Kayse Marie Shrum (; ''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Donnelly; born October 27, 1972) is an American physician who was the 19th President of

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

from 2021 to 2025. She was the first woman to lead a public research institution in Oklahoma.

Early life and education

Kayse Marie Donnelly was born on October 27, 1972, in

Coweta, Oklahoma Coweta is a city in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States, a suburb of Tulsa. As of 2010, its population was 9,943. Part of the Muscogee (Creek), Creek Nation in Indian Territory before Oklahoma became a U.S. state, the town was first settled ...

. She played softball for

Connors State College Connors State College is a public community college in Warner and Muskogee, Oklahoma. History The college was founded as an agricultural high school in 1908 and was quickly converted to a school of agriculture. When Oklahoma became a state in ...

Warner, Oklahoma Warner is a town in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,641 at the 2010 census, an increase of 14.8 percent over the figure of 1,430 recorded in 2000. The town is home to one of the two Connors State College campuses ...

, and graduated in 1992 with an

associate of science Associate may refer to: Academics * Associate degree, a two-year educational degree in the United States, and some areas of Canada * Associate professor, an academic rank at a college or university * Technical associate or Senmonshi, a Japa ...

degree. She continued her education at

Northeastern State University Northeastern State University (NSU) is a public university with its main campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The university also has two other campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow as well as online. Northeastern is the oldest institution of hig ...

and the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

before graduating with a

doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

osteopathic medicine Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic Medical school in the United States, medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine (M ...

degree from the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Career

Shrum practiced

pediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in Oklahoma and is the county seat of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of ...

before joining the faculty of the medical school faculty at the OSU Center for Health Sciences in 2002. She served as chair of the Department of Pediatrics from 2004 to 2011. In 2011, OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine named her provost of OSU-CHS and dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. She was promoted to president of OSU-CHS, becoming the youngest and first female president and dean of a medical school in the state of Oklahoma. On March 15, 2019, Governor

Kevin Stitt John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 28th governor of Oklahoma since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2018, defeating Democrat and former state Attorney Ge ...

appointed her Secretary of Science and Innovation. She resigned in June 2020. In April 2021 she was named the president of Oklahoma State University and assumed the role on July 1, 2021. Shrum succeeded V. Burns Hargis who announced his retirement plans in October 2020. Shrum resigned as president on February 3, 2025. Vice Provost Jim Hess was officially appointed interim president on February 7, 2025. The following month, an internal audit at the university revealed that $41 million in state funds had been mismanaged. In July 2025, Shrum assumes the role of chief health strategy officer for the

Chickasaw Nation The Chickasaw Nation () is a federally recognized Indigenous nation with headquarters in Ada, Oklahoma, in the United States. The Chickasaw Nation descends from an Indigenous population historically located in the southeastern United States, in ...

. In this capacity, her initial focus will be on the development of the new Newcastle Medical Center campus.

Awards

Shrum holds the George Kaiser Family Foundation chair in medical excellence and service and the Saint Francis Health System endowed chair of pediatrics. She was inducted into the Connors State College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 2022.

Personal life

Shrum is married to Darren Shrum, whom she met in 1989 at a Broken Arrow Wal-mart where he was working and undergoing the management training program. They have six children, including three who were adopted from Ethiopia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shrum, Kayse Living people American pediatricians American osteopathic physicians Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Women heads of universities and colleges Oklahoma State University faculty Presidents of Oklahoma State University Connors State College alumni Northeastern State University alumni University of Arkansas alumni Oklahoma State University alumni Women pediatricians People from Coweta, Oklahoma 1972 births 21st-century American women physicians 21st-century American physicians Stitt administration cabinet members