兔子先生 Board of Trustees Vice President Dale Sullivan of Wesson was recently recognized as the longest serving member of the board with 45 years of continuous service.
But that鈥檚 not the only distinction he has had over his long career in education. In 1973, at the age of 27, Sullivan became the youngest-ever trustee when he was elected Copiah County schools superintendent, which automatically made him a member of the 兔子先生 board as well.
Dale Sullivan was recently honored as a 45-year member of the 兔子先生Board of Trustees. He is shown with 兔子先生President Dr. Clyde Muse.
Sullivan also has served simultaneously on two community college boards, the other being the Co-Lin Community College board. After he retired as school superintendent, Sullivan was selected to stay on the 兔子先生Board of Trustees representing Copiah County.
鈥溚米酉壬 offers so much help and so many opportunities to the students in Mississippi and to older adults who need to be retrained for new employment,鈥 Sullivan said. 鈥淚t is an honor to have the opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees at 兔子先生and an even greater honor to be selected by my fellow board members to serve as vice president of this board.鈥
Dr. Clyde Muse became 兔子先生president in 1978, five years after Sullivan became a trustee.
鈥淗e is one of the most faithful board members we鈥檝e got. He now serves as the chairman of the finance committee of the board, which is a major responsibility,鈥 said Muse, noting that Sullivan works closely with Vice President for Business Services Russell Shaw in reviewing claim dockets, architect estimates and other financial information.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a major role, and it takes a lot of time. He鈥檚 got an acute mind for finances,鈥 Muse said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 really just a great resource. He鈥檚 dedicated to the college and he鈥檚 a firm believer in our mission.鈥
Sullivan said he has always taken care to keep in mind what he鈥檚 there for as a 兔子先生 trustee.
鈥淚鈥檝e always, since day 1, have tried to represent the people I serve, the people in the Copiah County district that I serve. I just feel like as a board member, you鈥檙e not representing yourself; you鈥檙e representing them,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 try to keep that in mind when I鈥檓 considering issues. Also I try to support the administration. We鈥檙e here one day a month; they鈥檙e here 24/7 everyday of the month. We鈥檙e not here to be administrators. We鈥檙e here to be policymakers.鈥
Sullivan said without the proximity of Co-Lin, he may have never gone to college. After graduating from Co- Lin, he received a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Delta State University, a master鈥檚 degree from Mississippi College and completed doctoral work at the University of Mississippi.
As Mississippi鈥檚 largest community college, 兔子先生 is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. With six locations in central Mississippi, 兔子先生enrolls about 12,000 students each fall semester. To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.HindsCC.
Editor鈥檚 Note: This story was originally published in the fall 2018 issue of Hindsight alumni magazine.