Dr. Doyle Selected to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award from PTK

ACC President Diana M. Doyle, Ph.D.

Arapahoe Community College (ACC) President Diana Doyle, Ph.D., has been selected to receive the Michael Bennett Lifetime Achievement Award by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and the PTK Board of Directors.

Retiring college presidents, campus chief executive officers and state community college directors are selected for the award based on their outstanding support to PTK over many years.

“I am very honored to receive this award, especially knowing that my nomination came from great colleagues and students at ACC,” stated Dr. Doyle. "It’s easy to support ACC’s Sigma Phi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and its programs when they are being led by such a dedicated and talented team of advisors and students. I have admired, and been highly impressed by, all they have accomplished during my tenure at ACC.”

Doyle, who was hired as President at ACC in April 2010, will retire on June 30, 2021. She has served as a higher education professional for 43 years. Highlights over the past decade at ACC include:

  • Establishing a Veterans Services Center
  • Launching three bachelor’s degrees (Bachelor of Science Nursing, Bachelor of Applied Science in Emergency Services Administration, and Bachelor of Applied Science in Advanced Paramedic Practice) and numerous progressive associate degrees and certificates
  • Expansion of general education course offerings to the Parker Campus to provide full programs and degrees
  • Bringing ACC education to Castle Rock, and building a new state-of-the-art Collaboration Campus (in partnership with the Sturm Family Foundation, the Town of Castle Rock, Colorado State University and the Douglas County School District) for providing a unique world-class educational environment/experience for learning and training
  • The receipt of multiple grants in excess of $1 million, including ACC’s first U.S. Department of Education TRiO Student Support Services grant
  • Significantly expanding workforce training and apprenticeship opportunities for students and community partners
  • Creating state-of-the art science labs and classroom facilities on all three campuses
  • Growing solid online learning programs and opportunities for students - well before the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Development of a wealth of successful partnerships, locally and nationally, to ensure that students receive the best opportunities possible
  • College-wide commitment and initiatives for becoming a more diverse, inclusive and equity-minded college
  • Implementation of the Elevate at ACC program to give meaningful educational opportunities to students with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities
  • Growing educational opportunities for high school students through a robust Concurrent Enrollment program
  • Establishment of a President’s Student Advisory Council and fostering a stronger Student Government Association

Doyle was selected as the recipient of the NASPA IV-West Presidential Excellence Award in 2018, the Phi Theta Kappa Shirley B. Gordon Presidential Award of Distinction in 2016, and the State Student Advisory Council (SSAC) President of the Year in 2014. She also received the NASPA Foundation Pillar of the Profession award for outstanding contributions to college student success in 2010.

Prior to her appointment at ACC, Doyle served as the Executive Vice President of Learning and Student Affairs at the Community College of Denver. She has also served in leadership roles at Western Nebraska Community College, Colorado School of Mines, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Illinois State University.

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