OSU interim president Hess shares goals, passions for university in new role

Yahoo

06-03-2025

When Jim Hess was named Oklahoma State University interim president Feb. 7, some people not familiar with his work had a question.
Who is Jim Hess?
Hess said it wasn't an uncommon question.
'My goal over the last 43 years is to have a low profile and just do my work,' Hess said. 'So, the fact that some people say, 'Who the heck is Jim Hess?' is actually a compliment.'
Hess sat in the OSU President's office, where, as of yet, the space isn't fully furnished. It was a space occupied a month ago by former president Dr. Kayse Shrum, who handed her official resignation to the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents on Feb. 5 in what appeared to be a sudden decision with little warning.
The soft-spoken Hess, known for hard work behind the scenes, discussed his new role, his passions and his goals for the university.
'Let me start by saying that it's a real honor and a privilege to serve in this job,' Hess said. 'There have been lot of great people sit in this corner office over the decades, and I feel unworthy sometimes, having worked for many of those people in the past.'
Other days, he said he feels like the 'fastest three-legged dog,' a phrase that showed that, although he may feel 'unworthy,' he's worked just as hard as anyone and proven it.
Hess has served the higher education system in Oklahoma for more than 43 years. In 2023, Hess was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.
Hess served as vice provost for graduate programs at the OSU Center for Health Sciences, helping to create what is now OSU Medical Center, the only osteopathic teaching hospital in the United States. He most recently served as CEO of the OSU Veterinary Medicine Authority and is designated as a Riata Faculty Fellow in the OSU School of Entrepreneurship.
Despite his accomplishments, his wife, Angela, told the News Press that sometimes he doesn't realize all he has done. She doesn't often get to say much about him, but when she has the chance, she wants to speak up.
'There's something really special and endearing about Jim, and I think it's his humility,' Angela said. 'If I wasn't married to him, I would want him to be my best friend, I would always want him to be in my corner, because what you see is what you get.'
Angela said stepping in as interim president and First Cowgirl was 'not on their radar.'
'We were headed to retirement, and we had been praying consistently every day … 'God, what do you want us to do? Where do you want us to go?'' she said. 'And then this came open, and we were both like, 'Oh, my goodness, this is no mistake.''
She said her husband works 16 hours a day, but she's never seen him complain.
Hess is a native of Henryetta, a town one hour south of Tulsa, where he said he grew up poor.
'This place changed my life, changed the direction of my life years and years ago, when I first came down here as a student,' Hess said. 'So, I felt like since the university's done so much for me, it's my duty to pay back and to serve.'
As a freshman, he came to OSU to study petroleum geology because he was intrigued by the oil and gas business. At OSU, his professors saw his potential and challenged him.
'I was gifted that experience of some great professors who inspired me to be a good student, to do the very best that I could and basically live up to the potential that they saw in me, saying, 'You can be an outstanding student, but you're going need to be motivated to be an outstanding student,'' Hess said.
One thing he is grateful for was the scholarship he received as a freshman from anonymous donors that enabled him to compete his education.
It's with this in mind that Hess wants to create those same opportunities for other students, especially those in need of scholarships. He said the Board of Regents has been 'holding the line' for the costs of student tuition and fees, but this means there is a greater need for private scholarships.
The student experience – from the time they arrive to the time they leave – is a window that is 'really the measure of success' and that depends on the financial pressures students face, he said.
'We like to measure ourselves by numbers, and that's important,' Hess said. '… But it's the student experience that really matters because when a student comes here, we have the opportunity to change their lives and change the trajectory of forever.'
A professor himself, Hess was responsible for creating several online graduate programs, including the Master of Science in Health Care Administration, the Master of Science in Global Health, the Master of Science in Medical Sciences, the Doctor of Health Care Administration and the Doctor of Forensic Sciences. He teaches the Healthcare Administration course at OSU Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, in addition to a Higher Education Finance course in the College of Education and Human Sciences in Stillwater.
The Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa became known as the 'only institution in the state's higher education system to achieve consecutive year-over-year enrollment growth over the last 10 years,' according to a Feb. 7 story published at OSU's website.
'Nobody in the graduate college teaches more than me,' Hess said. 'That's been true for the last five years. And here's why this is so important to me: the interaction with students … that change(s) me, and I hope it changes them.'
He said the close interaction with students as a professor helps him learn what students need, the challenges they face and how they're approaching them.
Hess said another area that he's passionate about is in making OSU the premier veterinary medicine university it used to be in the 1960s and 1970s.
As a freshman, his work study was in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
'I shoveled stalls – you know what that means,' Hess said. 'I was so proud to be there because the College of Veterinary Medicine was at its pinnacle, its high point. I was fascinated by the kinds of clinical work they did there and solving a lot of complex animal problems.'
Fast forward almost 50 years, he said, and he became the CEO of the OSU Veterinary Medicine Authority, the entity that supports clinical training, student training and the veterinary teaching hospital at the College of Veterinary Medicine. OSUVMA operates much like the OSU Medical Authority and the University Hospitals Authority in their support for the state's medical schools.
Hess said it was a 'full-circle moment.'
'I believe that everything happens that happens in life, happens for a reason,' Hess said. 'That's always been my philosophy.'
The opportunity to serve in his previous capacity has given him perspective that OSU can once again be the premier college for veterinary medicine.
'Here's what we once were, here's what we can still become,' he said.
Only 33 veterinary colleges exist in the United States, and OSU used to be ranked among the Top 1 or 2 of those colleges in terms of reputation, numbers of clinical volume, including referrals and procedures, but due to financial constraints has dropped in ranking.
Hess said it's important that OSU regains that status, because the agricultural economy of the state – including large animal food and production – is 'totally dependent on that very profession.'
'I think, with the help of our legislative partners, we can restore the College of Veterinary Medicine to the greatness that OSU deserves,' Hess said.
The No. 1 legislative priority is to build a new animal teaching hospital, Hess said.
As for the future, Hess said he's approaching his role with the idea of 'making the best decisions that are in the long-term best interests of the institution.'
'If at the end of whatever time period I'm here, if I can say that I left the place better than when I found it, then I was successful,' Hess said. 'And I think that's really the only measure for me.'
Hess also touched on the relationship between OSU and the community, noting that it was a great connection and not one found in many college towns.
'Everybody who works here (at OSU), lives here,' Hess said. ' … If you were going to describe the ideal place to put a university where the culture of the community is important, you couldn't describe a better place than Stillwater.'