research: Focus on what you can be number one in the world at, not everything. Stop competing academically, compete in sports.

OU picked weather & radar (perfect with our weather center), defense & aerospace, and cancer research (big announcement at the Stephenson Cancer Center in Tulsa). OSU is killing it in rural health (we just got a $250 million federal grant over five years, huge for our 28th-largest state), defense & drones (with the FAA center), and agriculture. They should control their IP to make money on seeds and innovations.

This growth expands our entire system of regional universities, two-year colleges, research hubs. In Tulsa, we ended exclusivity restrictions, expanding OU and OSU undergraduate offerings. It took a bill and lawsuit settlement, but it gives students options and meets local workforce needs. This momentum means thinking about integration and outcomes, not silos. Stay at the table for Tulsa's future.

On career tech, we have 122,000 students in secondary programs. Streamlining into higher ed pathways positions us for top 10 national workforce readiness. Make it permeable: career tech to bachelors.

I took an NGA trip to Switzerland and was amazed. They treat workplace learning as education. Compulsory schooling ends after ninth grade; 15-year-olds sign paid apprenticeships (about 1,000 Swiss francs/month). The CEO of UBS and Lufthansa's Tulsa president started as apprentices. About 90 percent of kids do this half then go to university with real skills and job offers. It doesn't foreclose options.

Boeing started something similar in OKC. I signed Senate Bill 95 last year to limit company liability for student apprenticeships. Reimagine education like this.
I want to brag on Sean Burrage and your team: You reduced agency staffing from 210 to 191 FTEs, a nearly 10 percent cut, while advancing initiatives. Great example of taxpayer mindfulness.

Today, I'm filing an executive order for an outcome-based system. Public colleges must consider student wages and employment when approving or sunsetting programs. Last month, you closed 41 programs and put 193 on action plans, keep it up.

I'm also directing a 90-hour pathway to bachelor's degrees (pilots in Massachusetts, Maine, Indiana, Utah). It speeds workforce entry and keeps us top 10.

I'm filing another executive order spurring boards to enact tenure reform. No taxpayer-funded job should skip performance reviews. Standardized teaching loads or research dollars don't let tenured professors teach nothing and research nothing. This session, I'll push tort reform to cap wrongful termination suits, enabling removal of underperformers. Oklahomans’ back excellence, not privilege over performance.

In closing, we're doing amazing things: equipping students, keeping talent home, climbing rankings. Thank you for serving. Help us finish strong.

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