SU Ag Center & College of Ag Professor Oscar Udoh and Student Kennedy Orr receive the SU Board of Supervisors Above and Beyond Award
Baton Rouge, La. – Two individuals in the Southern University Ag Center and the College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences (CAHES) received the Southern University System’s Above and Beyond Award during the Southern University System Board of Supervisors meeting on August 16, 2024.
Dr. Oscar Udoh, Coordinator for Planning and Evaluation and Professor of Human Nutrition in the Department of Human Sciences, within the CAHES, received the faculty and staff Above and Beyond Award. He has been employed with Southern for more than 21 years. In his position, he has submitted over $400,000,000 in grants to potential funders on behalf of the Ag Center and CAHES.
“I thank God for his many, many blessings,” expressed Udoh. “Especially for my immediate family and my extended family at the SU System, the Ag Center, and the College because I could not survive what I have been through without them,” he added referring to the passing of his wife, Dr. Bridget Udoh, in 2019 and his stroke in 2021.
Dr. Udoh also thanked SU Board member Ann Smith, for creating the award, the board’s at-large member Dr. Leon Tarver for helping to establish the coordinator for planning and evaluation position in the Ag Center, and his co-workers at the SU Ag Center.
Udoh earned a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Southern University, a M.S. in Ag Economics from Alcorn State University, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Southern University.
Senior Agribusiness major and USDA 1890 National Scholar Kennedy Orr also received the first Above and Beyond Student Award from the Southern University System. Earlier this month, the Chicago, IL native earned national recognition as one of the 2024 White House HBCU Scholars.
“I want to thank my Ag family. They have done everything that I have asked for and more to get me to this point. I thank Southern for taking a chance on me,” said a tearful Orr. “Southern invested in me and knew what I was worth. I applied to so many HBCUs and Southern was the only one that knew I was worth the full ride. Southern knew that I was worth being a part of so many initiatives and traveling all over the country to represent our beautiful institution,” she stated.
Orr was appointed as the student board member for the Louisiana Board of Regents in June. During the Spring 2024 semester, she was elected the 80th SGA President for the Southern University Baton Rouge campus. In 2022, she was selected as one of Glamour Magazine’s College Women of the Year: HBCU Edition. She is also a member of the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), Ag Business Students United Club, Chicago State of Mind Club, and a recent initiate of the Beta Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Kennedy is a graduate of the Chicago High School for Agriculture Sciences. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
The “Above and Beyond Award" was established to help inspire and motivate Southern employees and students to reach their maximum performance. It honors outstanding achievements in the workplace, exceptional contributions toward efficiency and effectiveness of operations, special efforts in promoting workforce excellence, or outstanding service to the University community and constituents. One award is presented at the SU Board of Supervisors meetings each month. Recipients of the award are nominated by their peers and the top three nominations are then selected by the Board of Supervisors chair and vice chairs.