President of Redlands Community College, Dr. Larry F. Devane recently became the only Oklahoman to receive the national 2013 John and Suanne Roueche Excellence Award. This honor celebrates outstanding contributions by community college leaders.
“We are excited to have our President recognized nationally for his community college leadership,” said Vice President for Undergraduate Research and Resource Development Dr. Amanda Evert. “Dr. Devane has served as president of Redlands since 1990 and in that time has created a vision for Redlands which includes state of the art technology, student focused facilities and industry driven program development.”
In the last 23 years, Dr. Devane has led the college in planning, constructing, and implementing major facility projects. He has led construction initiatives including development of student apartments, restoration of the historic Darlington Chapel, as well as implementation of academic and auxiliary facilities.
The campus growth has also fueled local, state and national successes in academics, extracurricular clubs and athletic programs. Devane’s leadership and vision has propelled Redlands forward as a leading community college often recognized for excellence. Below is a brief listing of the successes Devane has championed during the 2012-2013 academic year.
• RCC Mind Games team was undefeated in Oklahoma competing against both community college and regional university teams. The team is currently ranked among the top four community college teams in the nation. They have won $13,500 in scholarship money through the KSBI television program.
• Phi Theta Kappa honor society members won top prizes at the International conference in San Jose, CA. including Distinguished Chapter Officer Team as well as Distinguished Member.
• The Redlands Women’s Golf Team has achieved continued success over the past few years. They are 6-time defending Region II Champions and since 2003 have won the national title four times (2012, 2009, 2008, 2006) and finished in the top three five times.
• Redlands is the largest individual campus provider of concurrent education courses for area high school students.
• Redlands was selected as a partner in the National Science Foundation funded Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative. The $3.35 million CCURI initiative includes twenty-six community colleges from New York to Hawaii.
• The Livestock Judging team has dominated the national tournament circuit. This year they brought home their fourth National Title (2013, 2012, 2011, 2010), and have produced 15 All-Americans.
“Redlands Community College competes at the highest possible levels in many areas across the campus because our students deserve to have the types of experiences that will empower them to be competitive in the workforce,” said Devane. “The need for exceptional opportunities for America’s youth has never been clearer. In 21st century America, education beyond high school is the passport to the American Dream. We are offering students the opportunity to excel at Redlands and beyond.”
According to Evert, “Dr. Devane’s national leadership award comes at the conclusion of banner year for Redlands. In a tough year of state and national budget cuts it is important for us to celebrate the college’s successes and to recognize the leadership which makes excellence at Redlands possible.”