LAWTON — OU Board of Regents approved health insurance rates and Physical Sciences Center improvements at its September meeting.
OU president reports
OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said the implementation of the “Lead On, University” strategic plan is responsible for the university’s recent growth.
“The real secret sauce is having a crystal clear strategic plan, having measurable outcomes, holding yourselves accountable and having a board and an executive leadership team that understands their roles and their obligations,” Harroz said.
Harroz said improving Oklahoma’s health care system has been a major challenge.
“Our state has remarkable needs that we have to continue to try and grow, …” Harroz said. “We’re making good progress and we’re growing, and that’s good, but it has to be a statewide effort.”
Harroz said the OU College of Medicine and the OU College of Nursing have seen increases in enrollment. According to Harroz, the College of Medicine welcomed over 200 new students this year, a 7% increase from the past several years’ of enrollment.
“(We’re) trying to make sure we can do all we can to meet those workforce needs that are so critical, especially in the areas of health care,” Harroz said.
Health insurance rates
The news: The board approved the 2026 medical and dental premium rates for active employees and retirees under 65 for the Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa campuses.
According to the agenda, OU will introduce two new health care vendors and renew contracts with existing vendors:
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma will manage medical coverage for active employees and retirees under 65.
• Rightway will manage a separate pharmacy benefit for active employees and retirees under 65.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma will continue to manage dental coverage for active employees and retirees.
The 2026 plan shows a 6.4% rate increase for active, benefits-eligible employees and a 27.82% increase for non-Medicare-eligible retirees, according to the meeting’s agenda. Employees enrolled in the preferred provider organization plan would see their monthly contributions increase ranging from $4.30 to $54.02.
Employees in the high-deductible health plan will see monthly contribution increases ranging from $1.68 to $35.32.
Dental premium rates for employees and retirees will increase 9.72% with monthly increases ranging from $3.04 to $8.70 on the basic plan and $5.02 to $14.38 on the alternate plan.
What they’re saying: Harroz said consultants have anticipated a 10% annual increase in health insurance costs for at least the next five years. This would amount to $14 million with no plan change or increase in benefits, according to Harroz.
“It’s brutal and quite frankly, it’s not sustainable, …” Harroz said. “If they had done nothing, then we would have had about a 15% increase in our cost this year because of the claims experience.”
Harroz said there is no planned design change for active employees yet, but the university could consider changes in the near future. He said the university pays about $140 million annually for its retiree health insurance plan.
“This is a nationwide issue,” Harroz said. “It’s one all employers, all individuals have to deal with.”
Harroz said OU provides access to health insurance to pre-65 retirees, stating the 3% tuition increase, which will bring in a revenue of roughly $8 million, will help the university subsidize insurance costs.
Harroz said a letter will be sent to employees and those who are affected by the change with more details.
“I cannot guarantee there won’t be any planned design changes next year to try and deal with this because you can only make so many compression components in the current plan design,” Harroz said.
The vote: The board unanimously approved all health insurance rate modifications.
Life Sciences Laboratories Building
The news: The board approved the design development for the previously-approved Life Sciences Laboratories Building and authorized the preparation of construction documents.
The board first approved the project in 2024 as part of the Campus Master Plan of Capital Improvement Projects to serve as space for lower-level chemistry and biosciences laboratory classes, provide new research facilities, and replace outdated laboratory spaces located in the Physical Sciences Center.
The 105,000-square-foot facility will be located south of the Physical Sciences Center and north of Ellison Hall. The building will hold 25 teaching labs, preparation space for the teaching labs, a 250-person auditorium classroom and research space for life sciences, including all support spaces needed to support research staff.
What they’re saying: Harroz said the increased enrollment of students in STEM courses drove the university to review the facilities on campus. He said the previous facilities were outdated and have remained the same as they were when he was a student.
“There was a discussion about the increased percentage of STEM students,” Harroz said. “One of the great limiters for us was: Do we have enough?”
Harroz said the project will cost an estimated $100 million, with $80 million raised through state funding and an additional $20 million donated by an anonymous, private donor.
The vote: The board unanimously approved the improvements.
Tuition
Regent Eric Stevenson said the average undergraduate tuition cost has declined by 27% due to an increase in available scholarships and financial aid.
“OU is leading and preparing the workforce needed for the future across multiple student outcome measures, …” Stevenson said. “OU has achieved the results while reducing costs for students through tuition discounting, scholarships and other non-loan aid.”
At its June meeting, the board approved a 3% increase in tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate and graduate students at the Norman campus for the fifth-consecutive year. Students at the College of Law received a 5% tuition increase.
Student tuition revenue allows the university to hire additional faculty, according to Harroz.
“Because (students) pay tuition, we can hire more instructors and more lecturers, more professors,” Harroz said after the meeting.
This story was edited by Thomas Pablo and Ana Barboza. Sophie Hemker and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.