CASE District IV is honored to present the 2016 Dr. E. Joseph Savoie Chief Executive Leadership Award to Dr. Janet Cunningham, president of Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Cunningham has served Northwestern for more than 30 years, leading the school as its chief executive officer since July 2006. She is the second alum and first woman to serve as president of the institution. Under her leadership, Northwestern has been transformed into a dynamic, nationally recognized regional university that is leading the effort to improve life in western Oklahoma and beyond.

In less than 10 years, Cunningham has guided Northwestern to levels of success unimagined by most. During her tenure, enrollment rose from 1,800 students to more than 2,300. Focused on improving the academic reputation of the University, she led the effort to increase the number of specialized program accreditations to attract top students. Her efforts are paying dividends as the number of freshmen scoring a 29 or better on the ACT have doubled in the past four years. Cunningham also successfully led the transition of Northwestern from the NAIA to NCAA Division II.

Cunningham has placed a priority on improving the quality of life in rural western Oklahoma. In February of this year, Northwestern was given approval to begin its first doctoral program in advanced nursing practice, a program that has the potential to dramatically improve healthcare in rural Oklahoma by increasing the number of primary care providers. With higher education in Oklahoma sustaining record budget cuts, the program is being funded entirely with private gifts that are being used to create faculty endowments and pay for start-up costs.

During her tenure, private giving to Northwestern has soared as Cunningham has decentralized fundraising efforts and instilled a campus-wide culture of philanthropy. Since becoming president in 2006, Northwestern has raised more than $35 million in private gifts. Northwestern has established 43 endowed faculty chairs, the most of any regional university in Oklahoma, and five of every nine students now receive private scholarship dollars. Today, 55 percent of graduates leave the institution with no student debt. The current Imagine Northwestern Campaign has to date raised $19.9 million and will surpass its total expected goal of $20 million before going public in spring 2017.

In 2015, she was awarded the Kate Barnard Award, which is presented to female public servants who have contributed to an improved quality of life in Oklahoma. That same year, Cunningham was inducted into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame. She became a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma in 2001 and currently serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.