Diversity Initiatives

Holmes Scholar Vernita Morgan

Biography

I received both my B.S. and M.A. degrees from Louisiana Tech University in Chemical Engineering and Industrial/Organizational Psychology, respectively, and am currently a doctoral student majoring in Educational Measurement & Statistics with a concentration in Evaluation. I became a Holmes Scholar in May 2007, and Dr. Donald Yarbrough is my faculty advisor and mentor.

My graduate assistantship in the Center for Evaluation and Assessment mainly involves working on teacher professional development and higher education minority recruitment program evaluations and my duties include the following: facilitating focus groups, conducting on site observations, interviewing respondents, creating surveys, and analyzing data.  

I serve on the American Evaluation Association’s Multiethnic Issues in Evaluation Topical Interest Group (MIE TIG) as the Membership Committee Chairperson. 

In the spring of 2008 I was the student receipt of the University of Iowa President's Award for State Outreach and Public Engagement.  Each year this award is given to one faculty, staff, student, and organization for demonstrated exemplary outreach to the State of Iowa and the public in general.

My research interests include service learning, evaluation studies of school health programs, rural community resources, cultural competence, and health disparities.  In my spare time I enjoy genealogy, beading, volunteering, traveling, and serving as a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association's Choose To Move Program.

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