OSU alums to be inducted into Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame

Thursday, September 21, 2017

The Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society has selected three Oklahoma State University alumni among the 11 leaders who will be inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame during a dinner and ceremony set for Monday, Oct. 30, at 6:30 p.m. in the Nigh Center on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond. The OSU alums are Susan C. Barber, Marlin “Ike” Glass, and Katherine Kocan.

Susan C. Barber recently retired as provost of Oklahoma City University after 32 years of service as a botany professor, department chair and in a succession of strategic academic administrative posts. She has been honored as a distinguished graduate of Oklahoma State University and received the lifetime achievement award from the Oklahoma Academy of Science.

State Regent Emeritus Marlin “Ike” Glass provided policy and fiscal guidance for Oklahoma’s constitutional coordinating body for higher education during his 18 years of service through his appointment by both Republican and Democrat governors. Highly successful in the trucking industry, Glass led the establishment of the Oklahoma Transportation Center, a joint venture between OU and OSU to meld business and higher education through research and outreach to establish logistics priorities for the nation.

Katherine Kocan demonstrated her prowess early in veterinary medicine research, presenting her first paper as an OSU student in 1976. By her retirement in 2016, she had presented 42 first-author papers and was co-author of 43 more at national meetings of the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases. The primary thrust of Kocan’s research has been the study of parasites in cattle, vitally important to Oklahoma agriculture. She also served as a mentor for several students on their paths to research publications.

Distinguished contributions to teaching, research and its application, engineering, management, law, government and public service have marked the professional careers of the other Hall of Fame inductees, which include Tony M. Allison, David A. Bryant, J. Rufus Fears, Roger G. Harrison, Jr., Robert H. Henry, James “Jeff” Kimpel, and Paul W. Sechrist. Maxine Horner, a former state senator, will be inducted for her work to enhance student access to Oklahoma’s colleges and universities.

The public is invited to attend the dinner and induction ceremony at UCO in Edmond. Tickets are available for $75 each. More information and online registration is available on the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society website, www.ohehs.org, or contact Joyce Sanders at (405) 574-1201.

The Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to recognize and honor individuals, living and deceased, whose achievement and leadership in scholarship, teaching, research, administration, staff support, outreach and public service have brought honor and distinction to higher education in our state. This year represents the 24th year to honor these individuals’ distinguished contributions.