A Presidential Resume

To better understand the legacy of Don Betz, it’s important to understand where he’s come from and what he’s done. Below are just some of Betz’s many achievements.

Education

Betz began his education at Loyola University, studying abroad for one year in Rome, Italy. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in political science, followed by his master’s and doctoral degrees in international studies, at various universities. In the interim, Betz participated in several summer programs, including the National Defense Foreign Language (NDFL) Arabic Language and Culture Institute, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute in International Relations. He rounded out his formal education through attendance at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education Institute for Educational Management, in 1999.

Work

For more than two decades, Betz worked at Northeastern State University, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, as a member of faculty and administration. Alongside his higher education responsibilities, he served as a consultant to the United Nations, before dedicating the majority of his career to universities across the nation. He went on to be provost and vice president at Central, followed by tenures as chancellor of University of Wisconsin-River Falls and, later, president of Northeastern State University. Betz was appointed president of UCO in 2011.

Recognition

In 1991, Betz received the Medal of Excellence in University Teaching from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Twenty years later, he was named a 2011 Fulbright-Hays Seminars for President Scholar, Jordan and Oman. Throughout his presidency at UCO, Betz continued to garner accolades, including:

• Oklahoma Arts Council Governor’s Award, in 2012;

• Induction into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame, in 2013;

• Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice Leadership and Humanitarian Award, in 2015;

• Leadership Oklahoma Distinguished Graduate, in 2016;

• World Experiences Foundation Global Citizen Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2016;

• Oklahoma Creativity Ambassador, in 2018;

• Oklahoma Political Science Association Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2018;

• Edmond Chamber Citizen of the Year, in 2018; and,

• Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2019.