Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 244 By: Pugh
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5 AS INTRODUCED
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6 An Act relating to higher education; establishing the
6 School of American Civic Thought and Leadership at
7 the University of Oklahoma; providing purpose;
7 authorizing the school to perform certain duties;
8 providing for location of the school; directing the
8 school to operate as certain academic unit; creating
9 an advisory board; providing for appointment of
9 members, terms of office, expiration of initial
10 appointments, and filling of vacancies; providing for
10 appointment of a Vice President of Civic Thought and
11 Leadership by certain date; providing duties of vice
11 president; authorizing the vice president to perform
12 certain duties; providing for filling of vacancy;
12 directing the advisory board or its appointed
13 committee to conduct certain search by certain date;
13 directing the President of the University of Oklahoma
14 to appoint certain director from certain list;
14 providing for filling of vacancy; establishing duties
15 of the director; allowing award of tenure to certain
15 faculty; authorizing use of certain funds for school;
16 requiring submission of certain annual report by
16 certain date; providing contents of report; providing
17 for severability; providing for codification;
17 providing an effective date; and declaring an
18 emergency.
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20 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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21 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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22 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3319 of Title 70, unless there
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23 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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Req. No. 1244 Page 1
1 A. There is hereby established the School of American Civic
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2 Thought and Leadership at the University of Oklahoma. The purpose
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3 of the school shall be to:
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4 1. Educate students in the principles, ideals, and institutions
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5 of the American political order including the character traits and
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6 durable habits necessary to sustain that order;
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7 2. Educate students in the philosophical foundations of
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8 responsible leadership and informed citizenship;
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9 3. Promote and provide programming related to civic education,
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10 engagement, and discourse;
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11 4. Enhance education in the fields of political thought and
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12 science, American history and government, free market economics, and
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13 other related fields as appropriate, with a focus on the foundations
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14 of Western and American civilization including its great books, the
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15 rights and responsibilities of American citizenship, fundamental
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16 democratic principles and mores, and the ways in which those
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17 principles and mores are expressed in and through mediating
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18 institutions at the federal, state, and local levels;
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19 5. Provide viewpoint and ideologically diverse resources to
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20 students, faculty, state government agencies and actors, educators,
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21 and the general public regarding civic affairs; and
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22 6. Assist in ensuring that the University of Oklahoma serve as
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23 a robust marketplace of ideas for all students and faculty.
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Req. No. 1244 Page 2
1 B. To carry out the purposes set forth in subsection A of this
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2 section, the school is authorized to:
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3 1. Enroll students;
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4 2. Hire tenure-track and non-tenured faculty and supporting
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5 staff;
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6 3. Develop and offer in-person courses and online instruction
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7 in new graduate and undergraduate major and minor programs;
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8 4. Develop an undergraduate American institutions and civic
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9 knowledge course in anticipation of a future mandate requiring all
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10 University of Oklahoma students to complete such a course to
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11 graduate;
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12 5. Offer general education and honors courses including courses
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13 intended for incoming freshman students;
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14 6. Offer concurrent enrollment;
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15 7. Provide and facilitate internships and other relevant
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16 experiences for students and the general public;
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17 8. Hold events; and
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18 9. Take other actions as appropriate subject to the supervision
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19 of the school's director and the general supervision of the
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20 President of the University of Oklahoma.
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21 C. Upon its establishment, the school may be physically housed
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22 on the University of Oklahoma's Norman campus.
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23 D. The school shall operate as an academic unit within the
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24 University of Oklahoma.
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Req. No. 1244 Page 3
1 E. The school and its director shall be advised by an advisory
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2 board on matters related to the school including, but not limited
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3 to, staffing, curriculum, policy, and programming in accordance with
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4 the policies and procedures of the University of Oklahoma.
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5 1. The advisory board shall be comprised of nine (9) members to
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6 be appointed as follows:
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7 a. three members, one of whom shall be an active or
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8 retired academic or administrative employee of an
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9 institution of higher education accredited by an
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10 accrediting agency that is recognized by the Secretary
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11 of Education of the United States Department of
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12 Education, appointed by the Governor,
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13 b. three members, one of whom shall be an active or
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14 retired academic or administrative employee of an
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15 institution of higher education accredited by an
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16 accrediting agency that is recognized by the Secretary
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17 of Education of the United States Department of
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18 Education, appointed by the President Pro Tempore of
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19 the Senate, and
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20 c. three members, one of whom shall be an active or
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21 retired academic or administrative employee of an
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22 institution of higher education accredited by an
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23 accrediting agency that is recognized by the Secretary
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24 of Education of the United States Department of
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Req. No. 1244 Page 4
1 Education, appointed by the Speaker of the House of
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2 Representatives.
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3 2. Initial appointments shall be made by December 31, 2025.
