Dr. Susan L. Scaggs, vice president of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jefferson Davis Campus, has been selected to receive Phi Theta Kappa’s prestigious Distinguished College Administrator Award. Only 25 college administrators who are nominated by their PTK chapters are selected for this international distinction, which is based on outstanding support provided to PTK over many years.
Scaggs came to MGCCC in 2007. While at the college, she has promoted student success and academic excellence on the college campus and in the community. She currently serves on the Mississippi Coast Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Gulf Coast Sustainable Communities Executive Committee and the Gulf Coast Business Council.
”The Phi Theta Kappa Chapters at each Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College location are a true testament to our strategic commitments to teaching and learning, as well as, student success and I am thrilled to support our talented students,” Scaggs says.
Both Teresa Wells and Dr. Pat West, co-advisers of the Omicron Alpha Phi Theta Kappa chapter at the Jefferson Davis Campus, said Scaggs is an excellent choice for the honor because of her work with the Commit to Complete campaign that encourages students to apply for graduation and also through her work to ensure student access to technology and staff support.
“She is unflagging in her efforts to ascertain student achievement,” West says. “She also gives untiring support to our Phi Theta Kappa chapter through the allocation of space for Phi Theta Kappa events and by granting our chapter an office with a telephone, computer and a roomy work space that is centrally located on campus. Officers and members get to use this space and be very visible and accessible to potential new members.”
Wells adds, “She regularly speaks at our induction ceremonies and welcomes not only the new members, but their families as well, thanking them and encouraging them to continue supporting their students in their endeavors. She meets with the college chapter regularly to discuss issues and progress. She sends letters inviting qualifying students to join our chapter and supports adviser development.”
Before coming to MGCCC, Scaggs served as dean of the Caswell County Campus of Piedmont Community College Yanceyville, North Carolina, and as director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at Meridian Community College. Working on Rural Community College Initiatives in both Mississippi and North Carolina, she has promoted issues for rural community college students. A community college graduate, she holds a doctorate in Community College Leadership from Mississippi State University. Her community college experience and research focuses on issues of economic and community development for rural communities, and she continues to incorporate her interest in student retention into the various projects with which she is involved.
Honorees will be recognized at PTK’s 95th Annual Convention, April 4-6, in San Jose, California. They will also be featured on the PTK website and in several Phi Theta Kappa publications.
Great honor Dr. Scaggs, I am proud to be a team member with you! — JP