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Wyatt honored with lecture and award

The College of Education and Human Sciences at Delta State University presents the Kent Wyatt Distinguished Lecture Friday at 4 p.m. in the Jacob Conference Center, honoring Wyatt as the 2014 Outstanding Alumnus for the COEHS. Dr. Diana Rogers-Adkinson, dean of the College of Education at Southeast Missouri State University, will begin the event with a lecture.

The College of Education and Human Sciences at Delta State University proudly announces the first Kent Wyatt Distinguished Lecture honoring President Emeritus Dr. Kent Wyatt for his visionary and sustaining leadership in the field of education.

Dr. Diana Rogers-Adkinson, dean of the College of Education at Southeast Missouri State University, will lecture Friday at 4 p.m. at the Jacob Conference Center on campus.

Wyatt will also be honored at the event as the 2014 Outstanding Alumnus for the College of Education and Human Sciences. Wyatt is celebrating a milestone this year, with 2014 marking 50 years of Delta State association. He moved to Cleveland at the age of 11 when his father took the head-coaching job for the Statesmen football team.

After graduating from Delta State, Wyatt eventually served under President James Ewing as alumni director and then as assistant to the president for both Ewing and President Aubrey Lucas. Wyatt became the first alumnus chosen as president, serving in the role from 1975-1999.

“This is a significant point in the evolution of both our university and the College of Education and Human Sciences,” said Dr. Leslie Griffin, dean of the COEHS. “Dr. Kent Wyatt, through his exemplary vision and leadership, positioned this college to serve the region through the preparation of school professionals at both initial and advanced levels.

“In particular, Dr. Wyatt was instrumental in bringing a doctoral degree program in professional studies to the college — providing a gateway for the preparation of quality leaders for a variety of educational fields. Through this lecture series, the college stakeholders will be exposed to visionary thinkers — those who conceptualize and follow through to blaze trails for others to follow.”

Lecturer Rogers-Adkinson has served in the field of education for 30 years, beginning as a teacher of children with emotional and behavioral disorders and autism. She has also served a mental health professional for children and families in crisis.

She served as chair of the Department of Special Education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she was awarded for excellence in the areas of teaching, scholarly work and service to the profession.

She is past-president of the International Council for Children with Behavior Disorders and currently serves as president elect of the Missouri Association of Colleges of Teacher Education.

Rogers-Adkinson has been extensively published and has presented and provided consultations in the areas of strategic change, national issues in education, legal advocacy and expert witness work related to children with disabilities.

“Dr. Diana Rogers-Adkinson, our speaker for the inaugural lecture, provides such vision across multiple disciplines,” added Griffin. “We look forward to learning from her how to build bridges that will connect our significant past to a future charged with innovation and opportunity, building upon the legacy of Dr. Wyatt’s leadership.”

Those planning to attend the lecture and ceremony are asked to RSVP Janet Crowell at 662-846-4400 or jcrowell@deltastate.edu. A reception will be held following the program.