The famous James Edmund Halligan was an American state senator from Oklahoma and university president. Halligan defeated Robert Bob Murphy in 2008, gaining a Republican seat in the state Senate and helping to deliver them control for the first time in state history.
Jim Halligan dies: Cause of death revealed
After being awarded his doctorate, Halligan was briefly employed in the petroleum industry. He subsequently taught as a faculty member, and served as department chair and dean of engineering at the University of Arkansas, Texas Tech University, and New Mexico State University (NMSU). He was appointed president of NMSU in 1984 and served in that capacity for a decade before becoming the sixteenth president of Oklahoma State University on August 1, 1994. He was responsible for OSU campuses in Stillwater, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Okmulgee as well as at OSU’s Center for Health Sciences and Medical School.
At OSU, Halligan emphasized increasing retention and graduation rates, encouraging the development of national scholars, and investing more than $200 million in facilities that include a Center for Services to Students, a student leadership complex, multi-media classrooms, and suite-style student housing. Halligan and his wife, Ann, hosted thousands of students in their home each academic year and supported student-run events such as Orange Peel, Homecoming, Varsity Review, and Into the Streets. During Halligan’s tenure, OSU was named both America’s Best College Buy and a Truman Honor Institution.
Halligan also stressed the university’s role in research and economic development. Among the $ 380 million in new facilities brought online during the Halligan years are the Advanced Technology Research Center, designed to host joint industry-university research, and the Food & Agricultural Products Research & Technology Center, which offers pilot plant space to Oklahoma entrepreneurs. Halligan focused OSU research efforts on homeland security through sensor and laser applications.
Halligan’s efforts saw OSU’s first capital campaign top $260 million – more than double the original goal. And he helped raise the money to Raise the Roof on Gallagher-Iba Arena, named by CBS Sportsline as the best college basketball venue in the nation.
Halligan died on the morning of October 25, 2022, at Integris Hospital in Oklahoma City. He was 86 years old.
Sen. Tom Dugger, who served as Halligan’s campaign manager and followed him in office, described Halligan as a mentor and trusted friend. He was very soft-spoken, a consummate professional, and competent in every way, Dugger said in a written statement.
