Two professionals heading in different directions — one entering her job and the other leaving his — were special guests Monday at the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s Board of Directors meeting.
New University of Tulsa President Stacy Leeds spoke about plans for the school, and Tulsa Police Department Chief Dennis Larsen updated the audience on improvements in downtown public safety.
Leeds became the first permanent woman president in the university’s history on July 1. One of her first orders of business was dropping the school’s annual fees and tuition from $54,000 to $25,000 starting the fall of 2027.
Designed to increase accessibility to the university, the move was made to reduce the “sticker shock” for the families of students considering TU, Leeds said.
Before coming to TU, she served as vice chancellor at the University of Arkansas and dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University.
Leeds told the board she is interested in strengthening partnerships in Tulsa, particularly with businesses. She cited Arizona State University's recent partnership with Starbucks. Operating as the Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP), the program has resulted in nearly 20,000 employee graduates earning their first bachelor's degrees.
Named police chief in May 2024, Larsen is retiring effective Sept. 30 after more than 47 years in the department. His successor, current Deputy Chief Jonathan Brooks, was announced last week.
At the end of his talk, Larsen accepted a plaque from the Chamber for his decades of devotion to public service.
Before that, however, he touted TPD’s work on crime.
From 2020 to 2025, city homicides dropped 33.4% and since Memorial Day of this year, no violent crime has occurred within the Inner Dispersal Loop (IDL).
To improve downtown public safety, TPD has instituted mounted, utility task vehicle and electric bicycle patrols.
The department also is planning to establish a new patrol division for the first time in more than 35 years. The downtown division, which will police the IDL and other downtown-adjacent areas, is set to open sometime in late spring, Larsen said.