OSU-Tulsa is on the cusp of a unique opportunity, and OSU President Dr. Jim Hess believes the Tulsa Regional Chamber can help the school maximize it. 

“I’m 100% committed to doing what’s right for the city and metropolitan area to give it the four-year degree and graduate opportunities that this city so richly deserves,” Hess said. 

“I need your help because you guys are the leaders of this community. You all drive almost everything that has happened for Tulsa the entire time that I’ve lived here. I have such great admiration for the things that you have accomplished over the decades.” 

Hess on Monday addressed plans for OSU-Tulsa at the Chamber’s Joint 2025-26 Executive Committee meeting. 

Beginning in January, OSU-Tulsa will open its doors to freshman and sophomore students, marking the first time students can earn a bachelor’s degree from OSU without leaving Tulsa. 

It was made possible by the passage of Senate Bill 701, which allows campuses previously restricted from offering introductory- and intermediate-level courses to do so starting Nov. 1, 2025. 

Hess promised that the four-year program at OSU-Tulsa will seek to be a good partner for businesses. 

“We need more engineers; we need more accountants,” he said. “We need more folks with a business degree. And we need folks who are trained in analytics, AI [artificial intelligence]. Aerospace is big for us; it’s big for Tulsa. 

“What we really want to do is identify the things that you all in the business community want and deliver those and not be willy-nilly about what we offer.” 

Hess also said job preparation in the college environment is key, particularly the development of soft skills. 

“As a parent and a grandparent, one of the things I’ve noticed is that soft-skill development is in short supply in the up-and-coming generation,” he said. 

“There are lots of reasons for that. I blame it on social media and gaming, myself, but everybody has a different opinion. But we have work to do in soft-skill development.” 

In April, OSU Regents removed the “interim” from President Hess’ title. He took over after regents forced the resignation of Dr. Kayse Shrum in February.  

Hess has worked in the OSU system for more than 20 years and has been in higher education for 43. He was given a three-year contract. 

“My view of it was, let’s do three and see how things are,” he said. “What any institution needs is long-term continuity and stability…Let’s just see how things go.”