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4 The terms of office of initial members shall be:
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5 a. one member appointed pursuant to subparagraphs a, b,
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6 and c of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall serve an
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7 initial term of two (2) years,
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8 b. one member appointed pursuant to subparagraphs a, b,
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9 and c of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall serve an
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10 initial term of four (4) years, and
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11 c. one member appointed pursuant to subparagraphs a, b,
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12 and c of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall serve an
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13 initial term of six (6) years.
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14 3. Initial appointments made pursuant to this subsection shall
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15 expire on May 31 of the final year of the term of office. Terms of
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16 office for subsequent appointments shall be six (6) years. Members
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17 shall serve until their successors are duly appointed. Members
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18 shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Vacancies
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19 shall be filled by the appointing authority.
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20 4. a. The President of the University of Oklahoma shall
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21 appoint a Vice President of Civic Thought and
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22 Leadership by December 31, 2025, who shall serve at
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23 the pleasure of the president. The vice president
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24 shall serve as chair of the advisory board created
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Req. No. 1244 Page 5
1 pursuant to this subsection, convene an initial
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2 meeting of the advisory board, receive appointment
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3 notifications, and serve as an ex officio member of
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4 the advisory board.
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5 b. If a vacancy in the position of Vice President of
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6 Civic Thought and Leadership occurs, it shall be
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7 filled by the President of the University of Oklahoma.
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8 During the term of the vacancy, the advisory board may
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9 elect from its membership an interim chair to serve
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10 until the vacancy is filled.
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11 F. By March 31, 2026, the advisory board created pursuant to
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12 subsection E of this section, or a committee appointed by the board,
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13 shall conduct a national search and transmit to the President of the
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14 University of Oklahoma a list of finalists for the position of
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15 director of the school. The President of the University of Oklahoma
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16 shall provide all necessary administrative support for the search.
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17 The President of the University of Oklahoma shall appoint the
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18 director from the list of finalists provided by the advisory board.
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19 If the position of director becomes vacant, the provisions of this
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20 subsection shall govern appointment of a new director. During the
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21 term of the vacancy, the President of the University of Oklahoma may
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22 designate a member of the school's faculty to serve as interim
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23 director until the vacancy is filled. The President of the
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24 University of Oklahoma may remove the director of the school in
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Req. No. 1244 Page 6
1 accordance with policies and procedures of the University of
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2 Oklahoma. The director shall:
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3 1. Report to the Vice President of Civic Thought and
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4 Leadership;
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5 2. Except for his or her own appointment, make all faculty and
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6 staff hiring decisions for the school;
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7 3. Operate the school in accordance with policies and
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8 procedures of the University of Oklahoma; and
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9 4. By March 1, 2027, and by each March 1 thereafter, develop
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10 and provide an annual strategic plan for the school to the President
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11 of the University of Oklahoma, the Vice President of Civic Thought
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12 and Leadership, and the advisory board.
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13 G. Faculty of the school may be awarded tenure subject to the
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14 tenure policies of the University of Oklahoma as adopted by the
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15 Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma and shall not be
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16 required to gain joint appointment in another division of the
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17 University of Oklahoma. If a faculty member is awarded tenure and
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18 the school later dissolves, the faculty member shall be relocated
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19 within another academic unit of the University of Oklahoma.
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20 H. The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma may use
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21 funds allocated to it by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
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22 Education and charitable donations to fund the school. Funds
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23 allocated pursuant to this subsection shall not supplant any
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24 existing state funding or charitable donations to the University of
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Req. No. 1244 Page 7
1 Oklahoma. Allocated and donated funds shall only be used for the
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2 direct operation of the school.
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3 I. By September 1, 2027, and by each September 1 thereafter,
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4 the President of the University of Oklahoma, in consultation with
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5 the director of the school, the school's advisory board, and the
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6 Vice President of Civic Thought and Leadership, shall electronically
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7 submit a report to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the
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8 Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairs
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9 of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House of
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10 Representatives Appropriations and Budget Committee. The initial
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11 report shall contain all relevant data from the founding of the
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12 school through September 1, 2027, including the following:
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13 1. The total amount of funding received by the school in the
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14 previous fiscal year;
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15 2. A description of the current faculty positions and the names
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16 and qualifications of the faculty members holding such positions;
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17 3. The names and titles of the members of the advisory board
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18 created pursuant to subsection E of this section;
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19 4. The number of students enrolled in the school's graduate and
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20 undergraduate degree programs and in concurrent enrollment;
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21 5. A description of the courses and degrees offered by the
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22 school;
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Req. No. 1244 Page 8
1 6. A description of significant community events, initiatives,
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2 and publications provided by the school during the previous fiscal
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3 year;
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4 7. A description of programs at the University of Oklahoma
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5 supported by the school; and
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6 8. A copy of the school's most recently approved strategic
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7 plan.
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8 J. The provisions of this section are severable and if any part
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9 or provision shall be held void, the decision of the court so
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10 holding shall not affect or impair any of the remaining parts or
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11 provisions of this section.
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12 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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13 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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14 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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15 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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16 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 1244 Page 9Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.