From the Dean

Greetings Alumni, Students, Colleagues and Friends!

Welcome to our online space where we have featured the work, success and updates that have taken place in our college during the past year. The past academic year has been exciting. Like everyone else, we have navigated unprecedented times in 2020 and 2021 has been a chance for us to refocus our commitment to inspire, innovate and impact our students, our region, our state and beyond.

I’m so very proud of the benevolence, expertise and of the incredible impact our faculty have had in their respective fields. Dr. Kathryn Washington, assistant professor and Dr. Johnny O’Connor, associate professor and interim department chair in the Department of Educational Leadership spearheaded the recent inauguration of leadership for the Collegiate 100 student organization at Lamar University. Dr. Ken Young, associate professor of educational leadership, is the recipient of the David J. Beck Teaching Excellence Award. Planning a successful national conference is a considerable undertaking, and Dr. Tammy Henderson, professor of family studies, has excelled as the 2021 National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference Program Chair. Despite planning through the pandemic, her and her team are excited for the conference this fall.

In addition, we have welcomed Jody Slaughter in the role of director of school and community partnerships within the college. Jody received her accounting degree from LU in 1985 and after spending 16 years in the business world, she pursued her career in education. Our college has made an intentional decision to augment our relationships with schools and community partners and Jody is a key member of the team to help us accomplish these goals.

A special thank you to our faculty, staff and students for their outstanding accomplishments and achievements. Our college continues to do great work. I invite you to read about our successes and continue to check back regularly for updates and new information.

It is a great time to be at Lamar University!

Go Cardinals!

Robert J. Spina, Ph.D., F.A.C.S.M