Reflecting on a Legacy of Learning, Leading and Serving

A Conversation with President Don Betz

by Adrienne Nobles

Don Betz is comfortable in the spotlight, but he doesn’t crave it. This mix of confidence and humility is just one of the many qualities that has endeared him to many during his nearly 50 years in higher education, which includes successful terms as the top executive at three universities. After announcing his plans to retire as Central’s president after eight years of service in June 2019, the spotlight has intensified, with various accolades and well wishes pouring in. He has the unique opportunity to both consider his legacy and his future. It’s a position where both his confidence and humility shine.

We spoke candidly with Betz about his legacy and plans for the future as he prepared to speak at his last Faculty and Staff Spring Forum, an annual “State of the Union”-type address to kick off the spring semester.

OLD NORTH: So, are you tired of all the attention yet?

BETZ: A lot of the comments over the past several months are, “What are you going to do now? Do you have a 14-point plan? You’ll have so much time.” I have a lot of things I still want to do. It’s being driven by age. I love this place. I love what I have done over the years and the people I met, but I also know this is not a never-ending story. I have plans to continue to focus on development of education in Oklahoma and economic development.

ON: You are still very engaged. No lame duck here.

B: That’s a very good point. I almost didn’t announce until January because I didn’t want to get caught in that. We have been so engaged in all these projects. It’s not been a “watching the clock tick” time.

ON: How are you feeling right now as you ease into your last semester? What is it like to be actively considering your legacy?

B: It is a weird concept. I usually shy away from it because that will be determined by others. I just want to be able to look back and feel…I didn’t plan it to come out this way, but I am very blessed that it did. I am thankful for all of the people that have passed through my life. And plan to pass through a few more lives before I’m done.

ON: Let’s go back a bit. What did you want to be when you grew up?

B: Early on as a young boy I was interested in global things; I used to put maps up on my walls. When I was 10 years old, I won a pitching contest. There was an article in the Seattle Times about it, with the headline “10-Year-Old Pitching Whiz Wants to be Diplomat When He Grows Up,” and I said I want to work at the United Nations. Well, little did I know that was going to work out. Those stirrings were there from the beginning. As an undergraduate in San Francisco, I was considered for a year abroad as a sophomore. And in those days, it wasn’t as prevalent as it was now. So, I spent a year at a university in Rome from 1964-65. To call it a defining experience is an understatement. It confirmed the tendencies and proclivities that were already there.

ON: As you progressed from professor to provost to president, what have you learned about leadership?

B: When I look back and think what were the reasons some of these things were successful or gratifying, it’s the people I worked with who stepped up and up and up. It’s always about who we were serving, what way did we create a new opportunity. I remember when I brought the first national speaker to Tahlequah (at Northeastern State University) – it was Howard K. Smith, a prominent television anchor. We had 800 people show up. I was walking out, and a man, probably about 80 years old or so, looked like he had a tear in his eye and said “I never thought I would see something like this in my community. I’ll never look at Northeastern the same way.” I thought “wow!” You create circumstances where people can learn and experience things they wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to. That’s always been in the back of my mind – if we do this project, initiative, program, who will benefit? And how long will they benefit – a flash in the pan or a sparkler that goes out? Or does it grow over time, building? Did we create pathways? And part of that is to have consistency. I use the term authenticity a lot. It continues to crowd into my thoughts. More and more, I am subconsciously separating people in my head between those who are authentic and those who are not. You have to be ready for opportunities. It’s not about luck; it’s what did you bring to the story. Is it the real you? Were you fraudulent in who or what you presented? I do a lot of mentoring of new presidents, and I tell them to never give a false echo, even if it’s going to benefit you for the moment. Once they realize it was hollow, you will have lost your integrity. You can never get it back. The issue of authenticity is almost at the nexus of true leadership.

ON: What aspects of leadership – and other factors –do you think are essential for a university president?

B: Stamina. Love of the work. Not counting the hours you spend but the opportunities you have a chance to make an impact. Why would I do this instead of being a professor of international affairs? The key difference for me came when I saw that I could impact 65 or so students in this class, or I can affect 250 or 20,000 from another position. You can make decisions on behalf of students and communities that open up opportunities. And if you choose well and surround yourself with people who are motivated by similar values and virtues, you can make things happen.

ON: I’m going to say a few phrases related to your time here at Central – tell me what those words bring to mind. First, Old North, the university’s oldest building.

B: Oh boy – wow – alive again. I was the purveyor of the problem. I had to go to Roger (Webb, the UCO president he succeeded and served as UCO provost) and say we can’t put people in here anymore. We had to close it. And then to come back and still have it closed was a hard thing for me. Then, of course, thanks to so many people, more than a thousand donors, we were able to bring it back to life. I love seeing students on the second floor, in the classrooms. This building belongs to all of us. There’s a big smile on my face when I think of Old North.

ON: Transformative Learning.

B: I think Transformative Learning (TL) will end up being one of the most significant contributions the University of Central Oklahoma will make to higher education. So many institutions want to emulate it. We’ve tapped into something very fundamental about the next phase of education.

ON: The new STEM building, which now bears your name.

