Dr. Lott managed significant reductions in state funding...

Dr. Lott managed significant reductions in state funding over the first four years of his administration without cutting funds to the arts. He secured funding for the construction of the Jefferson Davis Campus (JD) Arena Theatre in Gulfport and the renovation of the college's existing arts facilities. Finally, he implemented a leadership-development program with a strong connection to the arts. All this made him an obvious choice for this award.