TCC Foundation Honors U.S. Representative Tom Cole With Vision Award

The Tulsa Community College Foundation honored U.S. Representative Tom Cole with the 2016 Vision in Education Leadership Award. TCC President Leigh B. Goodson, Ph.D., TCC Foundation Chair Joan Parkhurst, and former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating presented Congressman Cole with the Vision Award at the 17th annual TCC Vision in Education Leadership Awards Dinner Thursday, Sept. 1 at the Cox Business Center. The event raised more than $300,000 for the TCC Foundation.

Congressman Cole was recognized for his leadership and commitment to education and his role as an Oklahoman who has consistently championed the value of education. Elected to the U.S. House in 2002, he has been part of the national dialogue about higher education, college accessibility and the achievement gap.

“Representative Cole is a visionary leader whose influence on American education has benefited students pursuing higher education at TCC and every other institution of higher learning in Oklahoma and across our nation,” Goodson said.

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 has supported federal programs for students who may come from disadvantaged backgrounds and need extra assistance to succeed in college such as Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) and TRIO, programs specifically designed to assist those student populations.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized with the 2016 Vision in Education Leadership Award. GEAR UP and TRIO are both critical, foundational programs that ensure all students and potential students have access to quality higher education programs. I am proud to give my continued support to these outstanding programs,” Cole said.

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.

The 2016 Vision Honorary Chair is Stacy Schusterman and David Stratton serves as the Vision Dinner Chair. The 2016 TCC 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 TCC Foundation 2016 Board Chair.

Visionary Sponsors are Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and Cherokee Nation and Cherokee Nation Businesses for the 2016 Vision in Education Leadership Award Dinner.

Robin F. Ballenger, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, George Kaiser Family Foundation, ONEGas, TTCU the Credit Union, and The Anne and Henry Zarrow Family Foundation-The Coretz Family Foundation are Leadership sponsors.

Excellence Sponsors are Bank of Oklahoma, Barnett Family Foundation/OSU-Tulsa, The Mervin Bovaird Foundation, Cox Communications, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Jim Norton Toyota/Jim Norton Chevrolet, Jones, Gotcher & Bogan, PC, Langdon Publishing, Matrix Service Company, Nabholz Corporation, ONEOK, The Oxley Foundation, Premier Consulting, Jane & Henry Primeaux, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, QuikTrip, Schnake Turnbo Frank, Stinnett & Associates, University of Oklahoma, and Williams. Bama Companies, Helmerich & Payne, Inc., JPMorgan Chase, NORDAM, Pierce & Debbie Norton, Tulsa Regional Chamber, Workspace Resource, and OSU Center for Health Sciences are Achievement Sponsors. Dedication Sponsors are Anchor Stone Co., Montie & Betty Box, Jim & Janet Cameron, The Chickasaw Nation, CommunityCare, Crossland Construction, Davis Affiliate, LLC, Peggy Dyer, Dewberry, Jim East, Eller & Detrich, Fritz Baily, Martin & Karen Garber, GH2Architects, LLC, Leigh & Mark Goodson,Ted & Shiela Haynes, Johnson Controls, Inc., Ron & Susie Looney, Joe & Nancy McDonald, Rick and Susan Neal, RVA LLC, Ross Group, Selser Schaefer Architects, TCC President’s Cabinet, TCC Faculty Association, and Wallace Engineering.

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 our students to graduation and success. Thanks to generous donations, the TCC Foundation gives more than $1 million annually to programs and scholarships to support students, faculty and staff.