Lander University Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Suzanne Ozment was recently recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) with an esteemed award.
Presented earlier this month at the SACSCOC annual conference in Dallas, Texas, the Carol A. Luthman Meritorious Service Award is given each year to "outstanding individuals whose volunteerism and commitment to the best principles of the academy and of accreditation personify the ideals of the Commission," according to the organization.
Ozment joined the Lander administration in the summer of 2017 and helped successfully guide the university through the final stages of its recent SACSCOC reaccreditation process. Lander's 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation was announced Dec. 5 during the same annual meeting in Texas.
"We are very proud of Dr. Suzanne Ozment on this much-deserved honor," said Lander University President Richard Cosentino. "This award is a testament to Suzanne's dedication to higher education and recognizes the many accomplishments she has made in this field."
Prior to joining Lander, Ozment served as vice president for Academic Affairs and provost at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. She has also previously served as executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of South Carolina Aiken and as dean of undergraduate studies at The Citadel, where she was the first woman to serve as dean for the military institution.
No stranger to the accreditation process, Ozment has served on 30 SACSCOC review committees, chairing 17 of those. She has also served as a member of the organization's Board of Trustees and its Committee on Compliance and Reports.
Ozment said she was surprised by the award and "deeply honored to be recognized for work that has been instrumental in my own professional development over the years."