"Public regional universities, which educate more than 54,000 students in the state combined, "shall not grant new lifetime tenure appointments," the order states. Instead, they may hire faculty under fixed-term, renewable contracts, and the renewals are dependent on professors' performance, student outcomes, "alignment with workforce and Oklahoma economic needs" and "institutional service." Faculty members at these institutions who already have tenure may retain it."
"Stitt's office did not return Inside Higher Ed 's request for comment Thursday, but Stitt told the conservative think tank Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) that "no job funded by taxpayers should be exempt from regular, meaningful performance reviews, whether you're the governor or you are a university professor." "Don't let someone teach no classes and bring no research dollars in, right? ... That's pretty silly,""
The governor issued an executive order ending new tenure appointments at regional public universities and all community colleges in Oklahoma. Regional institutions educating more than 54,000 students shall hire faculty on fixed-term, renewable contracts with renewals tied to faculty performance, student outcomes, alignment with workforce and Oklahoma economic needs, and institutional service. Faculty who already hold tenure may retain it. National Center for Education Statistics data reported 761 tenured and 412 tenure‑track faculty at Oklahoma regional colleges in 2024. Public research universities may still grant tenure but face mandatory post‑tenure review at least every five years and possible dismissal for sustained performance failures.
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