OSU Board of Regents remains quiet on sudden resignations
STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) – Oklahoma State University's Board of Regent announced a new Interim President on Friday, but didn't answer to the sudden resignations seen throughout the last week.
'We got an email saying she left and then we got an email saying who the interim president is and that's it really,' said a student on campus.
Many students and others expressed frustration as to what seemed like a lack of communication surrounding the entire situation.
The OSU A&M Board of Regents accepted former OSU President Dr. Kayse Shrum's resignation on Wednesday.
News 4 also confirmed with an unnamed OSU spokesperson that Elizabeth Pallard resigned this week as well.
Shrum and Pollard both sat in leadership positions for the Innovation Foundation. According to the university, the Innovation Foundation is a mediator of sorts connecting campus research with its expertise. The foundation is home to organizations focused on aerospace, energy, and health.
News 4 learned through NonDoc Media that right before Dr. Shrum's departure the Board of Regents approved motions to freeze funding and hiring related to OSU's Innovation Foundation.
Dr. Shrum also released a statement to NonDoc Media.
On Friday questions were directed at a Communication Vendor standing in to speak for the Board of Regents, Donnelle Harder.
'The timing is what it is, the board's constitutional responsibility is to navigate the financials of the university and when issues came forward they addressed those on Friday,' said Harder Friday.
OSU A&M Board of Regents accepts President Kayse Shrum's resignation
As for the now interim president, it was announced that Dr. James Hess would take Shrum's spot for now.
'The board is confident that Dr. Hess will provide the steady leadership needed to continue advancing OSU's momentum and its land-grant mission,' the OSU/A&M Board of Regents said in a statement. 'His deep institutional knowledge and dedication to student success make him the ideal choice to guide the university during this time. Dr. Hess has a proven track record of leadership and innovation, and his ability to drive meaningful progress will serve the university well in the months ahead.'
The vendor didn't answer most other questions that were asked.
'There's been a lot of accusations about a lack of transparency, do you wish to address those?,' asked a reporter from the Oklahoman.
'I don't. I'm not authorized to speak on behalf of the university,' Harder said.
'But the university hasn't answered anything we've asked of them. So who do we speak to? They're not speaking to us. People are upset about it.'
'Details, I think details are emerging and they're going to share what information they can as it becomes available,' said Harder.
The minutes for the meeting from January 31 aren't on the board's website available. Instead, it stated that it had to get approval from the board before it would be available.
News 4 reached out to several other members who are listed on the website as being in leadership roles surrounding the Innovation Foundation. No others got back to us.
The unnamed spokesperson for OSU said that there were no other resignations within the group that he knew of as of Friday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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