Patricia Ann “Patsy” Thrash, a longtime leader in higher education accreditation, passed away on August 4. She was 97 years old.
A native of Boyle, Mississippi, Dr. Thrash earned her bachelor’s degree in English from what is now Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. After a stint teaching in the Clarksdale Public School System, Dr. Thrash enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in counseling and higher education. In 1960, she was named Northwestern’s dean of women, a position she held until 1969, when the position was eliminated. She then served as the university’s associate dean of students until 1972.
Following her tenure at Northwestern, Dr. Thrash transitioned to the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, a former regional accrediting body for colleges, universities, and schools in 19 states throughout the midwestern and central regions of the country. In 1987, Dr. Thrash became the first woman to serve as executive director of the commission.