Oklahoma State University Appoints New President
Oklahoma State University has promoted Interim President Jim Hess to become its next president.
The OSU A&M Regents approved Hess' appointment at a meeting Friday at Panhandle State in Goodwell.
Jim Hess will be the university’s 20th president. He served as interim for a little more than two months after former President Kayse Shrum swiftly resigned amid questions over the OSU Innovation Foundation, which she was integral in operating.
"I am honored by the board's trust and excited about OSU's future," Hess said following the vote. "We share a commitment to our students, an awareness of our challenges and possibilities, and a bold vision for this institution.”
Hess has more than 20 years of experience at OSU and more than four decades in higher education.
Hess will get an initial three-year term.
Rick Walker, the board’s vice chair, made the motion for the appointment and said Hess has taken action on important issues and legislative priorities while engaging with the OSU community.
In a university news release, Hess said the moment does not belong to him. It belongs to the university’s students, faculty and alumni.
New Education Board Members Challenge Ryan Walters Over Changes to Social Studies Standards
New members of the State Board of Education pushed back against State Superintendent Ryan Walters at a meeting Thursday.
They disagree with the process for approving new social studies academic standards that had quietly added 2020 election denialism rhetoric.
Since the board’s February meeting, the three new members appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt have repeatedly raised concerns about the process of voting on the new standards.
It was revealed to the public after the vote that the standards had been updated to include election denialism rhetoric.
At Thursday’s meeting, member Chris Van Denhende disputed Walters’ downplaying of the legitimacy of members’ concerns.
"It is a controversy because the changes were not known to the public or the people that were involved in developing the baseline standards, and they feel there was a bait and switch," Denhende said.
The department distributed a packet with a copy of the email sent to board members around 4 p.m. the afternoon before the standards vote.
That information ended up in a Senate Joint Resolution filed Thursday by Education Chair Adam Pugh to reject the standards. It must pass both chambers to take effect.
State Lawmakers Left With More Questions After Mental Health CFO’s Testimony
State lawmakers are continuing their investigation into the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
The latest special committee hearing Thursday focused on the department’s budget crisis.
The department reports it’s $43 million short of its budget.
To understand why, the House of Representatives called interim CFO Skip Leonard to testify.
Leonard struggled to provide clear answers and lawmakers grew increasingly frustrated, questioning his qualifications.
Representative Ellyn Hefner said she’s concerned about what oversight means for the state.
“Respectfully, Mr. Leonard, do you recognize your lack of knowledge and skill? Why would you stay in this position, with all these months going by, making critical decisions that have definitely hit providers in our districts?” Hefner said.
The department’s financial struggles have sparked concern among providers across Oklahoma, who rely on state funds to deliver essential behavioral health and substance abuse services.
Orphan Oil Wells in Oklahoma Aquifers Could Pose Risks To Groundwater Quality
Orphan wells are unused oil wells that don’t have a designated person or company responsible for maintaining or capping them.
A new study that looks at risks those wells pose for groundwater, including in Oklahoma.
Oklahomans get more than half the water they use from aquifers. But the same areas that hold those underground water supplies are also sprinkled with orphan oil wells, said Josh Woda, a researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey.
“What really stood out to us about this region was really just the sheer number of wells within a relatively small area of these aquifer systems,” Woda said.
The Ada-Vamoosa aquifer, which covers a stripe of Oklahoma from Osage County to Seminole, has more orphan wells per square mile than any other major aquifer in the country. And there are no records about the age of any of them.
While that doesn’t necessarily mean the Ada-Vamoosa has contamination issues, it does mean it’s at risk.
The researchers say they hope these findings spur further studies on how to manage orphan wells and prevent them from affecting water quality.
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