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Dr. Paul Kroutter Announced as NEO 2019 Outstanding Alumni Award Recipient   Officials at NEO announced Dr. Paul Kroutter as the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Alumnus from the School of Liberal Arts. Dr. Kroutter will be formally honored during the Alumni Awards luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 5, at noon in the Calcagno Family Ballroom. All alumni and friends of the college are invited to attend. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and under, and may be purchased by contacting the NEO Development Foundation office at 918-540-6115. NEO’s “HOMEcoming on the Range” homecoming festivities will take place on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. Dr. Paul Kroutter is the Criminal Justice Department Head at the University of Arkansas (UofA) Fort Smith and graduated from NEO in 1974 with a criminal justice degree. Dr. Kroutter grew up in the Tulsa area and chose to attend NEO after he was awarded an academic scholarship. While at NEO, he enjoyed hunting and fishing with his dorm mates. He found a mentor in NEO Law Enforcement Instructor Leon Manning. Following NEO, he worked as a welder to support his family and returned to complete his bachelor’s and master’s degrees starting in 1977. Dr. Kroutter graduated in the first class of the Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice program at Northeastern State University in 1981.   Over the next several years, Dr. Kroutter worked as an educator and held a variety of positions with the Broken Arrow Police Department. During his tenure, he completed his Ph.D. in Education from Oklahoma State University and served as a detective, sergeant, captain, and acting major at Broken Arrow. Since 2012, Dr. Kroutter has worked with the UofA – Fort Smith as well as teaching adjunct and certification courses throughout the region. Dr. Kroutter is nationally recognized for his work in virtual reality and simulation learning in a variety of public service and health occupations.   Dr. Kroutter has three children and two stepchildren and he and his wife Jan live in Fort Smith. When he is not working, he enjoys working on and fishing at his cabin in Mountain Home, Ark., on North Fork Lake.   “It is an honor to recognize Dr. Paul Kroutter as the Outstanding Alumnus for the School of Liberal Arts,” said Jennifer Walker, executive director of NEO Development Foundation.  “Dr. Kroutter had a very successful career in law enforcement and then used that knowledge and experience to educate others.”   For more information, contact Jordan Adams at Jordan.m.adams@neo.edu.   ###