MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Peggy Osborne, who has served as Morehead State's faculty athletics representative (FAR) since 2001, has been named one of two recipients of the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Thurston Banks Award.
The award is named after Dr. Thurston Banks, who served Tennessee Tech's athletic department for 31 of his 34 years on the faculty and served as its FAR for 25 years before stepping down in 2006.
"I want to thank everyone who was involved in selecting me for this award," Osborne said. "I am very honored and humbled, especially because I knew Thurston when he was at Tennessee Tech. Thurston was a mentor to me in terms of the FAR position. He was someone I could always talk to and lean on for advice."
The award, selected by the OVC faculty athletics representatives, was established in 2013 to recognize individuals (academic advisors, professors, tutors, etc.) with at least five years of service at one or more OVC member institutions. They are honored for their outstanding contributions to OVC student-athletes' academic success, learning and development as well as overall commitment to the institution's athletics program.
"Peggy is an integral part of our athletic management team and provides invaluable guidance, particularly with regard to student-athlete academic success," Director of Athletics Brian Hutchinson said. "I am very appreciative of her and applaud her in being recognized by the OVC and its members."
Osborne has been a faculty member at MSU since 1979, currently serving as an associate professor emeritus of marketing in the College of Business and Public Affairs. She previously served as chairperson of MSU's marketing and management department and has taught every marketing course the institution offers on both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Her primary responsibilities as FAR include monitoring academic integrity and student-athlete well-being. Osborne reminds student-athletes they are students first and athletes second. She works on a weekly basis with MSU's athletic administrators, coaches, student-athletes and a variety of professors. Her position reports directly to the university president.
"Peggy has worked tirelessly on behalf of our students and student-athletes," President Wayne D. Andrews said. "Peggy has touched thousands of lives and has left her mark on students both athletically and academically."
In 2010, she served an integral role in the adoption of the campus-wide excused-absence policy. The policy, which specifically addresses athletics, allows students to make up course work that is missed for a university-sponsored activity. She has also played a key role in pre-registration for student-athletes, helping them build schedules around practice times to reduce the amount of missed class due to travel and competition.
Osborne serves as a consulting member of the MSU Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, lending her expertise on the subjects of NCAA compliance, student-athlete welfare and university policy and procedures.
Osborne is one of three individuals who represent Morehead State Athletics with the Ohio Valley Conference and NCAA. She, Hutchinson and Senior Woman Administrator Sara Larson have at least two in-person meetings per school year with athletic administrators from other schools and OVC leadership to create policies and procedures for the league.
A native of Jamestown, Ky., Osborne earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Eastern Kentucky and master's degree in business administration from Morehead State. She also did post-secondary work at the University of Kentucky.
"I love working at Morehead State and in the Morehead community," Osborne added. "The best part of my job is working with our students and student-athletes. They are the ones who keep me energized. I also enjoy working with our athletic administrators, coaches and professors in all of our academic programs. I've had opportunities to leave MSU for other jobs, but just couldn't do it. They say when you do something you love you never work a day in your life, and that's honestly how I have felt all these years."
Osborne joins former Austin Peay FAR Dr. Gaines Hunt as award winners this year. Hunt and Osborne will be presented their awards during the 2015 OVC Basketball Championships, held March 4-7 in Nashville.
