Todd Lamb formally inaugurated as UCO president; no role for major donor critical of his selection

EDMOND — Almost a year after the announcement of his hiring drew concern from faculty and opposition from the school’s biggest donor, former Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb was formally inaugurated Friday as the 22nd president of the University of Central Oklahoma, the state’s third-largest university.

Lamb took office last July 1, and it’s traditional for a university to wait several months before conducting what’s formally known as an investiture ceremony, which UCO held at Hamilton Field House, the home of its basketball, wrestling and volleyball programs.

In addition to Lamb, those who spoke during the ceremony included U.S. Sen. James Lankford, Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall, Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby and Oklahoma State Regent Michael Turpen.

“We’ve known each other for a very long time and I’ve never known a time when Todd was not looking to serve people,” Lankford said.

Oklahoma State Chancellor Allison Garrett spoke about the tradition of academic investiture ceremonies. UCO’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, Charlotte Simmons, introduced Lamb and Jane McDermott, the chair of the Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) Regents ― which govern UCO — gave Lamb the charge of office and Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice James Winchester presented Lamb with symbols of the presidential office, a traditional part of an investiture ceremony.

Alyssa Provencio, the president of UCO’s Faculty Senate also had a role in the ceremony, as did three individual UCO students and the UCO Concert Chorale. Attendees included U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice, former UCO presidents George Nigh and Roger Webb and current Oklahoma college presidents from Cameron University, East Central University, Northeastern State University, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

UCO spokeswoman Adrienne Nobles said the number of faculty, staff and students participating in the processional for Lamb was the most ever for the inauguration of a UCO president.

Major UCO booster, who's been critical of Lamb, had no formal role in inauguration

Notable in his absence from the program was Paycom founder and co-chief executive officer Chad Richison. Richison and his foundation have donated $25 million to his alma mater. A Paycom spokesman said Richison "was attending a Paycom business function planned two years in advance" and couldn't meet a deadline to comment on Friday.

In a letter to RUSO regents last May, Richison was critical of Lamb’s hiring, saying the former state senator and lieutenant governor was hired because of “political favors,” although Richison didn’t provide specifics.

“Before the hiring of the University of Central Oklahoma’s new president, the RUSO board asked for my opinion, and I was clear that I didn’t think the university should consider a career politician with no university, leadership or management experience,” Richison wrote. The letter went on to say Lamb’s hiring was “risking the prosperity of UCO for years to come.”

Lamb chose not to respond at the time the letter was sent and didn’t directly respond Friday morning during an interview with The Oklahoman in his office in Old North, the historic building that anchors the campus.

“I’ll just generally talk about all of our donors and alums. I love them all,” Lamb said. “We might have a difference of opinion, but if you cut any of us, we’re going to bleed bronze and blue. At the end of the day, we love this institution. We may have those differences of opinion about how we get there and what our goals should be or what should be a priority, but at the end of the day, we love this institution. We’re going to have a common ground with that love and that admiration and wanting the best for the students that are here, but also creating an environment and a vision for those students whom we’ll never meet, so they can have success once they arrive on campus.”

Lamb doesn’t have a professional background in higher education. He did attend classes at UCO and earned a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University, then a juris doctorate degree from Oklahoma City University. He worked as an assistant to former Gov. Frank Keating before joining the U.S. Secret Service. While in the latter job, he served on details protecting two U.S. presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Lamb later represented then-U.S. Sen. Don Nickles as an agricultural field representative and then went into private law practice. He served as a state senator representing Edmond from 2005 to 2011 before spending two terms as lieutenant governor, from 2011 to 2019. After an unsuccessful campaign for governor, he worked in private business until becoming UCO’s president.

Lamb noted there have been many politicians-turned-university presidents in Oklahoma, including former Gov. George Nigh at UCO, former U.S. Sen. David Boren at the University of Oklahoma and former state House Speaker Glen Johnson at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, among others. Johnson went on to become state chancellor. Lamb cast that political experience as a positive for UCO.

“Part of my skill set is understanding the political process, understanding appropriations, having relationships at the state Capitol,” Lamb said. “Let’s say you’re a former (legislator). There is a gravitas that is given to a man or woman who has served in that capacity. I know that helps our institution as well.”

UCO student media has reported in recent days about Lamb having not yet responded to legislation presented to him by members of the UCO Student Association and UCO’s Faculty Senate. The student legislation involved the presence of overdose prevention vending machines on campus, the future of UCO’s diversity, equity and inclusion office (after Gov. Kevin Stitt’s executive order in December banned spending on DEI offices by state entities), and the employment future of a current dean.

Lamb told The Oklahoman he isn’t required to respond to the UCOSA legislation. He also has legislation involving DEI from the Faculty Senate, to which he is required to respond by May 21. The Faculty Senate issued a vote of confidence in Lamb by a 19-1-1 count in March.

“In politics, that’s beyond a landside,” Lamb said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Todd Lamb formally inaugurated as UCO president in Edmond