Joseph Harroz Jr. officially named University of Oklahoma’s 15th president

NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) – Joseph Harroz Jr., who has been serving as the University of Oklahoma’s interim president, has officially been named the university’s 15th president effective immediately.

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents unanimously voted Saturday to name Harroz the full-time president of the university.

“Joe Harroz is an exceptional leader,” said Gary Pierson, chair of the OU Board of Regents. “His deep devotion to OU and compelling vision for its future are precisely what the university needs. There’s no one better suited to lead OU.”

OU Chancellor Glen Johnson released the following statement regarding the Board of Regents selecting Harroz to serve as full-time president:

“We are pleased with the decision by the OU Board of Regents today to select Joe Harroz as the 15th president of the University of Oklahoma. I have had the privilege of working with President Harroz when he served as general counsel for the university and Dean of the OU College of Law. He is an energetic leader and a very strong and effective advocate for the University of Oklahoma and higher education. We wish him the best and much success as he begins his presidency.”

Chancellor Glen Johnson

Gov. Kevin Stitt lauded the selection of Harroz.

“I am extremely pleased with the OU Board of Regents’ decision to appoint Joe Harroz as the university’s next president,” Stitt said. “Joe is a devoted public servant and he has the leadership skills of a top chief executive. I am confident he will continue to lead OU successfully, ensuring its mission of service to state and society is fulfilled.”

Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis congratulated Harroz.

“On behalf of all of us at Oklahoma State University, we congratulate Joe Harroz upon his appointment today as the next president of the University of Oklahoma. There are many challenges ahead for higher education and we look forward with a shared purpose to working cooperatively and productively with Joe and his team for the betterment and advancement of Oklahoma,” Hargis said.

Harroz, who was previously the dean of the OU College of Law, has been the university’s interim president since May 2019.

Becoming full-time president is more than a dream job, he said.

“It’s a chance to pay back the debt I owe our university. OU changes lives every day. I know firsthand because it changed mine. I wouldn’t be who I am if not for the education my father – the son of Lebanese immigrants – received at OU, and the education that I also received from this extraordinary institution,” Harroz said.

Harroz graduated Phi Beta Kappa from OU in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, according to an OU news release.

He went on to earn a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University in 1992. He rejoined OU in 1994.

Harroz served as vice president for Executive Affairs. Then he served as general counsel, the chief legal counsel to the president, the OU Board of Regents, Rogers State University and Cameron University, for 12 years.

Harroz became president of a publicly traded health care company in 2008. He returned to OU in 2010 to serve as the dean and director of the OU Law Center and Fenelon Boesche Chair of Law. Harroz has taught law for more than two decades, focusing on employment, sports and health care law, according to the news release.

“At OU Law, Harroz also led efforts to create new joint degree and certificate programs to enhance the J.D., instituted a pro bono service commitment for all law students and launched the nation’s first-ever law school Digital Initiative, preparing students for success in the 21st century legal profession,” the news release states.

Harroz earned record national recognition, including the highest-ever U.S. News & World Report ranking by any Oklahoma law school and the first law school in the nation to achieve Apple Distinguished School status (Apple, Inc.), during his nine-year tenure as dean, according to the news release.

Harroz made a strong impression upon law students during his time as Law Center president.

Last May, Cameron Burleson, a second year law student at the time, praised Harroz, crediting him as the primary reason he chose OU Law.

“Dean Harroz has always been available; he’s always ready to meet with students,” Burleson said. “He really met with me early on in my undergraduate career and gave me all the tools to be successful to get to where I am now in law school.”

Bailey Betz, another student, also spoke with KFOR last year and praised Harroz’s friendliness and accessibility to students.

“Dean Harroz is the type of guy that would stop to talk to anybody in the hall,” said Bailey Betz. “He’s more than willing to give anybody his time, and listen and understand what they need and what he can do to help.”

Harroz has a way of making students feel visible, Student Government Association President Justin Norris said.

“Over the past two semesters, he has immersed himself within multiple perspectives of student life by attending campus events, conversing with students, and most importantly, listening to them. He is an advocate, ally and role model, and he possesses what I believe to be some of the most important leadership attributes: compassion, connectivity and drive – all of which I believe are reflected in his work this past year,” Norris said.