Jan. 28, 2014

Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, vice president of academic affairs at Amarillo College, has been selected to receive the 2013 Instructional Leadership Award from the National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA).

The prestigious award is based on “demonstrated exemplary leadership” in such areas as student outcomes assessment, curricular transformation and institutional effectiveness—areas in which AC has made enormous strides with Lowery-Hart at its academic helm.

The award will be conferred at the NCIA awards luncheon March 26 in Ponte Vedra, Fla., and presenters will not lack for highlights upon which to dwell when they introduce Lowery-Hart and point out why he was selected from nominees nationwide.

In fewer than four years under Lowery-Hart’s leadership, AC has become the first No Excuses post-secondary school in the nation and has been accepted into Achieving the Dream, a selective nationwide consortium of elite community colleges committed to accelerating student success.

Lowery-Hart has led a community-wide conversation on poverty and has been at the forefront of AC’s focus on the needs of AC students living in poverty. He has led efforts at the College to establish a Food Pantry and the hiring of a social services coordinator.

He continues to spearhead course-redesign efforts at AC, where student-success rates are on the rise so far in both English and mathematics. His Coaches-Champions initiative connects at-risk students with community and College mentors, and retention rates have soared as a result. An early-alert system connects at-risk students with tutors and advising interventions.

Under Lowery-Hart AC has expanded its Honors Program, launched a First-Year Seminar for new students and put in place strategies to accelerate developmental coursework.

“All of us at Amarillo College join in congratulating Dr. Lowery-Hart on this well-deserved national award,” AC President Paul Matney said. “Never in my 43 years in higher education have I known an individual who has made such a transformative and positive impact on an institution as Dr. Lowery-Hart has made at Amarillo College.

“He has led our institutional efforts to make student success and completion our number one critical priority.”

NCIA is a professional organization affiliated with the American Association of Community Colleges. The Instructional Leadership Award was established in 2000 and is given annually to recognize exceptional academic administrators who use creative and innovative approaches to leadership and make a substantial impact on the community colleges they serve.