Conversations with the President

In this episode of "Conversations with the President," President Joseph Harroz, Jr. welcomes Doris Kearns Goodwin, the acclaimed presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. As part of our Presidential Speakers Series, Goodwin, known for her bestsellers "Leadership: In Turbulent Times" and "Team of Rivals," shares her insights on leadership and its relevance today. We delve into her extensive research on historical figures like Lincoln and Roosevelt, discuss the role of universities in fostering future leaders, and explore the lessons from past political turmoil that can guide us through today's challenges.

On this episode of Conversations with the President, President Joseph Harroz, Jr. is joined by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and OU Athletics Director Joe Castiglione discuss OU’s inaugural day in the Southeastern Conference, the journey to joining the conference, and the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics. 

The 54th Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, joins President Joseph Harroz Jr. for this edition of Conversations with the President. Ryan was on campus for the annual Presidential Speaker Series where he discussed the state of American politics to a crowd of over 700 attendees. In this episode, Ryan dives in his connections to the state of Oklahoma, his decision to leave politics and enter his second career as well as his thoughts on the current state of American politics.

0:00 – 1:33 – Introduction 

1:34 – 5:19 – Ryan's connection to the state of Oklahoma

5:20 – 8:21 – Experience as Speaker of the House of Representatives

8:22 – 11:35 – Walking away from politics

11:36 – 18:00 – The changing state of American politics

18:01 – 21:28 – Foreign threats to democracy

21:29 – 24:00 – The outlook of presidential races

24:01 – 27:25 – Advice to students

27:26 – Ryan's hope for a third career and his advice for the country. 

President Joseph Harroz Jr. Is joined by Dr. Amy McGovern, a Lloyd G. and Joyce Austin Presidential Professor of Machine learning/data mining/data science for the physical sciences; Real-world applications with a special interest in high-impact weather. 2023 saw a massive increase in the discussion surrounding artificial intelligence and its impact on the world. Dr. McGovern and President Harroz discuss the implications of A.I. and its influence on severe weather research at the University of Oklahoma.

0:00 – 2:10 – Introduction

2:11 – 5:40 – A.I. hesitations and concerns

5:41 – 7:00 – Amy McGovern’s time at OU 

7:01 – 14:55 – Machine learning and severe weather 

14:56 – 16:30 – The rate of development with A.I.

16:31 – 17:35 – What success looks like

17:36 – 21:00 – Trustworthy A.I. and biases

21:01 – 25:58 – National Institute for Standards and Technology announcement

25:59 – Standards that exist

President Joseph Harroz Jr. Is joined by Regents’ Professor of the Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies Dr. Karlos Hill and Marilyn Luper Hildreth, the daughter of University of Oklahoma icon Clara Luper. For Black History Month, the guests and President Harroz discuss Clara Luper’s living legacy within the university as well as the state of Oklahoma.

0:00 – 1:30 Introduction

1:31 – 3:40 Guest intros

3:41 – 11:10 Clara Luper’s life

11:30 – 17:30 The Katz Drug Store sit-in

17:31 – 28:45 Luper's legacy of radical love

28:46 – 36:18 What Luper’s legacy teaches us what we must do

University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz Jr. is joined by Student Veteran Association President and former United States Army Green Beret Harrison Anderson and the director of the Aerospace and Defense Program at the Michael F. Price College of Business, Shad Satterthwaite. Both guests served in the United States military and speak to the unique experience on a college campus that a student veteran will go through. 

0:00 – Intro

4:19 – Why Harrison chose OU as a student following the service

5:55 – OU as a friendly environment to current and former servicemen and women

9:13 – Some of the challenges a student veteran faces transitioning from the military into college life

13:18 – What OU and the SVA is doing to make OU better for student veterans and the importance of the new Veteran Zone

17:02 – The growth at OU for student veterans

19:22 – The ROTC relationship

20:54 – Recent gift to renovate the Armory

23:18 – Aerospace and Defense at OU

30:00 – Signing off

President Joseph Harroz Jr. Is joined by Nadine Strossen, the John Marshall II Harlan Professor of Law Emerita at New York Law School and past president of the American Civil Liberties Union. Strossen’s appearance on Conversations with the President was a part of the University of Oklahoma’s annual celebration of Free Speech Week. Harroz and Strossen discuss the importance of reinforcing and encouraging freedom of speech, thought and discourse on college campuses and everywhere.

0:00 – 2:52 – Introduction

2:53 – Strossen's introduction

5:38 -  Strossen’s Elevator Pitch on Free Speech

11:52 – Hate Speech

13:00 – The need for a civics education on the First Amendment

17:39 – Disagreeing with someone

21:57 – Strossen's book, Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know

27:03 – Discussing “the other”

33:40 – Wrapping up

President Joe Harroz is joined by the Senior Vice President and Provost of the University of Oklahoma André Denis-Wright. The two discuss OU’s trajectory over the next five years, the changing nature of incoming students as well as the importance of OU’s strategic plan.

1:07 – Denis-Wright intro

3:37 – Provost duties on the Norman campus

11:09 – Success over the next four/five years

13:46 – Changing nature of incoming students

18:16 – Polytechnic Institute

20:01 – Strategic Plan importance

23:30 – OU as a research enterprise 

President Joe Harroz is joined by Gary Raskob, Ph.D., the Provost and Senior Vice President of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Today’s conversation deals with OU HSC, the three missions of HSC as well as how OU is addressing health care needs within the state. 

0:00 – Introduction

1:03 – Gary Raskob introduction

4:28 – OU HSC’s layout

5:38 – HSC’s three core missions

9:08 – Oklahoma's need for nurses during COVID

13:00 – Addressing the need for more physicians within Oklahoma

15:22 – Healthcare research importance

17:15 – Cancer research and the implication of new technologies

22:03 – Diabetes research at the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center

25:38 – How healthcare can be improved in Oklahoma

26:48 – Pediatric Behavioral Health

30:00 -- Outro

President Joe Harroz is joined by Teri Reed, Ph.D., the inaugural Director of the Polytechnic Institute based at OU-Tulsa. The two share thoughts on what a Polytechnic actually does for the university, the state as well as the region. With the institute’s expertise lying at the intersection of business, education and technology, the future for this new school is incredibly bright. 

0:00 – 3:17 Intro

3:18 - Teri Reed introduction

5:29 – On what a Polytech is

6:44 – What kind of students that pursue a polytechnic degree

8:44 – On the demand for STEM/Polytechnic degrees in the workforce

10:00 – The demand in Oklahoma

13:41 – How this could help attract businesses and jobs to the state

15:07 – Cyber security gaps to fill

21:09 – How A.I. affects the workplace

24:33 – The kinds of people interested in pursuing these careers

28:12 – What students become when they graduate with their polytechnic degree

31:18 – Harroz's closing thoughts