COLUMBUS, Miss. – Dr. Sheila Adams, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Mississippi University for Women, and Frederick Shelton, assistant chief of police for the Columbus Police Department, were recently recognized for their dedication and commitment to service.
Adams was the recipient of Town & Tower Club’s Campus Service Award and Shelton was named the Community Service Award winner. The awards were announced Thursday at the organization’s annual holiday luncheon. Town & Tower’s purpose is to promote the mutual interests of Columbus and The W.
The Campus Service Award is presented to an individual and/or organization demonstrating any of the following: Long-serving contributions to the campus community or to a local community organization, nonprofit or city initiative, accomplishments that have brought positive recognition to The W and the area, volunteerism that has improved the quality of life, health, education, or potential for economic growth in the area and notable recognition beyond the area.
Over her 47-year career, Dr. Adams served in a variety of healthcare roles before entering higher education and making lasting contributions to the preparation of future nurses. After receiving her undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees from Emory University, she came to The W in the earliest days of the nursing program and has been an integral part of growing it into one of the largest and most highly regarded programs in the region.
She has an impressive list of awards and honors recognizing her leadership and professional stature including Mississippi Nursing School Administrator of the Year and Mississippi Nursing Dean of the Year. She is listed in American Men and Women of Science, Who’s Who in American Nursing, and the International Who’s Who of Professionals. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Nursing Honor Society. At The W, she has received the university’s Medal of Excellence—the highest non-degree recognition the institution gives. Most recently she was inducted into the 2017 Nightingale Hall of Fame.
Active in professional and civic organizations, Dr. Adams also invests her time in giving back. Among her extensive service activities, she has been a member of the Mississippi Regional Action Coalition Committee Initiative on the Future of Nursing, the Mississippi Task Force on Nursing Retention and Graduation, the Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce Advisory Board, and the Mississippi Council of Deans and Directors of Schools of Nursing, currently serving as chair. She serves as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Professional Nursing and is a member of the Southern Regional Education Board: Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing, currently serving as chair of the Finance Committee. She also serves as a national nursing accreditation visitor for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and as a state accreditation visitor for Mississippi Nursing Programs.
Dr. Adams also has been called on to assume additional roles during her tenure at The W and has twice served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Under Dr. Adams’ tenure, the college has expanded its hybrid online-classroom RN to BSN program, which allows working nurses to earn an additional degree, and, in 2013, added the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The W now offers nursing options from a two-year associate’s to the doctorate. Graduates regularly score among the highest in the state on national licensure exams.
The Community Service Award is presented to an individual and/or organization demonstrating any of the following: Long-serving contributions to a local community organization, nonprofit or city initiative, accomplishments that have brought positive recognition to Columbus and the Golden Triangle, volunteerism that has improved the quality of life, health, education, or potential for economic growth in the area and notable recognition beyond the area.
Shelton has more than 25 years of law enforcement experience. He worked his way up through the ranks at the Columbus Police Department, serving as corporal assistant shift supervisor, sergeant shift supervisor, lieutenant/commander community oriented policing team, captain of the uniform patrol division and now assistant chief of police.
He earned a bachelor of science degree in multidisciplinary studies and a master of science in performance improvement with distinction, both from Grantham University in Kansas City, Mo. Shelton has a doctor of philosophy in clinical Christian counseling from Jacksonville Theological Seminary in Florida.
His awards and recognitions include Honorary Base Commander by the Columbus Air Force Base, 14th Security Forces Squadron; graduate of Leadership Lowndes County; Columbus/Lowndes Chamber of Commerce Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and a certificate of appreciation from the City of Tuscaloosa Police Department in Alabama.
Shelton’s current military involvement includes training NCO, 4-323 Regt E-Co., Starkville, MS United States Army Reserve rank sergeant first class E-7. From 1999 to 2015, he served as a Military Police Corps observer controller/trainer in the United States Army Reserve.
He is active in the community, where he serves as a chaplain for Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, Salvation Army volunteer and board member, International Conference of Police Chaplains, Toastmasters International, a member of BMH’s Bio-Ethics Advisory Committee and a member of the International Association Chiefs of Police.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 8, 2017
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
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