NEWS

Louisiana Tech Provost Dr. Terry McConathy was honored with the Demetria N. Gibbs Outstanding Chair Award by the Southern Association of Colleges and School Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) at its recent 2021 Annual Meeting, this year held in Dallas.

The award was established in 2013 in memory of Demetria Gibbs, a significant member of the association’s leadership team responsible for the professional development and guidance of review committee chairs.

McConathy has served on 22 SACSCOC Visiting Committees and chaired 13. She received the SACSCOC Carol A. Luthman Meritorious Service Award in December 2018.

“My work with SACSCOC has been personally and professionally enlightening,” McConathy said. “I have met and worked with higher education professionals throughout the SACSCOC service area who have helped me understand higher education from so many diverse perspectives.

“I also believe that working as a peer evaluator has provided me with insights that impact our institution with positive and innovative strategies for improvement. I have had the opportunity to visit instructional sites overseas and across the United States, adding unique dimensions to how I think about governance, academics, faculty, students, and partnerships.”

McConathy has served in many SACSCOC positions, including the following:

• Board of Trustees 2010-16;
• Executive Council of the Board of Trustees 2014-16;
• Annual Meeting Planning Committee 2006-09; chaired in 2009;
• Appeals Committee 2017-20;
• Peer Review Advisory Board 2021 and will service its Chair beginning January 2022;
• Chair of two upcoming SACSCOC Reaffirmation Committees.

SACSCOC accredits degree-granting institutions of higher education in the Southern states of the United States. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Latin America and other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees.