UCO President Neuhold-Ravikumar Announces Decision to Leave University

Oct. 31, 2022

Media Contact: Adrienne Nobles, Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, 405-974-2103, anobles@uco.edu

UCO President Neuhold-Ravikumar Announces Decision to Leave University

The University of Central Oklahoma President Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar today announced her intent to leave the university, effective Jan. 31, 2023.

“I am sad to leave my wonderful colleagues and friends at UCO. We’ve been through some incredible times over the past 15 years. My love for UCO is inextricably linked to this community of people, and I am proud of what we have achieved together,” Neuhold-Ravikumar said.

Neuhold-Ravikumar intends to move to Kansas City, Missouri, where her wife, Ruki, currently serves as president of the Kansas City Art Institute.

“My wife and I have lived half a country apart for more than five years. Our commitment to each other’s success is what enabled us to live this way for so long. We find ourselves on the flipside of that situation now. It is our commitment to each other’s success that is leading our decision to now live in the same place together,” Neuhold-Ravikumar said.

She became the university’s 21st president, and its first female president, in July 2019. She has been with the university since 2007, serving in a variety of roles, including vice president for Finance. Her tenure as UCO president has been filled with several advancements and accomplishments for the university, including:

• UCO being recognized in the top 10% of schools nationally for lifting the social mobility of UCO students;
• Paving the way for UCO to be able to offer its first professional doctorate (forensic science), which is currently under consideration for approval;
• UCO being named among Newsweek’s 2022 America’s Top Online Colleges;
• Collaboratively streamlining college pathways for community college students to earn a bachelor’s degree at UCO;
• Top national rankings for programs in organizational leadership, forensic science and software engineering;
• UCO’s inclusion in the 2023 QS World University Rankings;
• Growing fundraising by 170%, with strong engagement from new university supporters;
• UCO becoming the only school in the nation to receive all eight iterations of TRIO federal grants to help underserved student populations reach college; and,
• Leading the strategy to stabilize and strengthen the financial health of the university.

Neuhold-Ravikumar currently serves on the Coalition for Urban and Metropolitan Universities’ executive committee and the board of directors for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, The Oklahoma Academy, Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Riversport Foundation.

UCO’s governing board, the Regional University System of Oklahoma Board of Regents, will announce a path forward for university leadership in the coming weeks.

“The Regents for the Regional University System of Oklahoma have accepted President Neuhold-Ravikumar’s resignation,” said Connie Reilly, RUSO board chairperson.

“We are grateful for her many contributions and wish her the very best as she prioritizes spending time with her family. President Neuhold-Ravikumar’s 15 years of dedicated service have helped make UCO a top regional university committed to academic excellence and preparing our students for success.”

Editor's Note: Download art associated with this release at https://media.uco.edu/press/uploads/2022/10/1dg6702-neuhold-ravikumar-66622.jpg

Cutline: The University of Central Oklahoma President Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar (pictured) today announced her intent to leave the university, effective Jan. 31, 2023. Neuhold-Ravikumar became the university’s 21st president, and its first female president, in July 2019. She has been with the university since 2007, serving in a variety of roles, including vice president for Finance.