NEWS
NORMAN, Okla. – Five current and former University of Oklahoma employees were inducted yesterday evening into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. Selected for their achievements and leadership, the honorees were celebrated by the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society at its 31st annual banquet and induction ceremony at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Among the 12 inductees into the 2025 Hall of Fame Class are Sean Burrage, Oklahoma’s current higher education chancellor and former OU vice president of executive affairs and chief of staff; Laku Chidambaram, dean of the Michael F. Price College of Business and Fred E. Brown Chair in Business; Chan M. Hellman, director of the Hope Research Center and a professor in the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work; Marvin Lamb, former dean of the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts and professor emeritus; and Lance L. Lobban, David Ross Boyd Professor and Francis W. Winn Chair of Chemical Engineering in the Gallogly College of Engineering.
This year’s honorees join 77 past and present OU members who have been inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame since it was established in 1994. The Hall of Fame recognizes faculty, staff and administrators whose accomplishments in scholarship, teaching, research, administration, staff support, outreach and public service have brought distinction and honor to higher education in Oklahoma.
“OU’s history of talented leaders has empowered us to pursue the highest level of academic and research excellence,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “We congratulate the latest group of inductees and celebrate their contributions to both our university and the state’s higher education ecosystem.”
Currently serving as Oklahoma’s 10th Chancellor of Public Higher Education, Sean Burrage leads a statewide system comprising 25 state colleges and universities, 10 constituent agencies and one university center. He served as vice president of executive affairs and chief of staff to the University of Oklahoma from 2019 until he was appointed chancellor. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of Southeastern Oklahoma State University for five years. From 2006-2011, he served in the Oklahoma State Senate for District 2.
Beginning in the Management Information System program at the University of Oklahoma in 2000, Laku Chidambaram now serves as the dean of the Michael F. Price College of Business and holds the Fred E. Brown Chair in Business. Previously, he served in various leadership roles at Price College, including interim dean, senior associate dean, associate dean and division director. He has received numerous awards throughout his career for his teaching, research and service.
Chan M. Hellman joined the University of Oklahoma in 2002 and is currently director of the Hope Research Center at OU-Tulsa. In 2024, the center received the “Building Knowledge Through Research” award from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime. He also serves as a professor in the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences and an adjunct professor in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences in the College of Public Health. Hellman has over 80 scholarly publications, and his research focuses on hope as a psychological strength that helps children and adults overcome trauma and adversity.
From 1998-2005, Marvin Lamb was dean of the University of Oklahoma Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts. During that time, he worked with Max Weitzenhoffer in naming the college and establishing the School of Musical Theatre. In collaboration with the dance and music faculty, he oversaw the completion of the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center. He guided over 30 dissertation projects and theses. In 2019, he was awarded a Henry A. Zarrow Presidential Professorship in Music at OU. In 2025, OU appointed him professor emeritus.
Lance L. Lobban holds the titles of David Ross Boyd Professor and Francis W. Winn Chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He joined OU in 1987 and has been active in innovative teaching, research and service to the university and community for nearly 37 years. He served as director of the School of Sustainable Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering for 16 years. He is the author or coauthor of 75 refereed publications, holds three patents and has made over 100 presentations at technical conferences and universities
OU Alumnus Honored
The Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society also inducted Harry W. Birdwell, who earned his law degree from OU in 1975, into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. Birdwell served as Oklahoma State University’s vice president of business and external relations, and later as athletic director launched the school’s first comprehensive upgrade of its athletic venues. He also held dual roles of chief information officer and chief finance officer at OSU, and for eight years served as Secretary to the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office.
This story was updated on Nov. 5, 2025 to reflect that Chan M. Hellman works in the College of Arts and Sciences' School of Social Work.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Mary Margaret Holt, dean of the University of Oklahoma Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, has been honored with the Paseo Arts Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her leadership and contributions to Oklahoma’s arts community.
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