OU President Joseph Harroz entered an employment agreement with the Board of Regents effective Sept. 1, which was released to the OU Daily on Oct. 7. 

Harroz was appointed university president May 9, and his contract was requested by The Daily on May 14. Read more about the details of the agreement below: 

Salary and bonus 

According to the contract, Harroz will be paid $500,000 annually, to be paid in “approximately equal installments” in line with the university’s usual payroll processes. This is the same yearly sum as outlined in former OU President James Gallogly’s contract.  Harroz’s salary and performance will be subject to review by the regents every summer, with a focus on implementation of OU’s strategic plan approved by the regents in July 2020, including the OU-Tulsa campus and the Health Sciences Center.

Harroz’s annual salary will not be decreased without a written agreement between him and the regents, according to the contract, and any increase will be decided on solely by the regents. The regents may also “periodically review” and pay bonus compensation to Harroz, and any bonus compensation will be at the sole discretion of the regents, in such amounts and at such times as they decide. 

Position and duties 

According to the contract, Harroz will report directly to the regents and its chair. His duties include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Institutional, student, faculty, athletics and educational leadership and management 

• Budget creation and long-term strategic planning 

• Maintenance of university leadership’s relationship with local, state and federal governments 

He will be able to manage his own personal, financial and legal affairs, serve on “civic or charitable committees,” or the board of directors or any similar governing body of any corporation, as long as such activities don’t interfere with his duties as president/CEO. 

Term 

The contract is set to expire Sept. 1, 2025, as Article X, Section 23 of the Oklahoma Constitution limits the regents’ ability to make a contract that provides state-funded pay for more than one fiscal year. The contract will be automatically extended for a one-year period annually, according to its text, unless the regents provide a written notice to the contrary.  The written notice must be provided 30 days prior to the contract’s anniversary date in any given year. 

Expenses and benefits 

Harroz will be reimbursed for “all reasonable employment-related expenses” for himself and his fiancee/spouse after “reasonably itemized” statements of those expenses are presented, in line with OU’s and the regents’ policies. According to the contract, Harroz and his fiancee/spouse will fly coach class for domestic flights and business class for international flights. 

Harroz and his spouse and dependents, as defined by the relevant policy, will be entitled to any benefit plans or programs offered by OU for its employees, according to the contract. He will be eligible to participate in any pension, retirement, savings and other employee benefit plans and programs offered by the university. He will also be entitled to all employment benefits as outlined in the faculty and staff handbooks, and other plans the regents or university may create, like any supplemental retirement plans. 

Post-employment

Upon the ending of Harroz’s employment as university president/CEO by the regents for any reason other than termination, Harroz will remain a tenured member of the OU College of Law and will take an initial one-year paid sabbatical. His annual salary will be equal to the highest-paid College of Law faculty base salary at the time.