OXFORD, Miss – Milton Kuykendall, leader of Mississippi’s largest school district, has been selected as Alumnus of the Year for the University of Mississippi School of Education.
Kuykendall, superintendent of the DeSoto County School System, holds master’s degrees in curriculum and instruction and educational leadership from Ole Miss. He was selected by education faculty for his commitment to improving education in Mississippi and was honored with a plaque during the school’s annual Awards Day ceremony.“Milton Kuykendall is an excellent administrator,” said David Rock, UM dean of education. “His high standards and dedication to improving education in Mississippi can be seen in the quality of schools in DeSoto County. He’s exactly the kind of leader we want to honor.”
Sworn into office for his third consecutive term as head of the DeSoto County School System, a district with more than 32,000 students, on Jan. 2, Kuykendall has spent the last 42 years as a coach, teacher and administrator. He took office in 2003 when he was elected with 65.4 percent of the vote and ran unopposed for the position in 2007 and 2011. He previously served as the principal of Horn Lake High School for 18 years.
“My education at the University of Mississippi was a turning point in my career,” Kuykendall said. “In my first life, I was a coach. The degree I earned at Ole Miss put me on the path to be successful as an assistant principal, principal and superintendent. It was a tremendous honor to be recognized by a school I greatly respect.”
In 2010, he was named Mississippi Superintendent of the Year by the Mississippi Association of School Administrators, or MASA, and was inducted into the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame. His previous honors include being named Mississippi Principal of the Year in 1995 and DeSoto County Administrator of the year in 1996 and three state boys basketball teams.
Kuykendall serves on the board of directors for MASA, is president of the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents and is chairman of the Board of Trustees for Northwest Mississippi Community College.
For more information on the School of Education, go to http://education.olemiss.edu/.