Dr. Renea Akin of Paducah recently received a Meritorious Service Award from the Southern Association of College Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).“We extend our appreciation to Dr. Akin for her longevity as a successful chair of numerous site reviews and off-site committees," said Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, SACSCOC president during the association's annual meeting this month in Houston, Texas. "We thank her for her outstanding dedication, commitment, and strong support for the work of the Commission and her willingness to be engaged in all aspects of this volunteer process.”
Akin, associate of vice president of learning initiatives at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, has made 18 accreditation onsite visits as part of accreditation teams that visited colleges in a host of southern states. Of those 18 visits, she has served as chair 13 times.
“I’m honored to have received this recognition,” Akin said. “I have gained valuable experience serving on accreditation committees.”
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, University of Indianapolis and Vanderbilt University, Akin was a physical therapist for nine years before joining West Kentucky Community and Technical College in 1993. She chaired the college’s allied health division from 2003-2006.
SACSCOC’s Meritorious Service Awards presented to those in higher education who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to and understanding of accreditation processes, who are respected by their peers for their integrity and the meritorious quality of their service, and who are recognized as models for competency, creativity, and accomplishment. Nominations for the award were solicited from those active in the accreditation activities of the Commission on Colleges, representing the nearly 800 colleges and universities that are member institutions of the Commission.
Located in Decatur, Ga., the SACSCOC is the recognized regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the U.S. southern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and in Latin America and other international sites approved by the Commission, that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees. SACSCOC serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among these diverse institutions. The Commission’s mission is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions.
Officials said the award is presented to those in higher education who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to and understanding of accreditation processes, who are respected by their peers for their integrity and the meritorious quality of their service, and who are recognized as models for competency, creativity, and accomplishment. Nominations for the award were solicited from those active in the accreditation activities of the Commission on Colleges, representing the nearly 800 colleges and universities that are member institutions of the Commission.
“The peer review system not only allows evaluators an opportunity to learn about best practices at other colleges, “ Akin said, “but also affords an opportunity to learn from knowledgeable and experienced college leaders.”
For more information on the association, visit www.sacscoc.org.