University of Oklahoma Athletics
Copp Honored with CoSIDA President's Award
July 30, 2015 | Athletics
When people reference long-time CoSIDA member and Hall of Famer Debbie Copp, the University of Oklahoma director of publications for athletics, they immediately talk about one thing- her tremendous legacy of service to her school, her community and to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) organization.
For those reasons, Copp, who has served in the Oklahoma athletic communications office since 1977, was selected as the first recipient of CoSIDA's "President's Award," given for exemplary service and leadership on a CoSIDA committee or committees which greatly benefits the organization's members.
The President's Award idea was formed by CoSIDA Executive Director Doug Vance and 2014-15 CoSIDA President Eric McDowell, assistant AD at Union College (N.Y), with the plan to surprise the inaugural recipient at the 2015 June convention in Orlando.
As chair of the Committees on Committees since 2006, Copp was the automatic first choice when the idea of an annual CoSIDA President's Award was formed this past winter. CoSIDA has a robust Special Awards program with Copp a recipient of several of those awards throughout the years - but the association felt there was a void in recognizing members who make significant contributions by volunteering their time year-round on CoSIDA committees.
The Committee on Committees as the over-arching group organizes and coordinates the setup and membership for work on 14 different committees. Under Copp's leadership and advice, the CoSIDA committees continue to evolve. Year-round, Copp checks in with CoSIDA members, noting their preferences and interests in different committees, and works with all the committee chairs as find out what their staffing needs are. The Committee on Committees, through Copp, also works with the CoSIDA Board of Directors and staff to keep the committees of the organization relevant to CoSIDA's diverse profession.
The award inscription, which perfectly fits the commitment and work of Copp, reads, "Selected by the CoSIDA President, this award serves to honor exemplary volunteer service and leadership within the organization's committee structure in support of programs that benefit CoSIDA members."
"Due to her tremendous service to CoSIDA on numerous committees throughout her career, Debbie was absolutely the clear choice to receive the inaugural CoSIDA President's Award," noted McDowell when announcing the honor during a convention luncheon in Orlando. "I was so happy to call Debbie and let her know about this special honor. It was a very emotional moment when I contacted her about the award, as CoSIDA and service mean so very much to Debbie."
"It is very humbling to receive an award for service to an organization that has been so much a part of my professional life, has given me so much and has provided so many lifelong friends," Copp noted. "Because of the nature of what we do, the members of CoSIDA have highly developed service genes in our makeup. Regardless of the format, our profession is about sharing the stories of o
ur student-athletes, coaches, administrators, donors and alumni. For me, service and story telling go hand in hand and we are the best in the business at both."
A mentor of many in the athletic communications profession, Copp's service to CoSIDA spans three decades. She previously was active on the special awards, publicists for women's sports, publications awards, and computer (now new media) committees.
The President's Award continues a long line of honors Copp has received from CoSIDA for her outstanding work. Three years ago, she was enshrined into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame. In 2008, she was named the recipient of the Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award and received her 25-Year Award for service in 2001.
In an ironic twist of fate, Copp was unable to travel to the 2015 convention, missing the annual gathering for just the second time in her career. She has attended an amazing 35 CoSIDA workshops, the first one in 1979.
In lieu of being in Orlando, Copp sent a heartfelt video acceptance which was broadcast for the 800-plus members in attendance during the annual Hall of Fame awards luncheon in Orlando.
It was her message of "service" which touched the members present who watched her video.
"I have always believed that service is part of what we do to earn our place on this earth and it is something so many in our profession do without a second thought," Copp stated. "Until you have done volunteerism, you think that the person you are helping is the one who is benefitting. Actually, it is the volunteer – yourself - who is receiving the blessing in my opinion. Helping someone else always makes me feel better as I set aside whatever seems to be a major issue to me and focus on the needs, whatever they are, of someone else. And that holds true whether it is a person or an organization."
On the OU campus and around the Norman community, Copp's service record is second to none.
Upon receiving the President's Award, Copp reflected more on her career and the national organization that she serves so admirably.
"It has been an honor to do whatever I could to serve our CoSIDA organization, to play a small role in making one of the best groups in collegiate athletics a bit better than i found it. If, at the end of the day, I can say I left things better than I found them, then it has been a wonderful day, a worthwhile day," she noted.
"The people of CoSIDA have now left me speechless three times, a rare occurrence in itself -- in 2008 when I received the Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award, in 2012 when I was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame and this year when I received the inaugural President's Award. I am honored beyond words and am still shaking my head about the blessings of this life."
More on Debbie Copp
A glance of her work on the University of Oklahoma campus
Campus activities:
• Will become the first ever three-time chair of the Norman Campus Staff Senate on August 1, 2015, serving a one-year term. Previously was the Senate recording secretary, president of her employee member group four times and received the staff merit award twice.
• Serves as a Staff Senate representative on the Employee Benefits Committee; served on the Publications Board for nine years and was a presidential appointee to the Speakers Bureau for six years.
• Member of the Board of Visitors for the College of Arts & Sciences and previously served on the Board of Visitors for the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.
In the Norman community:
• A three-term chair of the Board of Directors of the Women's Resource Center (WRC) and served on the board for multiple terms that covered 14 years. WRC operates the Norman Shelter for Battered Women, the Rape Crisis Center and a counseling and referral service for children, women and men. Received the 2013 Juanita Williams Distinguished Service Award from the organization. For 19 years, served as the primary coordinator for the annual Sullivan Family Holiday Concert, a fund-raiser for WRC, with the concert raising more than $10,000 annually. Nine-year chair of the WRC promotions committee.
• Chamber of Commerce member serving on the Business and Arts Committee.
• Assisted with publicity efforts for the Cleveland County Habitat for Humanity Women Build and the local American Cancer Society's Daffodil Days and Relay for Life.
• An active participant in the annual Secret Santa program for children in the DHS system.
