In April of 2010 the OK-INBRE program was reviewed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Research Competitiveness Program.  In the final AAAS report, the committee mandated that the OK-INBRE program facilitate the creation of a Deans’ Council comprised of Deans from all six OK-INBRE partner Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs).  The Deans’ Council is intended to facilitate and support interaction at the upper administrative levels among the six partner PUIs that comprise the OK-INBRE network.  The Deans’ Council will strengthen the OK-INBRE system by finding ways of dealing effectively with issues (e.g., faculty workload) that hamper the various PUI institutions from making greater gains in inculcating research as an important mandate and economic driver in their individual regions of the state.  The Deans’ Council will meet at least two times per year to address these and other issues.