U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran will be honored with the Geographic Visionary Award at an Oct. 15 luncheon.
OXFORD, Miss. – U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran is set to receive the Mississippi Geographic Alliance’s Geographic Visionary Award at an Oct. 15 luncheon in Jackson.
The Geographic Visionary Award was created to honor a Mississippi business or civic leader who understands the importance of global understanding and awareness for Mississippians and/or promotes an understanding about Mississippi in other parts of the world. The alliance, known as MGA, is housed at the University of Mississippi.
The luncheon at the Jackson Convention Complex begins at noon. Proceeds from the event will directly benefit MGA programs throughout the state.
“Thad Cochran’s transformational leadership in Mississippi and his strong support for education in general, and geography education in particular, make him an ideal recipient for the Geographic Visionary Award,” said Carley Lovorn, MGA assistant director. “He truly understands the importance of teaching students about the world around them.”
Cochran will be the third recipient of the award, following Ambassador John Palmer and George Schloegel.
“I commend the Mississippi Geographic Alliance for working to increase our knowledge of the world,” Cochran said. “I support its mission to help new generations of our youth to be better equipped to compete successfully in the global marketplace.”
The alliance works to prepare Mississippians to interact with the global community by increasing geographic literacy through various educational programs. The programs include outreach to civic leaders and policymakers, raising awareness among Mississippians and professional development for K-12 educators.
In addition to the Visionary Award, the alliance will present its Jess McKee Award for Distinguished Service to Geography Education to Carol Paola of Long Beach.
For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, visit http://mga.olemiss.edu/events/ or call the MGA office at 662-915-3776.