SWOSU’s 18th President
Dr. Lovell
Returning to the place she was raised and where generations of her family have studied,
worked and built their lives, Dr. Diana R. “Diane” Lovell took office as the 18th President of Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) on July 1, 2021 and was
formally invested by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) and the
Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) at an inauguration held on April 29,
2022. Lovell’s presidency marks the latest stage in a career marked by a focused devotion
to student success, degree completion, credential acquisition, and lifelong learning.
During her time as SWOSU’s chief executive, Lovell has forged partnerships with industry,
Career Tech, common education, the Oklahoma National Guard, and area hospitals to
boost graduates in the state’s critical occupations. On the SWOSU Hilltop, she has
endeavored to improve internal communication and information distribution and to enhance
workforce development initiatives and community outreach. She has worked to build
on the progress achieved by her immediate predecessors, Drs. Joe Anna Hibler, the
late John Hays, and Randy Beutler, and on ensuring that SWOSU’s students, faculty,
and programs benefit from a strong financial and resources outlook. A proud child
of two SWOSU emeriti (the late Dr. Jim Lovell and the late Dr. Janis Crall Lovell)
and grandchild of multiple SWOSU graduates, Lovell is an enthusiastic promoter of
the SWOSU Alumni Association and Athletic Association and a generous benefactor of
and fundraiser for the SWOSU Foundation, Inc.
Lovell holds a B.A. in Education from Baylor University and an M. A. and PhD in History
from the University of Houston. Prior to assuming the SWOSU Presidency, Lovell served
as Vice Chancellor of Student Services, Dean of Social Sciences, and Professor of
History at Blinn College and as Dean of Arts & Sciences at Houston Baptist University.
Lovell is the mother of two children, Josh and Elizabeth, and stepmother of Kelsey,
Jennie, and Collin, and step-grandmother of three small grandchildren. She and her
husband, SWOSU alumnus Dr. Stephen O’ Grady, enjoy attending SWOSU athletic events
and traveling.