ANTONIO ALONSO

Antonio Alonso, Dean of Student Services, has been an outstanding leader at Tulsa Community College in creating programs and services that have promulgated accessibility to higher education by members of the community who have traditionally been underserved in their immediate community. He has raised the consciousness of the entire College with respect to the need to strengthen the participation of all peoples in the educational process of our country. He truly kindles and promotes the dream of participating fully in society by taking advantage of educational opportunities.

Alonso's commitment to serve inspires many to reach their maximum potential and to also serve in the community–especially in service to the young people of all cultures upon whose shoulders rest the future of our society. He has a passion for community outreach highly motivated by his own personal experiences.

Alonso coordinates the Community Outreach Program at TCC, reaching a level of service that is far beyond that required of his position. This program serves to increase the number of minority students attending colleges in Oklahoma and to promote volunteerism at TCC. He also creates and implements programs and services which have resulted in an increase of minority students at TCC from 12 percent of the students population in 1989 to over 28 percent of the current enrollment at the Northeast Campus.

Alonso coordinates the Day of Vision – a motivational program that has provided to hundreds of African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian-Americans, and low-income whites, information on TCC and other state colleges as well. In addition, Alonso volunteers as a tutor/mentor for Monroe Middle School, a school consisting primarily of African American and Hispanic students, and as pastoral counselor to Hispanic elderly in nursing homes.

In addition, Alonso supports the Association of Black Collegians and other ethnic student organizations with personal contributions of time and financial support. He serves as a motivational speaker to African-American and Hispanic youth in the Tulsa area, and he publicly promotes volunteerism and diversity through frequent newspaper and television interviews. Alonso received a community service leadership award from the NMCP in 1997 and the 1998 National Council on Student Development award for Exemplary Programs in Student Development from the American Association of Community Colleges.

Alonso has also been recognized by being chosen to serve on the President's Task Force on Racial Reconciliation in 1999. He was one of two Oklahomans chosen for this task force. He was also the recipient of the 2000 Martin Luther King Commemoration Society Keeping the Dream Alive Award, received the Red Cross Award for promoting diversity in fall of 2001 and was the recipient of the Tulsa Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce's Service Award, 2001.