“He makes teaching worthwhile. His intelligence, discipline, and enthusiasm all combine into the kind of student every teacher dreams of having in the classroom,” said Jennifer Boyd Hale, a mathematics instructor at Northwest Mississippi Community College, describing Northwest alumnus Logan Dodson of Senatobia.
On April 10, Dodson received the prestigious Taylor Medal, the university’s highest honor, at a ceremony at The University of Mississippi.
Dodson graduated from Northwest in 2012 with an Associate of Arts in secondary education. He will graduate from Ole Miss in May with a bachelor’s in secondary education, with a concentration in mathematics.
Taylor Medalists are required to have a GPA of 3.9 or above, senior standing, and at least 18 hours in their major. As a transfer student, Dodson needed to have earned 45 semester hours at Ole Miss before being nominated. Dodson has successfully completed all of those requirements and will graduate in four years.
The Marcus Elvis Taylor Memorial was founded in June 1904 by Dr. William A. Taylor of Boonesville, in memory his son, an honored alumnus of the class of 1871. Students are nominated by a faculty committee to be recognized for “meritorious scholarship and deportment” and the Undergraduate Council and Council of Academic Administrators give formal approval for recognition. No more than .45 percent of undergraduates are awarded the medal.
During his career at Northwest, Dodson served as a student recruiter and was a member of the Northwest Education Association. He was a member of Mu Alpha Theta, a national mathematics honor society and Phi Theta Kappa, an international scholastic and leadership honor society for students at two-year colleges. He was selected to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, was named an Outstanding Student for secondary education and was in the Hall of Fame, which is the highest honor a Northwest student can receive.
“Northwest got me ready for the university atmosphere. On top of my classroom experiences, I really grew and matured and also learned to manage my free time,” Dodson said. He credits Hale and chemistry instructor Dr. Kim Hamilton-Wims for influencing him during his time at Northwest. “Mrs. Hale always took extra steps to help me. They both stick out in my mind,” Dodson said.
Both Hale and Hamilton-Wims had praise for Dodson as a student and as a person. “Logan Dodson is a person of integrity, possessing a friendly disposition and genuine respect for others. While attending Northwest, he was a model student who consistently strived for excellence. In my science classes he always stood out as a charismatic leader who motivated others to do their very best. It was truly a pleasure having him as one of my top-performing science students. I am confident that he will continue to do great things and make all of us proud,” Hamilton-Wims said.
At Ole Miss, Dodson used his experience as a Northwest student recruiter to become an Ole Miss Ambassador. “At Northwest, I learned to meet new people and it made my adjustment to Ole Miss a little easier. It opened me up to new people. It was fun interacting with future Northwest students and helpful, since that is the age group I am planning to work with,” Dodson said.
In addition to being an Ole Miss Ambassador, Dodson’s Ole Miss accomplishments include Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Chi Psi Fraternity, where he served as vice president. He was on the Chancellor’s List each year and received a Phi Theta Kappa scholarship, fraternity scholarship, Lyceum scholarship, transfer leadership scholarship and two math education scholarships. He was a member of Teachers of Tomorrow.
Dodson was also selected as the recipient of the Elaine Deas Mullins Outstanding Secondary Mathematics Educator. He is currently doing his student teaching at Oxford Middle and High School where he is helping coach baseball as a volunteer coach. Dodson graduated from Homewood High School in Homewood, Ala., where he played both football and baseball.
Dodson has accepted a position as an assistant to the head football coach and academic instructor at East Coast Preparatory School, a one semester post graduate program for athletes intent on reaching the next level in their development in Great Barrington, Mass.
“Logan has a gift for helping others and I know he will make a wonderful teacher,” Hale said.
Dodson is the son of retired Northwest Police Chief Al Dodson and Lisa Matney of Homewood
For more information on Northwest, visit the website at www.northwestms.edu.
Courtesy Northwest Community College
