OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY VETERINARY MEDICINE AUTHORITY

The OSU Veterinary Medicine Authority convened a regular meeting at 10:00am on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in the Alumni Conference Room, McElroy Hall, OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, 115 McElroy Hall, Stillwater, OK.

Notice of the meeting was provided to the Oklahoma Secretary of State consistent with the open meetings guidelines, and the agenda was posted at 115 McElroy Hall prior to the meeting in compliance with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.

Meeting Minutes

1. Call to Order, Acknowledgement of Meeting Filing and Establishment of a Quorum
   • Vice Chair Hall called the meeting to order at 10:00am. A quorum was established.
   • PRESENT: L. D. Barker, Joe Hall, Troy Shelby, Jimmy Harrel, Justin McCrary, Richard Prather, Jeff Stroup
   • ABSENT: Blayne Arthur
   • Vice Chair Hall introduced Dr. Justin McCrary. Dr. McCrary's appointment replaces Dr. Prather who moved to the Dean position.
2. Discussion and Possible Vote for the Approval of Minutes of the April 28, 2026 Meeting of the Authority
   • Vice Chair Hall asked for a motion to approve the minutes for the April 28, 2026 Authority meeting.
   • Motion to approve the minutes was made by Richard Prather and seconded by Troy Shelby.
   • AYES - Barker, Hall, Harrel, McCrary, Prather and Shelby
   • NAYS - None
3. Report and Overview of OSU - President Jim Hess
   • President Hess welcomed new board member, Dr. McCrary and thanked Dr. Barker for his reappointment to the board for another three years.
   • He congratulated Regent Harrel for his upcoming induction into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.
   • He also thanked Steve Thompson and Karlee Belle Gholson for their hard work during the legislative session. Because of their hard work, the Agronomy Discovery Center received $50 million recapitalization funds. All of the old facilities will be replaced.
   • He thanked Phil Thomas for his hard work on all of the ongoing projects and thanked Dr. Saliki for the increase in testing at the Toxicology Lab.
   • OSU has adopted a new strategic plan which has 8 goals with performance measures.
   • He congratulated Dean Prather on his new position and noted that he started working before his official start date.
4. Report and Overview of College of Veterinary Medicine Status - Dean Richard Prather
   1. Status and update report on the College of Veterinary Medicine
      • Dean Prather thanked his assistant, Deborah. Her support and hard work has been a great asset to him during this time of transition.
      • Dean Prather is working with area vets to build relationships and grow referrals. The Toxicology lab put together test kits to help with quick implementation for diagnosis. So far, 64 veterinarians have requested the kits.
      • He is working on messaging and timely updates of all of the capabilities the hospital can provide.
      • He introduced Dr. Jennifer Rudd to present the Academic and Student Affairs Updates:
        • Of the 106 graduating students, 100 have confirmed employment. Of those employed, 50% went into large animal or mixed animal practice and 36.3% stayed in Oklahoma.
        • The Class of 2030 has been filled. Class starts on August 17th.
        • Outreach for this summer included a 4-H Veterinary Science Short Course and a Veterinary Medicine major at Grandparent University.
      • Dean Prather introduced Dr. Kelly Black to present the VCS updates:
        • Dr. Black presented facts about the 3 new VCS faculty members.
        • There are 7 open positions and 6 positions that are in the negotiation/discussion phase.
        • We have a new partnership with Survival Flight which provides emergency services to military and working dogs. They provided training recently so the team is ready to respond.
      • Dean Prather introduced Jeremy Douthit to present the CVM Project Highlights:
        • The Veterinary Teaching Hospital has received a chute replacement and lobby upgrades.
        • Other upgrades include the McElroy Lounge, Communications Labs, McElroy 101 Auditorium, Landscaping, and the Research Infrastructure.
        • They have received positive feedback and appreciation from faculty and staff.
      • Dean Prather introduced Phil Thomas to help present the VTH Building updates:
        • Phil introduced Kayla from GH2 Architecture. They presented the design phase progress report for the Vet Med Hospital and the Agronomy Research Station. The goal is to be moved into the Hospital by October 2031 and the Research Station by August 2028.
        • The hospital will have a strategically located imaging area and a centralized reception area. The total square footage is 337,000. It will require a free-standing plant to provide water.
      • Dean Prather thanked GH2 for listening to suggestions and making updates. He will stay on top of the timelines to keep things moving towards the finish line.
