Longtime Regional Educator Connie Wootton to Be Presented Honorary WT Doctorate

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - A distinguished regional educator will be awarded an honorary doctorate Dec. 13 by West Texas A&M University.

Connie Wootton, the longtime head of school at St. Andrew's Episcopal School and a statewide leader in private education, will be presented with an honorary Ph.D. in education from WT's Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences.

"I am both humbled and honored by this means of capping a 45-year career in education," Wootton said. "It is especially meaningful that the honorary doctorate is from West Texas A&M University, an institution I associate with outstanding academics and lasting friendships."

Wootton will be honored during the first of WT's three commencement ceremonies, which will be stretched to two days - Dec. 13 and 14 - in the First United Bank Center, 3301 Fourth Ave. in Canyon.

The 2 p.m. Dec. 13 ceremony also will include the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

"Connie's career in school administration epitomizes outstanding teaching and service to prepare students to learn and succeed. The conferring by WT of the honorary doctorate in education to Connie brings distinction upon the University," said WT President Walter V. Wendler. "I have gotten to know Connie personally, and besides being an outstanding educator, she is a fine person."

Wootton earned undergraduate degrees in English and biology education and a master's in mid-management / educational administration from WT.

She served as head of school at St. Andrew's from 1981 to 2002, when she was named executive director of the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools, a six-state regional association of more than 100 Episcopal schools. She retired in 2015 and worked as an event planner for the NAIS Accreditation Commission and an event planner and bookkeeper for the Independent Schools Association Network until retiring in 2017. She then served as interim executive director of the Turn Center, an independent nonprofit pediatric therapy center in Amarillo, from 2019 to 2021.

"To devote 45 influential years of one's life to a career in education is an overwhelming statement of genuine care for students, an understanding of the impact of education on the future of those students, and a profound appreciation its contribution to the advancement of society," said Dr. Gary Bigham, dean of the Rogers College. "As a dean of education, and a past school administrator myself, I am honored to be a part of this special recognition of a fellow educator who has given so much to the profession."

Wootton was recognized as a distinguished alumna of WT in 1999. She currently serves on the boards of directors for the Amarillo College Foundation and the Waite and Genevieve Phillips Foundation. She and her husband of 52 years, Dwayne, live in Canyon.

Fall commencement ceremonies also will include:

10 a.m. Dec. 14 for the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities;

2 p.m. Dec. 14 for the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business and the College of Engineering

Wootton's life and career reflect the regional values to which WT aspires, as laid out in the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign's new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest's finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men's and women's athletics programs.

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