Oklahoma Senate in no hurry to confirm former OSU athletic director to university board

Oklahoma senators pray before commencing a special session on Wednesday at the state Capitol. Only half of the Senate attended before the chamber quickly adjourned. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)

OKLAHOMA CITY — State senators quickly adjourned without taking action in a special session Wednesday, despite the governor’s calls to confirm his nominee for the Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents.

Gov. Kevin Stitt obligated the Senate to return to the state Capitol on Wednesday by calling the special session , announcing it two days in advance. He did so in the hopes of having the Senate confirm former Oklahoma State University athletic director Mike Holder for a seat on the board that governs the OSU system and four other colleges.

“The governor never said a vote needed to take place on Wednesday,” Stitt’s spokesperson, Abegail Cave, said in a statement. “He called for the special session to start on Wednesday and anticipated that the Senate would carry out their process in a timely manner.”

Senators could resume the special session at a later date, but the chamber’s leader, President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said the timeline is unclear. He said the Senate needs time to ensure Holder meets all legally required qualifications for the role.

Despite Holder’s renown, Treat said some OSU alumni and agricultural groups have contacted the Senate to oppose his confirmation.

“We’ve been approached by some people who have deep ties to OSU, suggesting that he may not be qualified on a couple of counts,” Treat said after adjournment Wednesday. “So, we’ve got to investigate that like anything that we look at to vet.”

A majority of the OSU regents must have farming or livestock growing as their principal occupation and primary source of income, according to state law . None of the regents are allowed to have business dealings with or be employed by any of the colleges they would oversee.

Holder, 75, retired from OSU in 2021. He now owns a ranch, Cave told Oklahoma Voice.

Like other nominees for a university board, Holder will have to meet one-on-one with members of the Senate Education Committee. Treat said the process will likely take “a little longer than normal” because senators are back in their districts across the state after the regular legislative session ended May 30.

Only half of the Senate showed up on Wednesday, just enough to have a quorum. Some senators have primary elections next week and have reelection campaigns in full swing. Treat said he told these senators they weren’t obligated to travel to Oklahoma City for the special session.

The governor nominated Holder, of Stillwater, for the at-large regent seat after the Senate rejected his previous nominee, Susan Bergen, a corporate executive, ranch owner and conservationist from Norman.

If confirmed, Holder would replace regent Rick Davis, whom Gov. Mary Fallin appointed in 2011. Davis, an OSU alumnus, is the managing general partner of Davis Farms and Dimmit Hay.

“The board is in need of fresh perspective, and it is the governor’s lawful prerogative to appoint someone new,” Cave said.

Treat said Davis could continue serving as a regent until his successor is confirmed.

Holder, an OSU graduate, was the university’s athletic director from 2005 until his retirement in 2021, a period known for increased fundraising, significant upgrades to athletic facilities and a resurgence in the football program.

Before that, he was the longtime coach of OSU’s national-championship-winning men’s golf team.

Stitt, who also graduated from OSU, lamented Bergen’s denial by the Senate but said Holder would bring a “wealth of experience and wisdom to this board.”

“I’m thrilled that Mike Holder, a golf legend in Oklahoma and an integral part of OSU’s athletic legacy, is willing to serve his state and his alma mater on the Board of Regents,” Stitt said on Monday.

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