Oklahoma State University-Tulsa President Pamela Fry plans to retire on Jan. 3 after 20 years at OSU, with the last five at OSU-Tulsa.

The decision is related to a family member’s illness and her last day in office will be early September. OSU President Kayse Shrum is expected to announce plans for OSU-Tulsa’s leadership transition soon.Fry became OSU-Tulsa’s third president on July 1, 2019, after serving as provost since 2017. Her tenure at OSU-Tulsa has resulted in strengthened academic ties between the Tulsa and Stillwater campuses, new programs focused on meeting the needs of Tulsa’s economy and an emphasis on serving the north Tulsa community where the OSU-Tulsa campus is located.

“I consider my time at OSU-Tulsa to be the highlight of my career,” said Fry. “We have created a new vision for OSU-Tulsa to serve as a premier research university for Tulsa, increased enrollments, added new degree programs, generated a record amount of fundraising for scholarships, established new centers to better serve the community and created groundbreaking initiatives.”

Initiatives during Fry’s tenure have focused on increasing the number of adults with bachelor’s degrees in the Tulsa area. College Park, a four-year university experience in partnership with Tulsa Community College, provides access to bachelor’s degrees for students who do not have access to a traditional four-year university. The newly established OSU College of Professional Studies will offer degree programs specifically designed for adults who have some college credit and want to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Fry has also been vocal about OSU-Tulsa’s responsibility to its neighbors in the Greenwood District.

Before joining OSU in 2001, Fry served 12 years as a faculty member and administrator at the University of Oklahoma. She has held higher-education positions at OSU and OU, serving at the levels of program chair, school head, associate dean, dean, associate vice president, vice provost, interim provost, vice president and provost.