We provide unique interpersonal, confidential consultations on matters of importance to presidents and board members. 

We are trusted experienced professionals with a distinguished record/history of successful, collaborative problem-solving. With 85 years of combined service and leadership to the academy as university presidents, regents, board chairs, and faculty members, we are committed to the advancement of higher education through leadership success.  We advise university presidents, boards and leadership teams so they can effectively serve their faculty, staff, students and community.

Don Betz, Ph.D.
Co-founder and higher ed advisor

Don Betz has enjoyed a distinguished career in higher education that spans more than 49 years, developing a reputation for collaborative leadership, team development, effective teaching and transformative learning.

Betz has led three institutions as President/Chancellor: the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in Oklahoma City; Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma (Capital of the Cherokee Nation); Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.  He was Provost/VPAA at UCO and at Palmer College, Davenport, Iowa.

Twenty-three years prior, he fulfilled various capacities at Northeastern State University, including the Assistance to the President, Vice President of University Relations and Professor of Political Science.

As a student of political science, philosophy and international studies, and having a life-long interest in global issues, Dr. Betz is well known for his diplomacy skills and work on international issues, most notably with the United Nations and its affiliated non-governmental organizations.  He has dedicated himself to advancing international collaboration, with a focus on the Middle East.  His extensive international experience includes service with the University of Pittsburgh’s Semester-at-Sea, Chapman College’s World Campus Afloat, and journalistic experience in the Middle East.  

He sits on the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) executive committee and chair of its American Council.  In 2010 Don Betz was selected as a participant in the inaugural Fulbright Hays Presidential Seminar, convened in Oman and Jordan, to explore opportunities for future program development in the region with stakeholders on American college campuses.

He has held multiple leadership roles in state, regional and national and international organizations, including as a founding member of AASCU’s American Democracy Project and chairing AASCU’s International Committee.  Dr. Betz is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, among them the 1991 Medal of Excellence in University Teaching from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence and was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2013.  

A frequent writer and speaker, Dr. Betz has addressed international, educational, leadership and motivational topics, and has work extensively with the media.  His lifelong interest in global issues and his passion for promoting cross-cultural understanding has led him to more than 80 countries.

Don Betz received his B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of San Francisco and his M.A. and Ph. D. in International Studies at the University of Denver.  He completed Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management and pursued specialized international studies at New York University, the University of California at Berkeley, and Sarah Lawrence College.

View Don Betz: Capturing a Legacy on YouTube.

Mark A. Stansberry
Co-founder and higher ed advisor

Mark A. Stansberry has devoted part of five decades of his career to serving in higher education, most notably as chairman of boards of regents, advisory board member, and adjunct professor while staying actively involved in corporate leadership which includes energy, banking, real estate development and international trade.

As a higher education leader, Stansberry has worked directly with over twenty university presidents as a member of university boards. He has been appointed by three Oklahoma State Governors to the Board of Regents. He has served four terms including Chairman of the Board of Regents of University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) and Chairman of the Board of Regents of the Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO).

Under his RUSO chairmanship, Stansberry led the efforts to adopt a dashboard to track the efficiency of 27 key benchmarks. This dashboard has been instrumental in providing leadership with up-to-date and accurate information to assist university leaders in making more effective decisions.

Stansberry has served as an adjunct professor on advisory boards for institutions including Pepperdine University, Harding University, University of Oklahoma (OU), Oklahoma State University (OSU), Southeastern Oklahoma State University, University of Tulsa and has served on a university foundation’s board of trustees. 

Additionally, Stansberry has served on numerous presidential search and selection committees and has chaired numerous public and private board committees. Stansberry has completed the Directors’ College at Stanford University Law School and the directors’ program at Rice University. He has served as a member of the Institute of Corporate Governance at the University of Texas at Dallas. 

Most recently Stansberry received the University of Central Oklahoma’s highest honor, The Order of the Clock Tower. Stansberry is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University, where he is currently serving as Life Trustee.

Read articles from Mark in The Oklahoman:

Point of View: Oklahoma's regional universities create chances to succeed

Board chairman: Oklahoma's regional universities meet students where they are

Services

We offer unique services in a confidential environment for university leaders to express their challenges, work on issues, address the difficult questions and gain clarity.

Confidential, on-Demand coaching & mentoring

Highly accessible and responsive to your inquiries.

speaking engagements

Don and Mark provide a dynamic presentation that combines the perspectives and experiences from both the university president and board member positions.

retreats & workshops

Newscape facilitates offsite leadership and board retreats as well as conducts strategic workshops for university leaders and their teams. This can be done in-person or online via Zoom, Skype, or your preferred platform.