Finding Aid
About the Collection
Dr. Don Betz became the 20th President of the University of Central Oklahoma in August 2011. He was President of Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma from 2008-2011, and Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls from 2005-2008. He served as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs for the University of Central Oklahoma from 1999-2005. Dr. Betz spent five years as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Palmer College, Davenport, Iowa and 23 years at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah as Vice President of University Relations and Professor of Political Science. During his tenure at NSU he was also Director of the Sequoyah Institute and founder and advisor for the University’s President’s Leadership Class and tis nationally recognized Model United Nations Program.
In addition to Dr. Betz’s work in education, he has also been a leader in the international community. From 1982 to 2003, Dr. Betz worked with the United Nations and played a key role in international affairs. Among his duties was the creation and expansion of an important non-governmental organization (NGO) network pursuing peace in the Middle East. From 1982-1984 he served with the United Nations as Political and Liaison Officer focusing on the Question of Palestine.
After leaving the United Nations, he spearheaded the establishment and development of the International Coordinating Committee for NGOs on the Question of Palestine (ICCP), a representative council that served an important connection between the United Nations and NGO’s worldwide active on Middle East peace issues. He served as chairman of the ICCP from 1985-2202 and chaired the United Nations-sponsored International NGO Meetings on the Question of Palestine for the past 15 years. He has also served as chair and speaker at more than 50 United nations conferences, seminars, and symposiums around the globe.
A frequent writer and speaker, Dr. Betz has addressed international, motivational, and educational topics for more than 30 years. Dr. Betz received his B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California and his M.A. and Ph.D. in International Studies from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver, Colorado. He has taught on three different semester voyages as a Visiting Professor with the University of Pittsburgh Semester-At-Sea program. In July 1999 he completed Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management (IEM).
Scope and Content
The materials in this collection document the life and career of Dr. Don Betz. The collection consists of personal and institutional records collected by Dr. Betz throughout his career, mainly from his time at Northeastern Oklahoma University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the University of Central Oklahoma, and the United Nations. The collection features correspondence, newspaper clippings and articles, notes and lecture materials, administrative records, photographs, memorabilia, CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes.
Provenance
The materials were given to the UCO Archives & Special Collections in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023 by Dr. Don Betz.
