Gallogly named new president of University of Oklahoma
The Associated Press and The Tulsa World - March 26, 2018 8:51 am
The University of Oklahoma board of regents announced its selection for the school’s 14th president Monday morning. James L. Gallogly will replace David Boren as university president following his retirement at the end of the academic year on June 30.
Regents appointed Gallogly during a special meeting at 7:30 a.m. Monday. A news conference to announce the decision is set for 10 a.m.
“I cannot wait to contribute to the place that played a major role in making me who I am, both professionally and personally,” Gallogly said in a statement.
Gallogly, a 1977 graduate of the OU College of Law, has had a highly successful career in oil and gas, holding many executive positions with Phillips, Chevron Phillips Chemical and ConocoPhillips before being named CEO of LyondellBassell Industries.
He led the company out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, transforming it into what is now one of the world’s largest plastics, chemical and refining companies.
He was a director on the board of DuPont, which merged with Dow Chemical in 2017, and currently serves as a director of Oklahoma City-based Continental Resources.
Boren, who turns 77 in April, has served as OU’s president for 23 years.
When announcing his retirement in Sepember 2017, Boren said he no longer has the “reservoir of energy” he once did, and that he believes the job requires.
Boren, who was installed as president in November 1994, is the institution’s 13th president and its second-longest-serving president. He said the university was in good shape, making it a decent time to step away.
Under Boren’s presidency, the university raised about $3.1 billion in private donations. With the acquisition of the Schusterman Center in 1999, OU began elevating its Tulsa presence, especially in the area of community medicine. It operates several metro area clinics.
Gallogly will visit the OU-Tulsa campus late Monday afternoon following news conferences in Norman and elsewhere.
“I’m here because I love the University of Oklahoma,” Gallogly said in a statement. “It’s a privilege to be part of the university, and I will work tirelessly with our outstanding students, faculty and administration as we achieve new standards of academic excellence.”
Boren said in a news release that he has known Gallogly many years.
“He is a person of exceptional ability and has been a committed supporter of the university. He truly loves the university and our students. He and his wife Janet will be worthy leaders of our university family. Molly and I both wish them well and will do all that we can to help them and the university that means so much to all of us.”
