U.S. Rep. Tom Cole Named Vision Honoree
U.S. Representative Tom Cole is the Tulsa Community College Foundation 2016 Vision in Education Leadership Award recipient. He will receive the award at the Vision in Education Leadership Award Dinner to be held at 7 p.m., Sept. 1 at the Cox Business Center in Downtown Tulsa. The 2016 Vision Honorary Chair is Stacy Schusterman, and David Stratton serves as the Vision Dinner chair.
Representative Cole is being honored for his leadership and commitment to education and as one who has consistently championed the value of education. Cole sits on the House Budget and the House Appropriations Committees. As the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, he’s worked to make sure students have the financial and academic tools necessary to pursue a degree. He’s helped increase access to federal student loans that give students access to college who otherwise would not be able to attend. Cole is a strong supporter of programs like UP and , federal programs to help disadvantaged students prepare for and succeed in college. His commitment to ensuring individuals have access to higher education is evident by his personal involvement with the House Community College Caucus.
“Representative Cole has been part of the national dialogue about higher education, college accessibility and the achievement gap since he was elected in 2002,” says President and Leigh B. Goodson, Ph.D. “Every student pursuing higher education in Oklahoma, as well as across the country, has benefited from his advocacy and leadership to remove barriers to higher education.”
Before serving in the U.S. House, he was a faculty member at both University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Baptist University. With his experience in the classroom, he understands the importance of higher education in advancing the state of Oklahoma through a better-educated workforce. He was a Thomas Watson Fellow and a Fulbright Fellow at the University of London and currently serves on the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents, and as a member of the Congressional Advisory Board to the Aspen Institute.
The 2016 Vision in Education Leadership Award Dinner committee members are Sharon King Davis, Shane Fernandez, Susan Harris, Ted Haynes, Mina Lotti, Meredith Siegfried Madden, Joan Parkhurst, Henry Primeaux, Shawn Slaton, and Melinda Stinnett. Joan P. Parkhurst is the Foundation 2016 Board Chair.
Funds raised by the Vision Dinner support student scholarships, competitive academic conferences for students, presentations by noted scholars and enhancements in the classroom to propel students to graduation and success. Thanks to generous donations, the Foundation gives more than $1 million annually to programs and scholarships to support students, faculty and staff.
For information regarding sponsorships and tickets to the 2016 Vision in Education Leadership Award Dinner, call 918-595-7836 or visit tulsacc.edu/visiondinner.
Updated 07-26-2016
READER COMMENTS
