Donald Cole is the first alumnus to receive the Sullivan Award for his dedicated service to Ole Miss and the Oxford community.
The Sullivan Award is given to members of the community who display selfless service to others, and is the university’s highest honor recognizing service.
Cole, assistant provost and mathematics professor, is involved on campus with Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education (IMAGE) and the Bridge STEM program, centered around science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. As part of his work with IMAGE, Cole is responsible for finding grants for students to attend Ole Miss for STEM classes during the summer.
“If someone comes through my door with a problem, then it’s more than their problem – it’s our problem,” Cole said. “I think people see this is not just work for me. It’s something that helps me lay my head down at night and sleep with a smile.”
Cole was unaware he was the first alumnus recipient of the award, but said he has always loved to serve others.
“I never sort of think of it as service, never think of it as work,” Cole said. “I just think of it as enjoyment. It’s a process that you never forget, and once you’re a part of it, you’ll always be a part of it.”
Cole also helped found Books and Bears, a program benefiting employees working in the school’s facilities management department. The program collects toys, books and games at Christmas time for the employees’ children and grandchildren.
Jacquline Vinson works with Cole in the IMAGE and Bridge STEM programs.
“He is very passionate about diversity and the STEM disciplines,” Vinson said. “He always, always goes far and beyond his duties with all students and his responsibilities. There is no one that I know that has made a more major impact on the Ole Miss community than Donald R. Cole.”
Cole said he loves working with students on campus and has a passion for helping minority students pursue advanced degrees. After convincing students to come to Ole Miss, he mentors them throughout their time in Oxford.
Cole said he was fortunate enough to get a good education and tries to pay it forward.
“I wasn’t hired to write grants, but somewhere along the way I knew that if I did, I could help somebody,” Cole said. “Give scholarships to somebody who otherwise wouldn’t have one. I want to give them the same opportunities that I was fortunate enough to have.”
Cole is involved not just in the community on campus but in the Oxford community, as well. He has been a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity for years and just recently built and dedicated a house to a family in Oxford.
In addition, Cole works closely with Kairos Prison Ministry, where he spends three to four days in the prison with around 40 inmates. The ministry aims to lower return rates for Mississippi inmates by promoting Christian values in jails. Cole said he sleeps in the prison at night, separately from the inmates, and spends time with them from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Students feel comfortable knowing they can seek Cole out for help. Whether he helps them himself or refers them to another professor, Cole said he will be there for his students.
