CASTEEN TAKES OVER AS PRESIDENT OF SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES

John T. Casteen III, president of the University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, VA, will become president of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools during the Association's annual
meeting in Atlanta, GA, Dec. 6-9, 1998.

Casteen is scheduled to be the Association's keynote speaker at its
general
session on Dec. 8, where approximately 3,000 educators will gather to
conduct the business of the Association. Casteen topic is
"Education and the Common Good."

As president, Casteen will lead the Association's Board of Trustees in
formulating policy for the Association which accredits the region's
schools and colleges, and will represent the Association in all
presidential functions.

Casteen has been active in the Association's accreditation activities
for several years, most recently as president-elect, and earlier as
chair of the Association's Commission on Colleges and as that
commission's representative on the Board of Trustees.

Accreditation is a process concerned with improving education quality
and assuring the public that member institutions meet established
standards. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is a
non-governmental, voluntary agency, one of six regional accrediting
organizations in the United States. Its membership consists of more than
12,000 accredited public and private institutions ranging from
university level down to prekindergarten level. The Commission on
Colleges accredits more than 770 higher education institutions. Founded
in 1895 and headquartered in Decatur, Georgia, the Southern Association
works with schools and colleges in 11 Southern states from Virginia
through Texas, and American-style schools in Mexico, the Caribbean, and
in Central and South America.
###

For more information about SACS, contact Dr. James T. Rogers (404)
679-4501, ext.
512