University Community Mourns Passing of Dr. David Cox, Emeritus Faculty
JONESBORO – The university community extends sympathy to the family, friends and former colleagues of Dr. David W. Cox, who died Tuesday, Nov. 29. Cox lived in Oxford, Miss.
Cox joined Arkansas State University’s faculty in 1992 as a department chair and one of the first professors in the Doctor of Education in educational leadership program, which was the institution’s first doctoral degree. He also taught in the Center for Excellence in Education, a division of the College of Education and Behavioral Science.
He had a reputation among graduate students for being an excellent teacher. He was known for his passion for teaching, his use of innovative techniques, and for engaging his students directly and through teleconferencing with experts in the field. The web-assisted learning focused on issues pertinent to the coursework.
Cox won the university’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2006. He also chaired the university’s strategic planning process in 2003-05.
Serving on the A-State faculty for 22 years, Cox completed bachelor's and master’s degrees at the University of Florida, and earned his doctorate at the University of Illinois. He retired in 2014, at which time he was named emeritus professor of education.
In August, he was one of 28 emeriti faculty members added to the Distinguished Faculty Wall of Honor during the fall faculty conference. Recognition of Distinguished Faculty began during the university's Centennial Celebration in 2009-10, when the Faculty Association selected the "First 100 Distinguished Faculty."
Survivors include his wife, Faye, four children, and their families. A memorial service, preceded by a time for visitation, will be Saturday, Dec. 10, in Oxford. The complete obituary is online.
Arkansas State University will light the clock tower of the Dean B. Ellis Library scarlet Saturday evening, Dec. 10, in tribute to Cox's contributions to A-State and higher education.