B: The naming – that was a surprise. The building itself represents our response to the state who said, “we need graduates who are ready, willing and able to fill these positions in the future.” We’ll give them prepared graduates, but it’s also the spirit in which they will serve, animated by the spirit of the institution. They’ll also have the TL competencies and institutional values. The STEM building is a window on the future of the institution. Old North and STEM are like two book ends. They are brick and mortar, but they are so much more. The STEM building, because of the way it’s designed, will always be becoming – especially under good leadership, which we have.

ON: Metropolitan University.

B: It’s the distinctive characteristic among other universities in the state. We are the only metropolitan university in Oklahoma. Founded in the middle of nowhere and now an institution serving the largest metro in the state. We haven’t reached our full potential in this respect. Though there are strong ideas and energy, the lack of funding means we haven’t been able to make all of the investments we want. At some point, I could see us having a metro campus smack in the middle of the innovation district. Very proud of that project and everyone that’s made it happen.

What ties together all of these projects is that they are not one-person shows. They have happened because this family of doers do. We say thanks and praise them, but I think they do it for the love of the game…the reason why they are here. When people ask me about our culture here and what makes it special…it’s in the water because we brew the water. I can stand up all day and pontificate, but if there is no genuine connection to the reality of what our soul is then it’s hyperbole. But when it captures the essence of us, it’s almost overpowering rather than empowering. I can give you examples of things that should have never been able to happen here that happened. This whole time during the downturn…the campus is different…it’s very, very different…to serve for the next 40-50 years different. And not just for the moment – the spirit that drove people to build this place continues to live in us when we make those kinds of decisions.

ON: Most of us can only imagine how challenging being a university president really is. How have you remained centered and motivated?

B: You have responsibility that’s fairly larger, but you have good people around you to help. You believe in what the institution is doing. You make mistakes, sometimes we stub our toe and apologize. We admit when we’re wrong and work to make it right. The motivation is trying to do the best you can do This is a classic service leadership job. This is not an autocracy. This is a multilevel democratic system. The greatest power, the greatest tool I would have – anybody has – is moral suasion. It’s your ability to motivate, to understand and to offer solutions for what is best to the body politic. And sometimes it’s not what people want to hear. But if you prepare them right, don’t keep them in the dark…you have to be very clear about the circumstances you’re facing. That notion of knowing what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and communicating honestly is very important to me.

ON: What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing higher ed? And what is your advice facing them?

B: My advice is…it’s only just begun and you must be the stewards. Not you should – it’s an imperative. Our mandate is very different than state government or businesses. Our mandate is to prepare this society. We don’t get to walk away from that as an institution. It’s like when people ask what was the intent of the framers of the Constitution, are we being true to that? What was the intention people had when they didn’t have anything? What was their fondest wildest dream of what could be? What would they think if they walked on this campus now? They probably would have no words to describe what has happened. What is it going to be like two generations after us? Hopefully in some appropriate format, we’ll still be educating the next generation.

ON: You are known for your passion for inspiring quotes. They are displayed throughout campus. Where did that come from? What is your all-time favorite?

B: I started thinking about quotations when I was a debater because sometimes the right quote at the right moment can really change the dialogue or spark an idea. I find with students or groups that I work with, if you can give them two or three quotes in comments, they will remember it later on. To give you a single quote…I give the staff here three or four a week. I can’t give you a single one. I do love “I’m an idealist with no illusions.” (John F. Kennedy) And the Oliver Wendell Holmes one, “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”

That really fits our world here. Don’t you dare fall back when you’ve been exposed to something new. That’s the elasticity of who we are as human beings…now been stretched to a new dimension. I usually like the shorter ones. I believe that, deep inside of all of us, we yearn to be inspired. I tell students that I hope they learn a lot while they’re here, that you’re motivated but also that you are occasionally inspired, because you can be inspired by others here. Inspiration is the intersection of the divine and human. They come together.

ON: What do you think you will miss most?

B: Oh, the students and my colleagues! I’m sure the routine, too. It will be difficult to adjust to not having the routine. I’m not regimented, but there are things that happen each day, even on the weekends. So, I know there will be a period of adjustment. I am already telling myself that I will not be here the day you open the fall semester. I will be drawn to the ballrooms to watch the next president address the university.

ON: What’s next for you?

B: No solid plans. What I am likely not to do is to take another full-time job. I enjoy working with people who aspire to be university presidents and have done that on a pro-bono basis with AASCU. Maybe I can do something where it’s not so pro bono? Finding people with that talent base and want, to take up this mantel of service, is inspiring to me, and the talent pool out there is expanding. I’ve worked primarily with underserved populations – women, people of color, LGBTQ, Hispanic, African-American – the reservoir is very deep. Susanne and I also plan to spend more time with our grandkids and daughter in Austin. Travel…as if I’m not traveled out by now, but in a different way than I have recently. It’s not beyond my view to teach again, but on a less than full-time basis. There are also leaders in this state that I respect and admire, so maybe do something with them.

ON: What is your advice for the next UCO president?

B: Surround yourself with authentic, caring, talented people who understand that their ego is not the reason why they have this position...and that the team is more than the sum of its parts. That your honesty and integrity will build trust and the most important dimension of being a leader is to be trustworthy. Don’t sacrifice it for a moment. Always know that you are the servant…the keeper of the flame…the steward of this place. ON