The University of Tulsa has named sixth-generation Oklahoman and Cherokee citizen Stacy Leeds as its next president — and the first woman appointed permanently in the university’s history.
Leeds is currently the dean of Arizona State University’s law college and brings more than 25 years of experience as a professor and administrator at major research institutions. She will assume the position July 1, becoming the private university’s fourth leader in five years.
“Returning to The University of Tulsa is an honor and profound homecoming for me,” she said in a news release Monday. “Throughout my career, I have approached leadership with sensible pragmatism and a deep belief in the transformative power of higher education to empower our students, their families and their communities.”
Leeds, an alumna of TU’s College of Law,was selected through a months-long, confidential search. She will face an “inflection point” at TU, according to its October giving campaign. Financial pressure continues to mount at the university, and she is challenged with winning back faculty after years of cuts to benefits, staffing and the humanities.
“Stacy Leeds represents the absolute best of our history and our future,” said Marcia MacLeod, chair of TU’s Board of Trustees. “She returns to her alma mater as a trailblazer, but equally as a grounded, experienced leader who will steward this university with exceptional care.”
Leeds is deeply connected to Oklahoma and its tribal nations. She served as Supreme Court Justice for the Cherokee Nation from 2002 to 2006 and subsequently sat as a district judge for both the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
She steps into the permanent position vacated by former president Brad Carson last May to lead an AI policy nonprofit. TU named Rick Dickson, former university vice president and director of athletics, as interim president while searching for a replacement. While U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern was rumored for the job, stirring up campus controversy, the Congressman is running for reelection.
In September, faculty and staff were alerted to multimillion-dollar deficits in the TU budget, followed by cuts to contracts, another round of layoffs and a three-year hiring freeze, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
“The priority moving forward is our promise to our people: students, alumni, faculty, staff and community,” Leeds said. “Most prosperous, innovative and resilient cities rely on an equally vibrant university in their midst. UTulsa will fulfill that destiny.”
TU hired WittKieffer, an executive search and leadership advisory firm, to conduct its search. The firm’s presidential job posting forecasted a new phase for the university, one that sees STEM, cybersecurity, energy and career readiness as its “financially sustainable pathway” forward.
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