2026 SESSION

ENROLLED

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 113

Commending Gary Dop.

Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2026

WHEREAS, Gary Dop, a poet, playwright, performer, and dedicated educator at Randolph College in Lynchburg, received the 2026 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Gary Dop was one of only 12 educators in the Commonwealth to receive the prestigious award, which recognizes faculty members who exemplify the highest standards of teaching, scholarship, and service; and

WHEREAS, Gary Dop joined the faculty of Randolph College in 2013 and currently serves as chair of the English Department and director of the institution's master of fine arts in creative writing program; and

WHEREAS, Gary Dop's passion for the written word and devotion to student success have helped countless young men and women achieve their fullest potential; and

WHEREAS, Gary Dop has received many other awards and accolades over the course of his career, including the Great Plains Emerging Writer Prize, a Pushcart Prize Special Mention, and the Gillie A. Larew Distinguished Teaching Award; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Gary Dop hereby be commended on the occasion of his selection as a winner of the 2026 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Gary Dop as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for his commitment to excellence in higher education.