NEWBERRY — The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) announced that Newberry College President Dr. Maurice W. Scherrens has been elected to the Executive Council of the SACSCOC Board of Trustees.
SACSCOC oversees the accreditation of colleges within the southern region, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
“SACSCOC plays an important role in higher education,” Scherrens said. “Rigorous peer evaluation based upon fair and impartial standards interpreted in a value-added manner results in colleges and universities becoming more effective. This is going to be fun.”
In 2016, Scherrens was elected to the SACSCOC Board of Trustees, which includes seven representatives from each of the 11 states accredited by SACS. The Board of Trustees serves as the final review and approval of colleges and universities seeking affirmation, reaffirmation and substantive change.
The 13-member Executive Council is the executive arm of the Board of Trustees with primary responsibility for interpreting Commission policies and procedures. The Executive Council also functions on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees between sessions. It includes a chair, a public member and one member from each of the 11 states in the SACSCOC region.
Scherrens has been appointed to serve a one-year term and will be joined on the Executive Council with 10 other state representatives, including Joseph DiPietro, president of University of Tennessee; Ray Martinez, president, Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas; Alfred Rankins Jr., president of Alcorn State University (MS); John Capps, president of Central Virginia Community College (VA); and Franklyn Casale, president of St. Thomas University (FL).
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Executive Council,” Scherrens said. “I believe I can provide a unique perspective having served at a large state university for more than 30 years and now serving in my sixth year at Newberry College, a small private college.”