Regents name Hunt as new president of Cameron

The Board of Regents for the University of Oklahoma, Cameron University and Rogers State University named Dr. C. Shane Hunt as Cameron’s 18th president during their regular meeting in Norman Monday afternoon.

After an extensive search attracting more than 65 applicants, Hunt was chosen to lead, according to a press release. “The board was exceptionally impressed with Dr. Hunt’s qualifications and enthusiasm,” said Regents chair Eric Stevenson. “His demonstrated leadership, along with a track record of fundraising success, indicates to us that he is a person with the drive and vision needed to lead Cameron University.”

“The selection committee did an outstanding job helping us find Cameron’s next president,” said incoming board chair Anita Holloway. “Dr. Hunt has the credentials, knowledge and enthusiasm needed to lead CU into the future, and we are excited to welcome him and his family back to Oklahoma. The board looks forward to working with him in advancing the university.”

During his time as CU president, Hunt will focus on four key components, two of them being education and economic development.

“I am committed to making sure that the education that we provide at Cameron University meets the needs of Southwest Oklahoma in our economic region,’ Hunt said. “We’ve got to make sure that our curriculum, our entrepreneurial spirit, is always meeting people where they are and always preparing them to go out and make a positive impact in our region and in the economy.”

He will even teach a class or two.

“I am committed every single semester, to teaching a class as president,” Hunt said. “I remember when I first became a business school dean. They said, ‘Shane, you’re the Dean now, you don’t have to teach a class.’ I said, ‘If I don’t get to teach a class, I don’t want the job.’ My heart and soul will always be a professor.”

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars has honored Hunt with its National Inspire Integrity Award, the release said. He received the Lt. Col. Barney Smith Award as Professor of the Year and the Honors Professor of the Year at Arkansas State University, and the National Teaching Innovation Award from the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators.

His research has appeared in The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management and The Journal of Business Logistics, and he co-authored four Principles of Marketing textbooks and two professional selling textbooks published by McGraw Hill that are used by students across the globe, the release said.

“I am thrilled and honored to serve as the next president of Cameron University and become part of the Aggie family and the Lawton community,” Hunt said. “As a first-generation college graduate who grew up in this state, I can speak firsthand about the transformative power of public higher education in Oklahoma.

“Cameron University is filled with incredible faculty and staff, and I am so excited for the positive impact we are going to make together on the future of our students and community. My wife, Jenifer, and I, along with our two children, Andrew and Sarah, are thrilled to be part of Cameron, Lawton and Southwest Oklahoma.”

Hunt is very active civically, serving on the board of directors for the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce and as the board president of the United Way of Southeastern Idaho, the release said.

After completing his MBA at the University of Oklahoma where he met his wife of 25 years, he began working for a Fortune 500 company in Tulsa and spent eight years working as a pricing analyst, product manager, and business development manager before completing his Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University, the release said.

As renovations to Cameron House continue, it seems the residence won’t be ready before Hunt and his family move in. But they plan to move into a temporary home until renovations are complete.

Hunt will begin his journey with Cameron July 1.