Published June 29, 2015
Roxanne B. Speer, a doctoral student in the University of Louisiana at Monroe’s online
creative systemic studies program, has earned numerous awards and recognitions this
year through her work in higher education and humanities.
Speer—a current board member for the Louisiana Association for the Education of Young
Children—has been selected to serve as a National Association for the Education of
Young Children/Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (NAEYC/CAEP)
program reviewer. Speer will work with others to review and assess higher education
programs and determine merits and awards for exceptional performers.
In addition to her studies at ULM and duties with the NAEYC/CAEP, Speer is also a
full-time faculty member in the College of Education at the University of Louisiana
at Lafayette (ULL). Speer was awarded a full year sabbatical to work on her dissertation.
Speer said she is looking forward to spending her sabbatical writing and conducting
research. Speer’s dissertation is titled “Young Minds on Fire: A Search for the Joi
de Vivre with Transformative Experiences of Pre-Service Teachers.”
Earlier this month, Speer spent time working with the Ernest J. Gaines Summer Teaching
Institute. Speer interacted with other writing scholars at the Ernest J. Gaines Center
at ULL in conjunction with the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
Speer was also recently recognized for her research at the National African American
Studies & Affiliates conference held in Baton Rouge. Her paper, “Searching for the
Buried Treasure: How the Evolution of a Fashion Program Saved Lives,” was subsequently
accepted for publication.
Speer earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Life Sciences; a Bachelor of Science
in Secondary Education; and a Master of Education in Gifted Education from ULL.
She plans to receive her Ph.D. from ULM in 2016.
