The Daily O’Collegian

The wait is over.

Burns Hargis is here.

The OSU regents on Friday unanimously approved his three-year contract, making Hargis OSU’s 18th president.

“Burns Hargis is a truly exceptional leader,” Board Chairwoman Lou Watkins said in a statement. “He has distinguished himself as one of Oklahoma’s most dynamic leaders, earning the respect of people from across the country.”

Hargis, expected to start today, will make $350,000 a year. He also will receive a $20,000 a year car allowance, memberships to Karsten Creek and Stillwater Country Club, and health and retirement benefits. Former OSU President David Schmidly made $266,779 plus benefits in 2006, according to information from the office of communications.

Hargis served as a regent from 2001 until he resigned in July 1, but state law prohibited him from becoming president until a year after his resignation. State legislators passed a bill to shorten the waiting period to six months, and Gov. Brad Henry signed it Feb. 28.

Hargis graduated from OSU in 1967 with an accounting degree and received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1970. He is the first OSU president without a Ph.D. in more than 80 years.

The regents also hired Gary Clark to be the vice president for university relations.

Clark, the OSU Foundation vice president, will report directly to the president, serving as his senior adviser, according to the job description regents approved Friday.

Hargis created the position and recommended Clark.

Clark will make $225,000 a year, more than any other vice president on campus.

The board of regents also approved several other requests that will change the future of OSU.

The regents approved a 4 percent increase in on-campus housing rates for the 2008-09 school year.

The increase is based on nine-month rates for single university housing and 12-month rates for family graduate residential housing.

The family housing rates will be effective July 1 while the single residential housing rates will be effective at the start of the fall semester.

Each meal plan also will cost $50 more.

The regents also approved a proposal to enter the university into an agreement with the city of Stillwater for the University Avenue construction project.

While the city has not decided whether to accept the bid, the university doesn’t want to “ lose any time over the summer,” said David Bosserman, vice president of administration and finance.

Regent Calvin Anthony said he was “disappointed that the bids came in so high” and hopes there is room to bring the cost down.

The project bid made the university’s portion rise $422,000 higher than expected.

The university could eliminate three parts of the project to lower the cost without affecting the quality, said Mike Buchert, director of long range planning at OSU.

Buchert said the university will have a joint discussion with the city before eliminating the parts of the project.

The city is expected to make a decision at the March 17 meeting.

The regents also gave the university approval to begin the selection process for a construction manager and architect for the Student Union renovation and to find an architect for the William S. Spears School of Business.