FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Contact: Robert Preston, Jr.,
912.260.4276
robert.preston@sgc.edu
Dr. Belle Wheelan of SACS to speak at SGC graduation
South Georgia College invites the community to attend its
commencement exercises for the 2008-2009 academic year on Thursday, May 7 at
9 a.m. on the lawn in front of Peterson Hall. The speaker for the occasion
is Dr. Belle Wheelan, president of the Commission on Colleges, Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
 Dr.
Wheelan is the first African American and the first woman to serve in this
capacity. Her career spans 35 years and includes the roles of faculty
member, chief student services officer, campus provost, college president
and Secretary of Education. In several of those roles she was the first
African American and/or woman to serve in those capacities.
Dr. Wheelan received her Bachelor’s degree from Trinity University in Texas
(1972) with a double major in Psychology and Sociology; her Master’s from
Louisiana State University (1974) in Developmental Educational Psychology;
and her Doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin (1984) in
Educational Administration with a special concentration in community college
leadership.
She has received numerous awards and recognition including four honorary
degrees; the Distinguished Graduate Award from Trinity University (2002),
and from the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin
(1992); Washingtonian Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, DC
(2001); and the AAUW Woman of Distinction Award (2002).
She holds and has held membership in numerous local, state and national
organizations including Rotary International; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Inc.; the American College Testing, Inc., board of directors; American
Association of Community Colleges’ board of directors; and the President’s
Round Table of the National Council on Black American Affairs. Dr. Wheelan
attributes her success to hard work, endurance, tenacity, and being in the
right place at the right time. She recognizes that prayer and support from
family and friends make anything possible.
Dr. Wheelan is the mother of an adult son named Reginald.
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About South Georgia College
South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu)
was founded in 1906 and is a two-year institution in the University System
of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives
students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close
collaboration with faculty.
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