New OSU president promises quick transition

<br>TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Oklahoma State University's new president promises a swift transition, saying he'll quickly name a management team made up of vice presidents and deans. <br><br>David Schmidly,

Friday, November 29th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Oklahoma State University's new president promises a swift transition, saying he'll quickly name a management team made up of vice presidents and deans.

David Schmidly, now head of Texas Tech University, will be OSU's 17th president. He is expected to start his new job, which pays $250,000, on Feb. 1.

Schmidly, with an annual incentive bonus of $75,000, will be the highest-paid president at a public college in Oklahoma. His possible compensation will reach $325,000 a year.

University of Oklahoma President David Boren earns $285,304 annually.

Schmidly, 58, said he has met with OSU Athletic Director Harry Birdwell. He said Birdwell's position is secure for now.

``I had a good meeting with Harry, and I was impressed by this initial meeting,'' Schmidly said. ``He seems to have a good grasp of his job. Many positions will be evaluated on an ongoing basis.''

Birdwell was appointed in June as athletic director for one year. He replaced Terry Don Phillips, who accepted the same position at Clemson University.

Schmidly said OSU has numerous interim positions that should be filled as soon as possible. He said he will make weekly trips from Lubbock to Stillwater during the next 60 days to oversee key administrative searches and hirings.

Schmidly said OSU officials serving as interim vice presidents will be given an opportunity to seek those jobs on a permanent basis.

Schmidly, the son of a West Texas cotton farmer, said his vision for Oklahoma State involves improving the school's national ranking among other land-grant schools while emphasizing staff and student diversity. He said he plans to build on momentum begun by outgoing President James Halligan.

``I want to move the school up in the national excellence chart, and to do that we will have to garner more research dollars and move the research numbers higher,'' he said.

Schmidly said OSU, which is experiencing research growing pains, ``will attempt to close'' the research funding gap between OU and OSU.

OU ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 in federal research growth in the past decade with $182,666,298 in federal research funding and contracts. Oklahoma State garnered $142,823,289.

Schmidly is expected to be in Stillwater on Saturday, cheering on the Cowboys in their annual football game with the Sooners. The trip also is an opportunity for Schmidly to meet with Oklahoma lawmakers who will be attending the game.