---

News Release

Last modified: Thursday, November 6, 2008

Hudson & Holland Scholars Program presents awards to Cook Group, Brown and McKaig

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOV. 8, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Hudson & Holland Scholars Program at Indiana University Bloomington is proud to announce the recipient of its inaugural Corporate Development & Partnership Award: Cook Group Inc. of Bloomington.

Cook was presented with this distinguished award Nov. 8, during a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Hudson & Holland Scholars Program. The celebration included a formal reception and a banquet in the Tudor Room of the Indiana Memorial Union, 900 E. Seventh St.

In other award presentations:

• Kevin Brown, professor and Harry T. Ice Faculty Fellow at the IU School of Law--Bloomington and immediate past director of the Hudson & Holland Scholars Program, received the Hudson & Holland Director Emeritus Award.
• Richard McKaig, who will retire at the end of this school year as IU Bloomington vice provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, received the Hudson & Holland Lifetime Achievement Award.

"The Hudson & Holland Scholars Program is delighted to recognize Cook Inc. and COOK Group, Kevin Brown and Dean McKaig for all that they have done for our campus and students," said Virginia LeBlanc, interim director of the program. "The support of community partners, IU faculty members, administrators and staff is a welcomed and key component to the success of the program, as well as Hudson & Holland Scholars in the classroom, future careers and lives in general."

In addition to awards presentations, the celebration banquet included a keynote address by Hudson & Holland alumna Virginia Githiri and tributes to the late IU faculty members Herman Hudson and James Holland and to Hudson and Holland scholar Jessica Ruiz, a 19-year-old rising sophomore who died in July in a traffic accident in northern Indiana.

The theme of the anniversary celebration was "Respecting Our Past, Embracing Our Future." Welcoming remarks were provided by LeBlanc; Karen Hanson, the IU Bloomington provost and executive vice president; and Edwin Marshall, the IU vice president for diversity, equity and multicultural affairs.

The mission of the Hudson & Holland Scholars Program is to recruit, retain and prepare students with outstanding records of academic achievement, strong leadership experience and a commitment to social justice to be future leaders. It currently enrolls about 600 students.

The Corporate Development and Partnership Award recognizes Cook's contributions to the career development and mentoring components of the Hudson & Holland Scholars Program.

"We are honored to be the recipient of the Hudson & Holland program's inaugural Corporate Development & Partnership Award," said David St. John, spokesman for Cook Medical's Human Resources department. "The Hudson & Holland mentor programs, in collaboration with the Cook Medical Internship, have provided IU students with the support and guidance they need to compete in today's changing and dynamic work environment. The dedication and support of the Hudson & Holland staff has been instrumental to the continued success of the Cook Internship program."

Starting in the fall of 2006, the Hudson & Holland program established a partnership aimed at placing scholars as summer interns with Cook companies. Hudson & Holland staff put out a call to interested students, hosted an informational meeting, and then, along with the Cook staff, began the interview process.

In the first summer of the partnership, four Hudson & Holland Scholars were placed as interns with Cook. The first year was a great success and helped to energize meetings for the following summer. During the summer of 2008, the program placed eight interns with Cook Inc., Cook Urological and Cook Pharmica in various departments including operations, marketing, regulatory affairs and quality assurance.

Cook has also served as a sponsor for the Hudson & Holland mentor programs for the past two years. Founded in 1963, Cook Group is among the world's best-known and most respected names in medical devices and supplies.

Kevin Brown, who was named Director Emeritus, served as director of the Hudson & Holland program from 2004 to 2008. He has been in the faculty of Indiana Law since 1987 and has been affiliated with universities in India, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Nicaragua. His primary research interest is in the area of race, law and education, and he has published more than three dozen articles or comments on such issues as school desegregation, African-American immersion schools, and school choice.

Richard McKaig, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, came to IU in 1971 and has been dean of students since 1991, overseeing a division that includes student activities, health, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, career planning, student conduct and other areas. He holds a doctor's degree from the IU School of Education and has received numerous awards from IU and national higher-education organizations.

---

---