POSITION: Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Introduction:
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a comprehensive public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. Together, these campuses advance the university's mission through undergraduate and graduate education, professional and clinical training, research and discovery, patient care partnerships, athletics excellence, and statewide service.
Enrollment at OU has surged in recent years, pushing total enrollment at all campuses past 36,500 students. The university's six-year graduation rate has climbed from 67% to 75.3% in the past five years.
OU offers more than 180 majors at the baccalaureate level, roughly 200 at the master's level, and about 90 doctoral majors (plus 10 doctoral professional programs) within 20 colleges, supported by more than 2,500 full-time faculty. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities - Very High Research Activity" and continues climbing toward its goal of Association of American Universities (AAU) membership.
The OU Health Campus in Oklahoma City is central to the university's education, research, and public service missions. Its health professions colleges and programs prepare Oklahoma's future health care workforce, advance biomedical and clinical research, and support initiatives that improve health outcomes throughout the state. In collaboration with OU Health, the university's connected academic health system, the campus also contributes to the integration of education, research, and clinical care across the state.
In athletics, the Oklahoma Sooners have won 47 national team championships in program history, including seven in football, eight in softball (with four consecutive titles from [contact details available in the full listing]), 12 in men's gymnastics, eight in women's gymnastics (most recently in 2025 and 2026), seven in wrestling, three in baseball (most recently in 2026), and two in men's golf; OU has claimed at least one national title in 13 of the last 14 years. In 2024, Oklahoma left the Big 12 Conference to join the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a move that has already boosted national visibility and contributed directly to growing recruitment, including expanded admissions from new states. This athletic profile continues to be a major driver of national brand awareness for the Sooners.
The University of Oklahoma is an institution executing a serious, data-driven strategy to elevate its standing among the nation's leading public research universities. Under President Joe Harroz, OU's strategic plan, Lead On, University, has guided the institution since 2020 and includes five updated pillars organized around the university's enduring purpose, "We Change Lives":
To fund this vision, OU launched a historic $2 billion fundraising campaign, which has already secured more than $1.9 billion, including a record $427 million in gifts in a single fiscal year.
POSITION REPORTS TO:
The Vice President of Executive Affairs & Chief of Staff. The Vice President of Marketing & Communications is an executive officer and serves as a member of the President's leadership team.
SUMMARY:
Reporting to the Vice President of Executive Affairs and Chief of Staff, the Vice President of Marketing and Communications works closely with the President and his leadership team to develop and execute communications strategies that advance presidential priorities, support enterprise-wide initiatives, and strengthen the university's reputation. The position serves as a strategic advisor on institutional messaging, executive communications, emerging issues, and matters affecting the university's public profile. This leader oversees internal and external communications for OU's colleges, campuses, and business units, ensuring an integrated approach and a consistent, compelling expression of the university's brand.
Three years into the centralization of campus-wide marketing and communications, the Vice President provides strategic reinforcement and services across OU's Norman, Health, and Tulsa campuses, ensuring each campus's distinct mission, audiences, and priorities are represented within a cohesive university-wide strategy. This includes elevating the OU Health Campus's contributions to health professions education, biomedical research, workforce development, and the health of Oklahoma, while coordinating closely with the connected OU Health system on shared priorities and brand alignment.
With responsibility for marketing and communications for OU's three campuses, global and extracurricular programs, and Trademark & Licensing, the Vice President brings together a broad and complex portfolio under a unified strategy. Serving as a trusted thought partner and collaborative leader, the Vice President will work with an extensive network of stakeholders to align priorities, strengthen connections, and deliver clear and cohesive messaging throughout the OU ecosystem.
The Vice President also collaborates regularly with OU's Department of Athletics to integrate the Sooners athletics reputation into the brand of the entire university, while helping navigate the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics and its associated issues in Oklahoma, Washington, D.C., and in statehouses and courthouses across the country.
Overall, the Vice President will provide a commitment to creativity and excellence, which will advance the university's strategic priorities, expand public awareness, and strengthen OU's reputation and opportunities for growth in Oklahoma and beyond. The Vice President will lead the development and execution of innovative, measurable, and data-informed marketing and communications programs aligned with Lead On, University: The Next Phase, OU's refreshed strategic plan. As a trusted advisor and subject-matter expert to senior university leaders, the Vice President will play a critical role in articulating and advancing OU's mission, priorities, and impact among internal and external audiences.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Introduction:
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a comprehensive public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. Together, these campuses advance the university's mission through undergraduate and graduate education, professional and clinical training, research and discovery, patient care partnerships, athletics excellence, and statewide service.
