March 28, 2023
By News Director Jared Atha
Southwestern Oklahoma State University has announced its 2023 Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame inductees.
Known as “SWOSU’s highest honor,” the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1976 by SWOSU to recognize outstanding former students and to celebrate their achievements.
The 2023 inductees include former SWOSU President, Dr. Randy Beutler who is a 1983 and 2003 alumnus.
Beutler spent nearly a decade teaching History and Government in Oklahoma’s public schools and was twice elected “Teacher of the Year” by his fellow educators. He was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1992 where he served four terms and was elected Majority Whip before joining the staff of Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry as a Senior Advisor and head of legislative affairs. Following four years of service as SWOSU’s Vice President for Public Policy, Beutler began his tenure as SWOSU’s 17th President in 2010. During his presidency SWOSU marked its largest-ever building project and secured its largest-ever charitable gift. He helped forge new partnerships with technology centers and public schools that helped expand SWOSU’s reach and impact and he led the institution through challenges including the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown before his retirement in July 2021. Beutler is the third longest-serving president in SWOSU history.
Other inductees include Richard Darby of Oklahoma City, Dorothy Gourley of Ardmore, Kirti Vaidya Reddy of Jersey City, New Jersey, and the late Michael Chaloner of Edmond.
There are currently 116 SWOSU graduates who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The 2023 SWOSU Distinguished Alumni honorees will be recognized during the SWOSU Convocation activities planned for May 5-6 on the Weatherford campus.
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