A Letter from OU President David Boren

I believe that raising significant private support for scholarships is the single most important challenge facing the University of Oklahoma. We have moved up significantly in all national rankings. Our student body is one of the most talented in the nation. Our dream of seeing OU listed in that small group of the very best public universities in the country hinges upon our ability to continue to attract outstanding students and faculty members.

Over the past 20 years, state support as a percentage of the University budget has fallen from 40 percent of the total budget to only 20 percent. This results in a need to increase tuition, which means we run the risk that very outstanding and deserving students will not be able to come to the University. In 2005, we were able to give scholarships to fewer than half of the students who applied for them, and many young people who wanted to attend OU had to select other schools or community colleges for financial reasons. These young people deserve a chance to come to OU. We are also having an increasingly difficult time in competing with universities in the region – against well-funded scholarship programs at the University of Arkansas and the University of Texas – for the very best students.

More funding for scholarships, including our Sooner Heritage Scholarship program for middle-income students, will mean the doors of OU will remain open for all students, including academically outstanding students and young people whose great leadership potential will make them great citizens in the future. The opportunity to attend OU has changed thousands of lives since our University was founded. Increasing private scholarship support – particularly endowments – will help us continue to change lives of deserving young people for generations to come. Please join us.

David L. Boren, President