Published June 12, 2020
The University of Louisiana Monroe announces the appointment of Valerie Fields, Ed.D.,
as the interim Vice President of Student Affairs. Her appointment as vice president
will be confirmed at the June 25 meeting of the University of Louisiana System Board
of Supervisors. She begins July 1.
The Winnsboro native is a two-time ULM alumna and served at the university as Director
of Student Development from 1996 until 2003 when she was named Assistant Dean for
Student Life and Leadership. She served in that position for two years.
She earned an M.Ed., Administration and Supervision, in 1992, and went on to add Education
Specialist (Ed.S.), Administration and Supervision, to her academic credentials in
1997. Fields’ undergraduate B.A. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education is from
Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge. She received her Ed.D. in Curriculum
and Instruction (Instructional Technology) from Louisiana Tech University.
“Over the course of the next few months, I will be working with Interim President
Dr. Edwin Litolff, the university community, the cities of Monroe and West Monroe,
Ouachita Parish, and other key stakeholders all over these United States,” said Fields.
“We will begin exploring frames to place the lenses that will be developed and recommended
for the Division of Student Affairs to cultivate a vision that speaks to all students,
past, present, and future, as well as the president who will be named soon.”
Camile Currier has been Vice President of Student Affairs for more than five years.
He is retiring June 30 after 50 years of service to the university. Currier is confident
Fields brings expertise and new ideas to the position.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Valerie before. The university is fortunate
to have someone with her experience and background come into this role. I feel she
will be a great addition to the university,” he said.
Fields is a veteran educator, beginning as a teacher at J.S. Clark Magnet School in
Monroe before holding associate and assistant professorships at two universities,
including ULM, where she was a ULM Online Assistant Professor and supervisor of teacher
and alternative certification candidates.
Applying her education management and academic skills in the business world, she founded
Valient Achieving Leaders, LLC, in 2016 to “create partnerships and produce solutions
for project management, assessment, technology integration, and curriculum development.”
Fields held several positions in administration at Denmark Technical College in Denmark,
S.C., including Chief Academic Officer/Vice President of Academic Affairs (2014-16)
and Chief Student Affairs Officer (2014-16). Among her many responsibilities were
direct oversight in student affairs include enrollment management, student services
(student activities, student organizations, judicial affairs, student center, residence
life and housing, ID services, Health and Wellness Department), registrar, career
planning and placement.
At South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C., Fields was Assistant/Associate,
Interim, and Vice President for Student Affairs (2006-12). She was also an associate
professor, LiveText administrator, and middle school coordinator (2010-14). Fields’
accomplishments at SCSU are numerous and varied. Her responsibilities focused on all
aspects of student affairs as well as management and oversight of more than $39 million
in state funds and $74 million in financial aid awards.
At Southeastern Louisiana University (2005-06) in Hammond, she served as Executive
Director of Louisiana Campus Compact for the Louisiana Board of Regents, forging partnerships
with organizations committed to public and community service. Fields secured more
than $2 million in grants, memberships, and in-kind services.
Fields has numerous publications and research in education and learning, most recently
as a co-author of a study on virtual learning strategies (2018).
