OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) — Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Chair Courtney Warmington said the state’s recent review of low-producing degree programs and new performance funding formula are designed to make higher education more responsive to students, employers, and the state’s economy.
In a guest column published July 5 in The Oklahoman, Warmington said colleges and universities must continue adapting as students and families weigh the value of a degree and employers face changing workforce needs.
“To remain a worthwhile investment for families and for our state, higher education cannot stand still,” Warmington wrote. “That future depends not only on expanded access to higher education, but on the relevance of the degrees students earn.”
Warmington pointed to the State Regents’ statewide review of 357 degree programs with low enrollment or completion rates. Campuses are phasing out some programs, pausing others, and reinvesting in programs that can improve enrollment, modernize curriculum, or better connect students with careers.
She wrote that programs tied directly to Oklahoma’s workforce pipeline will remain protected even when enrollment is modest.
“Workforce preparation is not just about numbers, but about meeting real needs in a way that is future-focused and responsive,” Warmington wrote.
The State Regents also recently approved a revised performance funding formula that will begin directing a growing share of institutional base funding through outcome-based measures in fiscal year 2027.
The formula evaluates institutions across four areas: enrollment, retention and student success, opportunity for priority student populations, and workforce outcomes. The workforce component includes measures tied to degree completion in STEM and other critical occupations, graduate employment, and wages.
Warmington said the new approach recognizes that research universities, regional universities, and community colleges serve different missions and student populations, while still holding institutions accountable for results.
“Beyond enrollment, institutions must help students finish what they start and leave with skills that translate to meaningful jobs,” Warmington wrote.
Oklahoma Business Voice previously reported that the revised funding model will phase in over several years until it reaches 25% of institutional base funding. State Regents leaders said the framework is intended to give campuses clearer incentives to improve student completion and align programs with workforce demand.
The Regents also approved a policy framework allowing institutions to propose 90-hour bachelor’s degree programs, though no individual programs have been approved. Any proposal must demonstrate workforce need and meet the same academic rigor expected of traditional degree programs.
Warmington said the state’s higher education system must continue showing students, families, lawmakers, and employers that public investment produces meaningful results.
“In a rapidly changing economy, that kind of responsiveness is not optional,” she wrote. “It is essential.”
