Matthew Melton

WCET Steering Committee, Vice President, SACSCOC

LinkedIn Profile

J. Matthew Melton has been with SACSOC (the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools, Commission on Colleges) since January 2023. He spent twenty-two of his twenty-nine-year academic career in faculty administration. Before joining SACSCOC, Melton served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Lee University in Cleveland, TN, and before that as chair of the Communication Arts department, Director of the Honors Program, and Director of Student Media. A recipient of the university’s student advising award, Melton taught courses in media, speech, journalism, and film, along with a general education course in classical world humanities. He has led multiple study-abroad experiences in Europe and South America. He has authored textbook materials for communication courses and the freshman collegiate experience. Melton has an MA in journalism and a PhD in communication studies from Regent University. He began working with higher education accreditation at his former institution in 2004 and began serving on SACSCOC committees in 2006 and as a committee chair in 2014. These latter experiences sparked a strong interest in higher education accreditation that ultimately led to his joining SACSCOC.