Enrollment at OU has surged in recent years, pushing total enrollment at all campuses past 36,500 students. The university's six-year graduation rate has climbed from 67% to 75.3% in the past five years.
OU offers more than 180 majors at the baccalaureate level, roughly 200 at the master's level, and about 90 doctoral majors (plus 10 doctoral professional programs) within 20 colleges, supported by more than 2,500 full-time faculty. The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities - Very High Research Activity" and continues climbing toward its goal of Association of American Universities (AAU) membership.
The OU Health Campus in Oklahoma City is central to the university's education, research, and public service missions. Its health professions colleges and programs prepare Oklahoma's future health care workforce, advance biomedical and clinical research, and support initiatives that improve health outcomes throughout the state. In collaboration with OU Health, the university's connected academic health system, the campus also contributes to the integration of education, research, and clinical care across the state.
In athletics, the Oklahoma Sooners have won 47 national team championships in program history, including seven in football, eight in softball (with four consecutive titles from [contact details available in the full listing]), 12 in men's gymnastics, eight in women's gymnastics (most recently in 2025 and 2026), seven in wrestling, three in baseball (most recently in 2026), and two in men's golf; OU has claimed at least one national title in 13 of the last 14 years. In 2024, Oklahoma left the Big 12 Conference to join the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a move that has already boosted national visibility and contributed directly to growing recruitment, including expanded admissions from new states. This athletic profile continues to be a major driver of national brand awareness for the Sooners.
The University of Oklahoma is an institution executing a serious, data-driven strategy to elevate its standing among the nation's leading public research universities. Under President Joe Harroz, OU's strategic plan, Lead On, University, has guided the institution since 2020 and includes five updated pillars organized around the university's enduring purpose, "We Change Lives":
- Lead as a Top-Tier Public Research University
- Empower Students for a Life of Success, Meaning, and Impact
- Ascend as ONE OU - Unified by Purpose, Values, and Strategic Plan
- Lift the Health of Oklahoma
- Shape the Future Through Discovery, Creativity, and Innovation
To fund this vision, OU launched a historic $2 billion fundraising campaign, which has already secured more than $1.9 billion, including a record $427 million in gifts in a single fiscal year.
POSITION REPORTS TO:
The Vice President of Executive Affairs & Chief of Staff. The Vice President of Marketing & Communications is an executive officer and serves as a member of the President's leadership team.
SUMMARY:
Reporting to the Vice President of Executive Affairs and Chief of Staff, the Vice President of Marketing and Communications works closely with the President and his leadership team to develop and execute communications strategies that advance presidential priorities, support enterprise-wide initiatives, and strengthen the university's reputation. The position serves as a strategic advisor on institutional messaging, executive communications, emerging issues, and matters affecting the university's public profile. This leader oversees internal and external communications for OU's colleges, campuses, and business units, ensuring an integrated approach and a consistent, compelling expression of the university's brand.
Three years into the centralization of campus-wide marketing and communications, the Vice President provides strategic reinforcement and services across OU's Norman, Health, and Tulsa campuses, ensuring each campus's distinct mission, audiences, and priorities are represented within a cohesive university-wide strategy. This includes elevating the OU Health Campus's contributions to health professions education, biomedical research, workforce development, and the health of Oklahoma, while coordinating closely with the connected OU Health system on shared priorities and brand alignment.
With responsibility for marketing and communications for OU's three campuses, global and extracurricular programs, and Trademark & Licensing, the Vice President brings together a broad and complex portfolio under a unified strategy. Serving as a trusted thought partner and collaborative leader, the Vice President will work with an extensive network of stakeholders to align priorities, strengthen connections, and deliver clear and cohesive messaging throughout the OU ecosystem.
The Vice President also collaborates regularly with OU's Department of Athletics to integrate the Sooners athletics reputation into the brand of the entire university, while helping navigate the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics and its associated issues in Oklahoma, Washington, D.C., and in statehouses and courthouses across the country.
Overall, the Vice President will provide a commitment to creativity and excellence, which will advance the university's strategic priorities, expand public awareness, and strengthen OU's reputation and opportunities for growth in Oklahoma and beyond. The Vice President will lead the development and execution of innovative, measurable, and data-informed marketing and communications programs aligned with Lead On, University: The Next Phase, OU's refreshed strategic plan. As a trusted advisor and subject-matter expert to senior university leaders, the Vice President will play a critical role in articulating and advancing OU's mission, priorities, and impact among internal and external audiences.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Strategically position and advance OU's priorities while leading integrated marketing and communications that reflect the distinct missions, audiences, and contributions of the Norman, Health, and Tulsa campuses.
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