OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) — Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday signed two executive orders aimed at tightening accountability in Oklahoma’s public higher education system and aligning campuses with workforce needs. The measures direct state agencies and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to deepen outcomes tracking, study accelerated 90‑credit bachelor’s degrees, and tie a share of higher‑ed funding to employment, affordability, and economic‑development results.
Executive Order 2026‑08 directs enhanced tracking of post‑graduation wages, job types, hours worked, and employment locations; a 90‑day feasibility study on 90‑credit‑hour bachelor’s pathways; outcomes‑based decisions on program approval and sunset; and performance‑based funding tied to workforce outcomes and state priorities. Executive Order 2026‑07 establishes a statewide accountability policy for tenure, keeping tenure at research universities with mandatory five‑year reviews and performance standards, while phasing out new lifetime tenure at regional universities and community colleges in favor of renewable contracts linked to teaching effectiveness, completion, job placement, and economic alignment. Existing tenures remain, subject to review, and institutions must certify compliance to the Regents.
Stitt positioned the moves as a push to keep graduates in Oklahoma and speed time‑to‑degree while linking faculty employment to measurable results.
“Here in Oklahoma, we want to deliver higher education that meets workforce needs and keeps our talent at home. It’s a win-win,” Stitt said. “I’m pushing for a 90-hour bachelor’s degree pathway to cut costs and get students into good jobs. I am also pushing tenure reforms that tie accountability to performance at public institutions.”
The Regents and the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission are charged with implementation and reporting, with the 90‑hour degree feasibility due in 90 days under EO 2026‑07. Tenure policies under EO 2026‑06 move to reviews at research universities and renewable, performance‑based contracts at regional and community colleges, with institutional compliance certifications to the Regents.
