Blaine J. Hansen, vice president for planning and external relations, appointed to the Board of SACSCOC

Vice President for Planning and External Relations Blaine J. Hansen was recently appointed to a three-year term on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees.

SACSCOC is the regional accreditation body for degree-granting higher education institutions in the southern states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. It is one of six accreditation bodies in the country recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The Commission’s mission is to assure the educational quality and improve the effectiveness of its member institutions.

Hansen has served as the SACSCOC accreditation liaison since arriving at Lees-McRae in 2011 as the director of assessment, effectiveness, and institutional research. He coordinates the preparation of annual reports, educates faculty and staff on accrediting standards, and is the contact person for Commission staff. Hansen oversaw institutional efforts for reaffirmation in 2015 and a recent level change related to the development of the college’s first graduate program. Prior to his time at Lees-McRae, Hansen worked at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.

President Lee King celebrated the news in a communication to staff.

“I hope you’ll join me in congratulating Blaine Hansen. This is a huge professional acknowledgement of his excellent work, and it is a strong compliment to Lees-McRae to have one of our own serving as a SACSCOC trustee.”