The First Woman to Be Named President of a Public Research University in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma State University A&M Board of Regents has selected Kayse Shrum as the nineteenth president of Oklahoma State University. When she takes office on July 1, Dr. Shrum will be the first woman to lead a public research institution in the state of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State University enrolls more than 20,000 undergraduate students and more than 4,000 graduate students, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 50 percent of the undergraduate student body.

A native of Coweta, Oklahoma, Dr. Shrum has been serving as president of the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, Oklahoma, since 2013. She joined the faculty at the medical school in 2002. Earlier, she was a practicing pediatrician in rural Oklahoma.

“I am humbled and honored by this announcement,” said Dr. Shrum. “I am also thrilled because outside of my dear family, OSU has a special place in my heart. Leading the OSU Center for Health Sciences and helping students, faculty, and staff come together to create something truly impactful to our state has been immensely rewarding for me. To lead our vibrant university and the system, which is so vital to our state on many levels, will be the greatest challenge and honor of my professional career. I am looking forward to this opportunity with high anticipation.”

Dr. Shrum is a graduate of Conners State College in Warner, Oklahoma. She earned a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.