LINN — State Tech Automotive Technology, Automotive Collision Technology and Powersports Technology Chair Chris Cox could point to plenty of reasons he was selected for a national educator award. Instead, he keeps pointing to everyone else.

Bosch Mobility Aftermarket North America recently presented Cox with its “We Spark Performance, You Spark Change” educator award. State Tech announced the honor while praising Cox for his dedication to the college and its students.

Cox called the recognition a privilege, but said its greater significance may be what it says about State Tech. “I’m not the only person around here like this,” he said. “There’s a lot of us around here that are like that.”

Fellow State Tech instructor Christian Record, who nominated Cox for the award, said that humility is part of what makes Cox deserving of the recognition. Record cited Cox’s dedication not only to students, but to the continued improvement of the programs he leads.

Through Cox’s leadership, Record said, the automotive, auto collision and powersports programs have improved efficiency while growing enrollment and advancing technology. He also credited Cox with developing strong partnerships with Ford and GM and helping organize events that bring more than 25 prospective employers to campus to meet directly with students.

For Cox, however, the work extends well beyond preparing students for employment after graduation. It also means making sure they have what they need to succeed while they attend the college.

That approach appears to have been central to the Bosch award, which Cox said focused on educators who are involved with their students and help them successfully navigate their college experience. The award was national in scope, although Cox said he did not know how many educators were considered.

One example involved a student who was commuting approximately two hours each way from Bonne Terre.

Record said he had been working with the student because she was frequently late to class when they discovered how far she was driving. Housing options were more limited at the time, but Record said Cox immediately began making calls and within hours had identified several possible places for her to live.

Cox said faculty did not initially realize how far she was traveling each day. Once they learned what she was doing, he helped connect her with someone near campus who needed a roommate.

Record said the student moved to Linn within about a week and was never late to class again.

The student had already been performing well academically, but Cox noticed another difference after the move. Her body language changed, particularly late in the school day, when she no longer had the prospect of a two-hour drive hanging over her.

That experience also reinforced something Cox has learned during more than two decades of working with students. “The people that really need some help are a lot of times the ones that don’t ask for it,” he said. “Hopefully, you can figure it out without them telling you, so you can get them some help that they need.”

Sometimes that help involves the most basic necessities.

Cox recalled a student living in extremely cold conditions and faculty members providing a heater. State Tech also has resources available for students who need food or clothing. “A lot of people don’t know we have a food bank here,” he said.

If those needs can be addressed, Cox said, students are better able to concentrate on why they came to college in the first place.

The same philosophy continues today. Cox described a recent case involving a student whose vehicle was brought into the automotive program with a mechanical problem. Once it was raised on a lift, instructors discovered cords showing through the inside edges of both front tires.

The student did not have the money to make the necessary repairs. Cox worked on arranging the financial side while fellow instructor Mitch Branson helped with the vehicle. Together, they developed a plan to get tires and parts so the student would have safe transportation.

To Cox, however, there was nothing extraordinary about the response. “That stuff goes on every day,” he said. “Everybody does it.”

That insistence runs throughout the way Cox views the Bosch honor.

He is in his 23rd year at State Tech and oversees more than 200 students along with seven or eight employees across the three programs. Automotive education itself continues to evolve as vehicle technology changes, but Cox does not point to a particular curriculum change or initiative as the reason for the recognition.

Helping students, he said, has simply become part of what the faculty does; the reward often comes years later.

Cox said instructors see former students years after graduation and recognize what they have accomplished. Sometimes the transformation happens much faster, with dramatic changes visible in a student from one year to the next. “That’s what drives us to do it,” Cox said.

Record said Cox’s influence has extended beyond students.

“Chris is the type of guy who takes charge and finds solutions to problems for the sake of student betterment during their time here and after,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for him, and he has made me not only a better instructor but a better man.”

Bosch put Cox’s name on the award, but he sees it as recognition of something larger. “For the college, I think the bigger thing is it showcases ... the faculty members that are working here, the employees that are working here, have the students’ best interests in mind,” he said.

Record sees it a little differently.

“I was so ecstatic when he was chosen to be the Bosch recipient,” he said. “It could not have gone to a more deserving person.”