Harold Hamm Gives $150M to OU, Health Campus Renamed in His Honor

Oklahoma oilman Harold Hamm has donated $150 million to the University of Oklahoma, the largest single gift in the school’s history. In recognition, OU has named its Oklahoma City Health Campus the Harold Hamm Health Campus. Of the total, $50 million will fund research at the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, while $100 million supports the campus’s broader academic and research efforts.

The gift pushes Hamm’s lifetime giving to OU to nearly $250 million, making the founder and chairman of Continental Resources the university’s largest individual donor. It arrives as OU pursues Project 200, an initiative to recruit more than 200 researchers, including 150 in health-related fields. OU President Joseph Harroz called Hamm a global visionary, and Hamm said he hopes the gift helps make Oklahoma the place where the next great medical breakthrough happens.

For families in Lawton and across southwest Oklahoma, the impact could be direct. OU trains a large share of the state’s health care workforce, and many residents travel to Oklahoma City for specialized care. More researchers and expanded diabetes research at OU Health could mean better access to cutting-edge treatment closer to home. What kind of health breakthrough would you most like to see come out of this gift?