OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Dr. Drew Bennett, chancellor of Missouri State University-West Plains, received the George Autry Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rural Community College Alliance (RCCA) during the organization’s annual conference Sept. 27-29 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The award, the highest given by the RCCA, recognizes the recipient’s leadership and commitment to rural higher education causes, according to Dr. Randy Smith, RCCA president. It is awarded annually to someone who has spent their career in service of rural colleges and communities.
“We are so pleased to honor Dr. Bennett for his commitment to rural higher education and rural communities,” Smith said. “He has been a champion of rural education issues for many years. This award couldn’t go to a more deserving individual.”
Noting Bennett’s many years of leadership in rural America, Smith said Bennett’s efforts have transformed institutions and communities.
“There are not many who have contributed to the good of an institution and a community like Dr. Bennett,” Smith said. “His leadership in academic programming, rural college operations and community relations have truly made a difference for students, community businesses and economic development.”
The RCCA is the primary advocacy organization for America’s 600 rural community and tribal colleges and 3.4 million students, according to the organization’s website, www.ruralccalliance.org. The RCCA promotes a more economically, culturally, and civically vibrant rural America, through advocacy, convening, leveraging resources, and serving as a clearing house for innovative practice, policy, and research.