NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren has announced his plan to retire from the university.
Boren said during a press conference that he plans to retire at the end of the school year, June 30.
In a press release Wednesday, the university toted Boren's success in Oklahoma saying, "Boren’s retirement from OU will come after he completes 51 years of public service in Oklahoma. Boren is the first person in state history to have served as Governor of Oklahoma, U.S. Senator and President of the University of Oklahoma. He also served in the Oklahoma Legislature."
Read the full press release from the University of Oklahoma below:
"One of America’s longest-serving presidents of a major university plans to retire next summer. University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren announced today that he plans to retire after this school year.
His retirement will take effect June 30, 2018, unless a permanent successor has not been named by that time, in which case he will remain as President until the search is completed and his successor has been named.
Upon his retirement, he will have served as OU’s president for over 23 years. Boren thanked the OU students, faculty and staff who have been committed to excellence during his time at OU.
Boren also expressed his deep gratitude to his wife, Molly Shi Boren, for her full partnership during his tenure. Boren’s retirement from OU will come after he completes 51 years of public service in Oklahoma. Boren is the first person in state history to have served as Governor of Oklahoma, U.S. Senator and President of the University of Oklahoma.
He also served in the Oklahoma Legislature. Under President Boren’s leadership, the University of Oklahoma has initiated more than 30 new programs and has become a pacesetter in public higher education.
Throughout Boren’s 23-year presidency, OU has experienced significant improvement in academic rankings, program growth, private fundraising, national scholarship awards, internationalization, research output, graduation and retention rates, application numbers, student satisfaction, athletic achievement and every other major metric of institutional excellence.
OU became the only public university in U.S. history to rank first among all universities, public or private, in National Merit Scholars enrolled. It also became the only university in the nation whose students won the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Goldwater, Fulbright and Truman scholarships in the same year.
During his tenure, OU has ranked in the top ten public universities in private fundraising with over $3 billion raised from private donors. Private scholarships for students have quadrupled and endowed faculty positions have increased from 94 to over 550.
Boren is one of a handful of university presidents across the nation who teaches an undergraduate course every semester. He will continue to teach a political science class after his retirement. A Rhodes Scholar, Boren was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the country’s oldest and most distinguished honorary societies. He will be inducted in October."
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