Board of Commissioners

Dr. Barry D. Goldstein, PhD has almost 40 years of experiences as a research scientist, educator, administrator, and accreditor in higher education before retiring a second time in 2018 and becoming an independent accreditation consultant for colleges and universities in the South. Dr. Goldstein received his BA in Biology from Adelphi University in 1975 and his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1979 (now Rutgers University). After serving as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine, he joined the faculty at the Medical College of Georgia in 1981. Dr. Goldstein rose to the rank of tenured Professor. In 1991 he became Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Medical College of Georgia and served as Chief Academic Officer until he retired in August of 2010. At the time of his retirement in 2010, he was Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and had held that title since 2008. He currently holds the title of Provost and Professor emeritus at the Medical College of Georgia (now known as Augusta University). In 2010, Dr. Goldstein became a Vice President at the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). During his tenure at SACSCOC, Dr. Goldstein was responsible for shepherding numerous institutions through reaffirmation as well as other accreditation activities. He also facilitated training experiences for committee chairs, CEOs, academic administrators, and others as it relates to accreditation. Dr. Goldstein retired as Vice President in 2018 and started an accreditation consulting service for colleges and universities in the South. Later in 2018, Dr. Goldstein was asked to serve as interim provost at Columbia Southern University. He was appointed Provost in 2019 and continues to consult with several institutions in the South.