Distinguished Service Award

Overview

The Distinguished Service Award is given annually to recognize an individual in the SACUBO region for his or her distinguished service to higher education in the field of business and financial management. The 2021 award was presented at SACUBO 2021 Annual Meeting.

Guidelines and Eligibility

Candidates must be contributing members of our professional community, and must be, or have been, directly associated with managing resources in higher education.
Candidates must show mature and effective professional skills, leadership ability, and vision.
Candidates may not be currently serving on the SACUBO Board, staff, or Distinguished Service Committee.
Anyone, within or outside of higher education, may submit nominations for the award.

2021 Recipient

Robert (Bob) Dixon is the recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Service Award. Bob began his career in higher education at Mercer University in 1986. He currently is the Director of Grants and Contracts Financial Administration at Oklahoma State University where his office is responsible for the financial compliance of federal, state, and private sponsored programs.

Bob served on the Board of the Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations (COHEAO) for a number of years. He has been active in the SACUBO throughout most of his career in higher education serving in various roles including President in 2010-2011. He feels one of his more significant accomplishments during his time with SACUBO was reintroducing the “Best Practices” awards in 2001 to allow institutions to showcase their innovations and improvements in higher education business practices. Bob also completed a term on the NACUBO Board of Directors, and he received NACUBO’s Professional Development Award in 2007.

Bob has been described as a man of character and talent who has the gift of encouragement. Volunteering his time with SACUBO, he was a stalwart Chair of the Professional Development Committee and a great resource. His work throughout the Presidential succession years was outstanding, and he represented SACUBO’s interests on the NACUBO Board extremely well. Bob did not stop volunteering after his time on the SACUBO Board as he immediately took over coordination of the Drive-In Workshops. He made sure SACUBO was offering professional development opportunities to constituents who could not travel to the larger meetings. He also contributed to our profession by continually presenting sessions at NACUBO conferences, SACUBO conferences, Drive-In Workshops, CBMI, state meetings, and probably a roadside picnic table here and there as well as serving as a trainer for the Department of Education. Bob has truly dedicated his career to helping others succeed.

Bob received an Associate of Science from Andrew College, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia College (now Georgia College and State University), a Master of Education from Mercer University, and his doctorate in higher education administration from Oklahoma State University. He and his wife, Brenna, have two children and eight grandchildren. Once an avid runner with good knees, he has since pursued other hobbies such as painting, traveling, and whatever his grandchildren suggest. He is also active with the United Way.