Oklahoma City University announced today that Dr. Steven C. Agee, who has served as dean of the Meinders School of Business for 11 years, has been honored with the appointment as dean emeritus, effective July 1. Agee will continue as a faculty member and will conduct research.
“During Dean Agee’s tenure, he has raised the profile of our business school around the world,” said OCU President Martha Burger. “We will miss his leadership as dean but look forward to his continued involvement in our campus community.”
Agee has served more consecutive years as dean of the business school than any other individual in the school’s history. Agee has successfully guided the business school through its initial accreditation process of Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), International in 2014 and its reaccreditation in 2019. AACSB is considered the gold standard of business accrediting bodies for schools that grant business degrees.
Agee founded and initially funded the Economic Research & Policy Institute within the business school. The Steven C. Agee Economic Research & Policy Institute is comprised of three centers: the Center for Regional Economic Forecasting & Policy Analysis; the Ronnie K. Irani Center for Data Analytics; and the Center for Native American & Urban Studies. This research institute provides valuable resources, including sales tax forecasting for the City of Oklahoma City and the City of Norman and all economic impact studies for the Native American tribes in Oklahoma.
Several new academic and certificate programs were developed under Agee’s leadership, including two graduate level energy programs - one in energy management and the other in energy law. Nearly 400 students have graduated from the energy programs since they were launched in 2012.
Agee was also involved in starting the new Healthcare MBA program at OCU as well as the Master Certificate Program in Healthcare and the Master Certificate in Fraud & Forensic Accounting. In close collaboration with the Chickasaw Nation, Agee developed the Native American Enterprise Management Certificate Program designed to provide business education to members of Oklahoma tribes that have developed substantial business models around gaming, hospitality, and healthcare.
Agee has worked tirelessly to raise significant funding for student scholarships, improvements to technology, funding for 12 Bloomberg terminals in the business school and an endowment for an instructional designer for business school faculty. He has served on many university committees including the university budget committee, benefits committee, Deans Council, Academic Council and the university strategic planning committee.
“Through Dean Agee’s steady leadership, the business school has grown and prospered in so many ways, including academically and financially,” said Herman Meinders, who the school was named after. “His legacy will be felt for generations to come.” The University announced that Mr. Meinders established a business leadership scholarship in Dean Agee’s honor with a $500,000 gift that he hopes will be matched by the community.
Aside from his OCU roles, Agee has a long and established career in the oil and gas industry. He is founder, president and COO of Agee Energy, LLC, a private oil and natural gas company headquartered in downtown Oklahoma City.
Agee joined the Oklahoma City Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in 2006. His community involvement has included board memberships with the Economic Club of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Philharmonic Society, and Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