   2. Report on the renovations at the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostics Laboratory (OADDL)
      • Dr. Saliki presented a handout with renovation project updates. They have met several times to give input and are now at the final drawing stage. They hope to complete renovations with minimal disruption in services. They have identified 6 phases to complete, working within their budget of $1.7 million.
   3. Status and Update Report on SB 330.
      • SB 330 is the Elk Population Study and Management Act. Dr. Chitwood, a faculty member in the College of Agriculture, is currently doing research on deer and can add elk research. The College of Veterinary Medicine can handle the health side. There has to be a plan in place by November 2026.
5. Chief Executive Officer's Report and Possible Action Items - Dr. Stroup
   1. Discussion and possible vote for the approval of the FY2026-2027 Officers of the Authority
      • Officers
        1. Chair - Blayne Arthur
        2. Vice-Chair - Joe Hall
        3. Secretary - Richard Prather
      • Motion to approve the officers was made by Jimmy Harrel and seconded by L.D. Barker.
      • AYES - Barker, Hall, Harrel, McCrary, Prather and Shelby
      • NAYS - None
   2. Discussion and possible vote for the approval of the FY 2026-2027 budget, including authorization for the transfer of funds to the College of Veterinary Medicine and/or University as outlined in the budget.
      • Dr. Stroup presented the finalized budget of $37,801,532. He asked for approval of the budget for this fiscal year.
      • Motion to approve the budget was made by Troy Shelby and seconded by Jimmy Harrel.
      • AYES - Barker, Hall, Harrel, McCrary, Prather and Shelby
      • NAYS - None
   3. Discussion and possible vote on Cooperative Agreement between the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority and the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges for the allocation of funds appropriated to the Authority.
      • Dr. Stroup presented a draft of the Cooperative Agreement to the Authority members. The agreement covers any money transferred from OSUVMA to the OSU A&M Board of Regents. He asked for approval of the Cooperative Agreement pending changes from legal counsel.
      • Motion was made to approval the Cooperative Agreement by L. D. Barker and seconded by Troy Shelby.
      • AYES - Barker, Hall, Harrel, McCrary, Prather and Shelby
      • NAYS - None
   4. Report and possible action on architectural expenses paid since April 28, 2026.
      1. Payments made -
         1. 5/11/26: $288,499.71
         2. 5/27/26: $114,173.53
         3. 6/5/26: $116,661.46
      2. Total payments made (8/6/24 to 6/30/26) total $833,618.79. Approval is requested to make additional payments that may occur prior to the next meeting of the Authority. Any payments authorized by the CEO will be reported to the Authority at their next meeting.
         • Dr. Stroup reported the total payments made through June 30, 2026 are $833,618.79. He asked the board for a motion to authorize him, as the CEO, to approve any future payments between now and the next meeting of the Authority.
         • A motion for the CEO to approve additional payments for expenses that may occur prior to the next Authority meeting was made by Jimmy Harrel and seconded by Troy Shelby.
         • AYES - Barker, Hall, Harrel, McCrary, Prather and Shelby
         • NAYS - None
      3. Report on debt service payments to date to the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority.
         • Dr. Stroup shared the LCF report showing the monthly debits. We have met payment obligations for this fiscal year.
   5. Financial Report for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Authority restricted funds as of June 30, 2026 - Kristi Howey
      • Dr. Stroup introduced Kristi Howey for the presentation of the financial report of the Authority restricted funds for the College of Veterinary Medicine. Kristi reported that all of the funds have been distributed for the Scholarships for this fiscal year.
   6. Financial Report of the Authority as of March 31, 2026 - Kristi Howey
      
      • Kristi presented the Financial Report of the Authority. All of the funds for the fiscal year have been expended. There is a carry forward amount of $3.95 million for the current fiscal year.
   7. Update on OSUVMA Website and other items - Jeff Stroup
      
      • Dr. Stroup reported the OSUVMA website is kept up to date with all of the past and current meeting information.
      • All agencies, including OSUVMA, had to complete an information document for a transition file for the incoming Governor.
      • Dr. Stroup presented handouts from Dr. Prather and Kristi Howey showing FY26 Top 5 areas of revenue and expenditures for the CVM.
6. Adjournment
   
   • Vice Chair Hall adjourned the meeting at 11:25am.

Meeting Minutes signed by Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority Secretary Richard Prather.

If you would like a copy of these minutes, please reach out to Karen Castle at karen.castle@okstate.edu.