Collegian T he Cameron University
www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, April 20, 2026
Volume 114 Issue 8
Amanda Purser Managing Editor
Cameron University took on new leadership at the highest-level last spring; President Shane Hunt came on board and hit the ground running. With high ambition and even higher energy, the new wave of inspiration quickly took hold, and many Aggie's welcomed the momentum shift. There was a breath of fresh air brought into what some felt was a stagnant atmosphere for some of the Aggie experience. As a soon to be graduate, I noticed Hunt spoke right away of big ideas, necessary improvements and plans to tap into the valuable unused potential of Cameron, which resonated with so many Aggies. It is hard not to notice what Hunt has already established and how much he immersed himself into Cameron and the surrounding community. You might have seen him at a number of local events, on and off campus, always flashing that friendly smile and likely sporting a Cameron gold polo or sweater vest. Perhaps you caught him on the evening news in one of the many segments he did with KSWO channel 7 news, to share updates and important information with the Lawton-Fort Sill community. Have you heard him on KCCU radio (89.3 or 102.9 FM) hosting his own podcast, CU Today: The Aggie Experience? Hunt interviews a current faculty or staff member and an alumnus on each episode, which airs at 6:30 p.m. the last Monday of each month; he also records many promos himself for the station and his podcast. Maybe you have read one of the columns he personally writes for the local newspaper, the Constitution, to ensure he reaches as many people across the community with various forms of media, which I can appreciate, as a journalist. Looking back at his incredibly impressive first year in office, from record-breaking fundraising to school naming gifts and scholarships that will positively impact the Aggie family for generations to come, Hunt has plenty to be satisfied with. “I am extraordinarily proud that we got the first school naming gift in the history of the university,” Hunt said. “I think that is going to create a lot of momentum for us to help support — scholarships for students, endowed faculty positions, funds to
Courtesy photos
support student travel and innovation — I am super thankful to the McMahon Foundation for making that possible.” Cameron announced the addition of a new degree option recently, for a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and Hunt is “overwhelmingly thrilled with the responses we’ve gotten.” “The feedback from so many of our business and community partners — people saying, ‘we’ll hire every mechanical engineering graduate you produce,’” Hunt said. “I think also, hearing from the students who thought they would have to go away to get an engineering degree, and can now do that right here in Lawton-Fort Sill.” We can see work being done all around campus, from beautification to repairs and renovations, like the softball fields and Aggie gym, to the Shepler dorms and Howell Hall. This administration is seemingly allocating the budget and newly raised funds to benefit as many Aggies as possible. “I think being able to have more spaces, improved spaces, enhanced spaces, for our students, for our community to benefit from, I am really proud of that,” Hunt said. Hunt has been vocal about the warm welcome the Lawton-Fort Sill area gave him and his wife Jenifer since their arrival last year. Although they were excited for the move and transition, he didn’t expect the outpouring of love, acceptance and open arms that have ushered them in, but more importantly,
What’s Inside Vet Fest and FFA on campus Page 2
meeting all of those who are rooting for the Aggies. “I couldn’t have imagined how much I would love being here. It’s an awesome place, both at Cameron and the LawtonFort Sill community,” Hunt said. “There have been so many people that want Cameron to be successful, that want our students to be successful, and who want to help be part of that success.” It’s no secret that Hunt has ambitious goals and is vocal about the high expectations he has for Cameron as an education insitution, but also for individuals that he encounters and meets. His encouragement to dream big and continue to raise the bar of possibilities is inspiring and contagious when it comes to the overall campus climate. Hunt has seemingly surprised even himself with some of the accomplishments his team has completed and put into motion already, in just the first nine months of action. Not only have goals been expedited, but he is now more motivated to push forward with new and even bigger dreams for the years to come, ensuring that complacency is never a first option. “I think the ceiling on what I thought was possible is higher today than when I first got here,” Hunt said. His approach to leading is versatile and transparent, which is a refreshing change of pace for many students who may have felt disconnected from academic leadership of the past. “We want to continue to find ways to make that better, and it’s a never-ending project,” Hunt said. “We want to continue to have listening sessions — because a lot of the things we have done this first year have been directly from student suggestions. I think it’s been really beneficial, and I would say, reach out to me and look for ways that we can have that dialogue, because I think it’s really important.” Not every student has access to
same resources or adequate living situations, and there have been concerns raised about the growing population of unhoused students in attendance, and this issue has not gone unnoticed by Hunt and his team. “We are looking at a lot of different things with our SEC and Student Support Services on additional ways we can find help to support students where they are,” Hunt said. “I think as the inflationary pressures have continued to rise, this has become more of a serious problem, and I would say one of my goals for year two, is to add to the outstanding group we already have working on this — we need more resources and more people — in the last month as we have discussed the budget, we have talked a lot about mental health and the unhoused student populations.” This first year for Hunt hasn’t been without obstacles, but the team and support from Cameron’s staff and faculty have helped him overcome any challenge posed. As a first-time president, there were aspects of the university that Hunt wasn’t experienced with, but he has embraced the learning and new opportunities to lead. The measure of success is subjective, and Hunt looks at all the firsts and new records set during his time thus far, to determine how victorious his first year has been. “We now have the first named school in university history, we have received the largest individual gift commitment, we have received our largest research grant in university history, and in research we are up 1000% over last year,” Hunt said. “Enrollment in spring was our largest increase in that semester in well over a decade, so I would say — with more students, more research investment and more fundraising success, plus the community momentum is there — I measure all of those things as a success.” The significant increase in the number of sponsorships, donations and support across the community reflects the outreach efforts paying off and the opportunities being established. “That means we are going to impact more students that are here, more students that are part of the Cameron family — more students who have the opportunity to take that world class education and help it to position themselves into careers and the life that comes after they walk across that stage.”
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