Dr. Tom Mullikin receives USC Alumni Association’s highest award

SCDNR Director’s life’s work said to “bear witness to why”

COLUMBIA, SC, UNITED STATES, October 31, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Less than two days after Dr. Tom Mullikin, director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), received the S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice’s Lifetime Achievement Award, he received yet another lofty once-in-a-lifetime honor: This time from the University of South Carolina (USC) Alumni Association.

Mullikin – an attorney, retired military officer, and distinguished graduate of both USC (undergrad) and the USC School of Law – was presented the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the highest award presented by the USC Alumni Association to a USC graduate. He received the award during halftime ceremonies (USC-Alabama football game) at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, Sat. Oct. 25.

"This is such a prestigious award, and for Tom to receive it both from his alma mater – the University of South Carolina – and the university's alumni association is a testament to his far-reaching efforts and service to the university, the state of South Carolina, and our state’s citizens,” said Senator Thomas C. Alexander, president of the S.C. Senate. “It is much deserved and wholly fitting for a man like Tom who has done so much for so many, for this state and the nation. I’m ecstatic that the university has chosen to honor him in such a way. And for it to come less than 48 hours after his receiving the Chief Justice’s Lifetime Achievement Award is – in a word – unprecedented.”

According to a statement released by SCDNR Friday, Oct. 31: The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award recognizes “individuals whose lives exemplify integrity, humanitarianism, and a deep commitment to service. Established in memory of Algernon Sydney Sullivan — a 19th-century New York lawyer and philanthropist known for his compassion and moral leadership — the award celebrates those whose success is measured not by personal achievement, but by the positive impact they have on others.”

Chief Cheyenne Twilley who directs SCDNR’s Office of Education, Outreach, and Information says Mullikin’s work bears witness to why: "No one is more deserving than the director,” said Twilley. “The combination of his years of environmental work as well as his military service, global expeditionary leadership and now directorship of SCDNR speak to this truth and his lifetime of servant leadership."

Mullikin himself diverts attention from himself and instead shines light on his alma mater (where he has also held a professorship). “I can brag on this university all day long, and often do,” Mullikin said. “What I learned here is that we could be bigger than where we came from, and we can do everything that we set our minds to do.”

Previous Sullivan Award recipients include Clay Owen (2024), former Governor David M. Beasley (2023), Peter McCausland (2022), Dr. Dennis Pruitt (2021), and Dr. Donna Hooks (2020).

Col. (Ret.) W. Thomas Smith Jr.
S.C. Department of Natural Resources
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