Pub. 56 2015-2016 Issue 3

42 Northwood University Education AwardWinner N orthwood University, each year during the NADA convention, presents an award for leadership in the field of education. As Dr. Keith Pretty, President and CEO of Northwood University explains, “For more than 50 years, Northwood University has sought to recognize individuals in the retail automobile industry who have made noteworthy contributions to education, public or private, on any level, inside or outside the industry. They are people of distinction, and the award is in recognition of substantial dedication over a number of years to the educational process and the field of automotive marketing.” Texas dealer TimCrenwelge was presented the NorthwoodUniversity EducationAward at a breakfast hosted by Northwood University at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas on April 2. Over the past twenty years, Tim has led an initiative to establish and enhance a four-year University in the town of Fredericksburg and the hill country of Texas. His legislative and political expertise positioned Tim as the key volunteer leader in providing an opportunity for higher education to the students of south central Texas. The youngest City Councilman in the history of Fredericksburg, Tim worked tirelessly with legislators and community leaders to convince policy makers to cre- ate a campus of Texas Tech University in a state of the art facility on 67 acres of prime real estate that city fathers provided to the university for $1 for a 99 year lease. Thanks to Tim’s hard work, the legislature provided $1.0 million in op- erational funding to the Fredericksburg Multi-Institutional Teaching Center for the biennium 2001-2002. In a six year fund raising effort, TimCrenwelge and the Hill Country University Foundation raised over $10 million in private funds to build the beautiful limestone facility that serves as the gateway to the unique hill country town of Fredericksburg. Tim Crenwelge’s diligence and leadership allowed the Uni- versity to open its doors to students in 2002. An incredibly busy dealer with stores in both Fredericksburg and Kerrville, Texas,TimCrenwelgehas spent twodecades shepherding the Texas Tech campus which opened its new facility in 2010, and today he oversees the expansion of the campus and the continued improvement of the univer- sity’s curriculum as Chairman and member of the Texas Tech Hill Country University Advisory Board. As Bob Hickerson, Executive Direc- tor of the University relates, “It is no exaggeration to say that Tim Crenwel- ge’s leadership has been crucial to the development of Fredericksburg’s higher education infrastructure, which is today the env y of dozens of communities throughout the state. Tim’s ongoing leadership continues to serve countless students throughout the hill country who would otherwise not have the op- portunity to receive a higher education and a path to a productive future.” Tim Crenwelge 2016 Northwood University Dealer Education Award