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The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) honored Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) President Clayton Hess with the Demetria N. Gibbs Outstanding Chair Award at its December 2020 Annual Meeting.

Typically, the award is presented at the SACSCOC annual business meeting; however, with the ongoing pandemic forcing the meeting to go virtual, the award was announced at the Annual Meeting’s first General Session.

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.

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. Hess was honored as a review committee chair who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in working with committee members. He has served on Candidate, Initial Accreditation, Reaffirmation of Accreditation, Substantive Change, Fifth Year, and Special Review committees.

Hess has served SACSCOC for many years, having served as a member of the SACSCOC Principles Review Committee, charged with reviewing and recommending changes to SACSCOC accreditation standards and processes. He has presented numerous sessions and talks at professional association meetings. He also serves as a Special Reader for SACSCOC Compliance and Reports (C&R) Committees. Hess co-chaired the 2014 SACSCOC Annual Meeting Planning Committee. In 2018, Dr. Hess was presented with a SACSCOC Carol Luthman Meritorious Service Award. He also has served on American Bar Association (ABA) Accreditation Review Teams.

Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The main campus is located in Harrogate, Tennessee. For more information about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at LMU, contact the Office of Admissions at 423-869-6280 or email at admissions@LMUnet.edu.