Gordon State College President Selected Recipient of 2023 CASE District III Chief Executive Leadership Award
By Karolina Philmon, GSC Marketing Manager
Gordon State College President Dr. Kirk A. Nooks was awarded the 2023 Chief Executive Leadership Award at the CASE District III Annual Conference in Atlanta on Monday, Feb. 27 with more than 700 attendees from across the region.
“I’m honored to have been chosen as the recipient of this prestigious award. We, at Highlander Nation, have a shared vision of our future as we innovate new ways in fulfilling our strategic plan, Building the Power of WE, and in doing so, learn together and grow,” Nooks said. “I will continue to provide stewardship that empowers regional development, foster innovative strategies, and be proactive in working to understand the needs of our students and community.”
President Nooks was selected amongst a competitive field of nominees across the southeast. According to the CASE District III Cabinet, President Nooks has shown “remarkable leadership at GSC in a time of tremendous uncertainty.” The CASE committee noted his dedication to building a collaborative campus culture, advancing student success and strengthening community engagement.
The Chief Executive Leadership Award recognized a leader who has created a vision and inspired others. Being a recipient of the award meant the leader established a positive image for their institution while leading it to higher levels of success, increased institution stature in the community, and encouraged innovation among employees while dynamically supporting all aspects of institution advancement.
After the award presentation, President Nooks joined Dr. Helene D. Gayle, president at Spelman College and Jere W. Morehead, president at University of Georgia with Joshua R. Newton, senior vice-president, advancement and alumni engagement at Emory University as moderator for a Presidents Keynote Panel.
The panel discussion included topics that spoke of the greatest challenges in higher education, navigation of civil discourse and intellectual freedom, and the effects of the pandemic on the institution, its leaders, students, faculty and staff.
“More challenges existed [from the effects of the pandemic] because of the reliance on state aid, residential component, and mental health to name a few. However, there was a positive outcome and it came from our foundation. They realized those needs and, for the first time, earmarked funds outside the traditional scholarships to target the needs of those students,” Nooks said.
According to its official website, CASE’s mission included the development and maintenance of strong relationships with key stakeholders in colleges, universities, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations from more than 82 countries forming partners and allies.