University Students Alumni

Next-level educator

July 13, 2018

NLR | Dr. Megan Slocum received her doctorate in education from Harding University North Little Rock (HUNLR). In her search for a comprehensive doctoral program, Slocum sought a relevant learning experience to inform and improve her practice and to complete her degree as part of a team or cohort. Now associate superintendent for the Springdale School District, Slocum found a cohort at HUNLR that provided life-long friendships beyond the classroom and educational practice. “Several of the people that I went through my course work experience with are still some of my best friends and mentors today,” Slocum said. Slocum shared that HUNLR helped her to connect with other practitioners in the state and form a community of learners. “The classes were informative and relevant to our practice to help us better understand research, educational training, development of personal skills and their impact on our understanding of education,” Slocum said. “We had several professors who took their personal time to go above and beyond to ensure that we were supported during the process.” In her current role, Slocum serves nearly 23,000 students and their families. She has a passion for teaching and learning that informs students, and this role provides unique opportunities to help influence students’ paths to academic excellence. “ Springdale School District allows me the chance to experience student learning from many angles ,” Slocum said. “ It is interesting how restructuring or providing resources and or training can have such a positive impact on students in the classroom.” Slocum shared that the faculty and staff had a significant impact on her HUNLR experience. “The biggest impact that Harding had on my experience was the understanding nature of everyone on the faculty,” Slocum said. “Each person in their role understood that we were balancing and managing life as we were going through the experience and obtaining our degree. Most of us were mothers, fathers, spouses, teachers, principals and/or superintendents while managing the dissertation experience. The pressures of maintaining a balance between our home life, church life, work and school life can be daunting, and everyone that made up the faculty understood our various ebbs and flows of life and supported us in a caring manner through the process.” Harding University North Little Rock campus can be reached at 501-758-4857 or https://bit.ly/2L1wY2E

Categories: University Students Alumni