Dr. Susan Roark
Distinguished Service Professor of Education, Associate Dean of the College of Education
Breaking barriers has always been Dr. Susan Roark’s strong suit. As a second grader, she was conquering language differences in Japan. Her father, who was in the U.S.Air Force, was stationed there, and her family lived off the base among the Japanese people.
“I met my Japanese neighbor’s children through the fence that divided our homes,” Roark says. “Although none of us spoke the other’s language, we ended up playing for hours every day until we were transferred to my father’s next station.”
Now, Roark spends her days trying to make sure future generations don’t face another barrier — illiteracy.
Before coming to Nicholls, Roark taught secondary English and special education for Sabine Parish School System, served as an educational diagnostician for Red River Parish School System and taught college-level reading education courses at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
Roark joined the Nicholls staff in 1989 and currently coordinates National Council of Accreditation Teacher Education efforts for the College of Education while serving as associate dean of the college.
“The greatest strength of our program is that it is aligned to International Reading Association Standards,” Roark says. “Through this alignment, graduates are guaranteed to have a quality program which focuses on current issues and trends in literacy education.”
Roark most enjoys teaching during summer sessions because they allow her more opportunities to interact with graduate students.
“Future students must know that I expect them to perform to the best of their ability,” Roark says. “I believe our program as a whole demands this. Only through these expectations can we ensure that students within the region are getting a superior education.”
In her spare time, