Canon honored with DKG Red Rose Award

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SENATOBIA, MS (12/11/2017) In December, Sybil Canon, associate vice president of development and special projects at Northwest Mississippi Community College, was honored with the prestigious Red Rose Award by the Alpha Delta chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG), founded in 1929 for key women educators with chapters across the nation and the world.

Canon, who has worked at Northwest for 20 years, directs the Northwest Foundation, which started at $250,000 and has grown, under her leadership, to $10.6 million. As of this year, Northwest has 316 fully-endowed scholarships, and awarded 515 scholarships totaling $550,000 in 2017-18.

The Red Rose Award is a program established to recognize achievement of a woman in a visible leadership role whose accomplishments have benefitted education and the status of women in educational leadership roles.

"Sybil sets the bar for achievement by a woman in education. Her selection actually enhances Delta Kappa Gamma Society International for Key Women in Education and its Red Rose. Ever mindful of students and their families, she works to raise funds to support their college attendance. A magical moment for me was when the entire group rose with thunderous applause immediately at the calling of her name as our honoree. What a tribute to one of education's heroines," said Reba Greer, president of the Alpha Delta chapter.

In her role at Northwest, Canon has been responsible for raising scholarship funds for the Foundation and has personally worked with students and their families to see that they have the needed funds to attend Northwest. She has facilitated the education of young people by spearheading efforts to establish the 2+2 Scholarship Initiative with the University of Mississippi, DeSoto. She worked closely with Tara Dunn, Northwest dean of students to help Northwest receive the "Project Gateway: From Community College to Careers" grant that benefits the college's female students who need financial help.

Canon has served as the Northwest representative to the Women in Higher Education Mississippi Network conference. She is a talented musician and choir director, and teaches English classes online for Northwest. Devoted to her family, she and her husband Al have three daughters and five grandchildren.

"The past recipients of the Red Rose Award have exhibited the height of excellence in their quest not only to promote education for all, but also in encouraging leadership roles for women in education. To be listed among them is an immense honor and quite humbling. I am deeply appreciative," Canon said.

Pictured: Sybil Canon, associate vice president of development and special projects at Northwest Mississippi Community College, second from left, was recently honored with the prestigious Red Rose Award by the Alpha Delta chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG). DKG was founded in 1929 for key women educators with chapters across the nation and the world. Congratulating Canon (l-r) is Sandra Roy, member of the DKG Communications and Publicity Committee; Reba Greer, president of the Alpha Delta chapter and Northwest President, Dr. Gary Lee Spears. (Photo by Julie Bauer)