Western Oklahoma State College

Ron K. Chesser, Ph.D.,

Ron K. Chesser, Ph.D., has had an extremely distinguished career in both academics and international service. He has presented more than 150 seminars at national and international institutions, including the University of Baghdad and the Royal Scientific Society in Amman, Jordan. He led more than 50 research expeditions to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine. In 1998, Chesser was presented a Certificate of Appreciation from Secretary of Energy Federico Peña for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine while saving the Department of Energy over $1 million. Chesser has been awarded more than $10 million in research grants from various entities of the federal government. Chesser has authored or co-authored more than 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts and co-edited one book. In 2001, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences. He is currently a professor at Texas Tech University. Chesser's commitment to education is evident through his service to graduate students. He has served on 72 student thesis and dissertation committees and as the postdoctoral mentor for five Ph.D. continuing students. Chesser attended Altus Junior College from 1969-1970 before entering the University of Oklahoma. He earned a B.S. from OU in 1973 and went on to earn an M.S. from the University of Memphis in 1976 and a Ph.D. from OU in 1981. An Altus High School graduate, he was blessed with wonderful parents: Cecil Chesser, Dean Emeritus at Western Oklahoma State College, and Loweta Chesser, former curator at the Museum of the Western Prairie and a local artist-in-residence.