Sovereignty Speaks #2
Preamble to Self Determination
Mr. William R. Carmack
Washington D.C Insider and Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame Inductee
Few academics in Oklahoma have had careers of meritorious service to the state and to its citizens as have William R. (Bill) Carmack.
Bill graduated from Lawton High School in 1947 and after earning degrees from Abilene Christian University and Florida State University, he earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1958.
He then joined the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma and in 1961 become the Director of the Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies where he served minority populations of the state.
In 1964, Mr. Carmack became Administrative Assistant to Senator Fred R. Harris in Washington, D.C.
He next became Assistant Commissioner for Community Services in the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior.
Next, he became the Executive Director of the National Council on Indian Opportunity chaired by Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
In that capacity, he helped establish the self-determination policy for American Indians still in use today.
In 1970, Mr. Carmack returned to the University of Oklahoma as Chairman of the Department of Communication. He next became Vice Provost of the University for Communication and Information.
He helped establish the Political Communication Center at the University and secure its extensive archival material.
He has produced numerous books, scholarly articles and academic presentations throughout his career. In 1983, he was designated a Regents Professor, among the highest honors the University can bestow on faculty.
He is an inductee of the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.