OXFORD, Miss.
– Thomas D. Wallace demonstrates a profound love for college students
and college life. He has spent the majority of his career serving
students at the University of Mississippi, but he began to define his
career when he was a student at Northwest Mississippi Community College
some 34 years ago.
“I had an absolutely wonderful experience at
Northwest,” Wallace said. “It was a nurturing environment, particularly
for one coming directly out of high school. It gave me an opportunity
to get to know myself.”
Wallace returns to his beloved alma mater
Oct. 18 as Northwest’s Alumnus of the Year. He will be honored during
homecoming and alumni festivities that day.
The Hernando native
enrolled at NMCC in 1974 and earned an associate’s degree in elementary
education two years later. He was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an
international honor society for two-year colleges, and served as vice
president of the school’s chapter. He participated in the Society of
Universal Love Club, served as a statistician for the basketball teams
and worked in the college library. He held the No. 1 doubles position
on the tennis team and participated in the state tournament in Meridian.
“There was such a great support system at Northwest for the students; you were not a number, but a name to your instructors,” he said. “I remember many of them fondly. When you have been gone for 30 years and you can still remember your instructors’ names, you know they left a great impression on you.
“I was recruited in high school, and I chose Northwest for its location and affordability. I had family members who had gone there and had great experiences. It worked out well for me. Many of the friends I met while there have been lifelong friends of mine and are people I still interact with today. My experience at Northwest was wonderful.”
After leaving NMCC, Wallace transferred to Ole Miss, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1978, followed by his master’s in education administration in 1979. He taught in Oxford City Schools for five years. He served as a public school administration for four years in Oxford, then two years in New Albany City Schools. He was named Union County Educator of the Year by Phi Delta Kappa in 1989.
Wallace returned to Ole Miss in March 1990 as assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, and later as associate vice chancellor, then as vice chancellor for student life. The latter post is the university’s chief student affairs officer, who is an advocate for student needs, enrollment management and the students’ quality of life and education outside the classroom. Since July 2007, he has been an assistant to the UM provost with the responsibility of developing academic programs to enhance student retention. He also has been an associate professor in the School of Education since 2001, teaching educational leadership.
In 2002, Wallace earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership at UM. He recently completed classes from the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University and the Millennium Leadership Institute from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
His other honors include two-time recipient of the National Education Association’s Outstanding Leadership Award form the Mississippi Association of Educators, as well as being named the Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning’s 1999 Black History Month Educator for Mississippi, the UM School of Education’s 1998 Alumnus of the Year and an Emerging Leader of the South. He is a member of the Ole Miss Phi Kappa Phi honorary and the L.C.Q. Lamar Society, and he is an honorary member of the National Society of Black Engineers.
Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Wallace coordinated Ole Miss Cares, the university’s relief efforts for victims of the storm.
A published author, Wallace is sought after as an education consultant and as a keynote speaker.
He and his wife, the former Phyllis Hairston of Oxford, are the parents of a son, Thomas D. “Dee” Wallace III, 17; and two daughters, Garrison Hairston “Gigi” Wallace, 15, and Ty Corlyn Wallace, 10. He enjoys jogging, tennis, basketball, board games, reading and traveling.
NMCC’s homecoming activities will begin on the Senatobia campus at 8:30 a.m. with an alumni reception in the cafeteria in the David M. Haraway Center. Alumni presentations are set for 10:30 a.m., followed by a barbecue lunch on the grounds. The Northwest Rangers will take on the Holmes Bulldogs at 1:30 p.m. at Bobby Franklin Field in Ranger Stadium. Wallace will also be recognized during halftime activities. The 2008 homecoming queen will be crowned during halftime ceremonies.
For more information on Northwest’s 2008 Homecoming and Alumni activities, contact Delores Wooten, manager of Alumni Affairs at 662-560-1105 or email dbwooten@northwestms.edu.