Oklahoma State System of Higher Education Chancellor Glen D. Johnson was recently selected for the Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges Hall of Fame. He was recognized during the OACC’s annual conference luncheon, held Oct. 28 at Rose State College.
Established in 2011, the OACC Hall of Fame honors men and women of extraordinary talent, vision and leadership who not only shape our state, but form a living legacy that enriches the lives of future generations.
“I am honored to receive this recognition from the Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges,” said Johnson. “As a lifelong advocate of Oklahoma higher education, it is a privilege to be recognized by a group that works tirelessly to serve students and improve higher education opportunities for all Oklahomans.”
Johnson was named chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education in January 2007 following a national search. Before assuming the role of chancellor, he served as the 16th president of Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant for 10 years. He was also director of public policy and adjunct professor of law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Prior to his work at OU, he served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1982 to 1996 and was speaker of the House from 1990 to 1996. At the time of his election as speaker, he was the youngest sitting speaker in the United States. Johnson is an honors graduate of OU with an undergraduate degree in political science and a juris doctorate from the OU College of Law, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2016. Johnson received the State Higher Education Executive Officers’ (SHEEO) Exceptional Leader Award in 2019, Leadership Oklahoma’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, and the Oklahoma Academy’s 2021 Oklahoma Key Contributor Award.
Since inception, 19 individuals have been selected for OACC’s Hall of Fame, including a current and former Governor, a Supreme Court Chief Justice, college presidents, and several distinguished educators. Proposed members are nominated by OACC member presidents, and final selection is made by the OACC Executive Board.