S.C. State professor presented national award for her work with Ph.D. students of color

News SREB News Release

Dr. Sheila Witherspoon, an associate professor of counselor education at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, was presented one of three national Extra Mile Awards on Oct. 28 at the nation’s largest gathering of underrepresented minority Ph.D. students and faculty.

Dr. Witherspoon was honored at the 24th annual Institute for Teaching and Mentoring in Atlanta, which convened nearly 1,000 Ph.D. students, recent graduates and faculty members.

“Dr. Witherspoon provides crucial support for these students, so they can finish their doctorates and become excellent faculty members and researchers,” said Dr. Ansley Abraham, the director of the Southern Regional Education Board’s Doctoral Scholars Program.

The SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program leads the Institute each year in conjunction with members of the Compact for Faculty Diversity. SREB’s program and partner programs provide support for underrepresented minority Ph.D. students to help address the continuing shortage of college faculty members of color across the South and U.S.

SREB is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Atlanta that works with 16 member states, including South Carolina, to improve pre-K12 and higher education. (www.sreb.org)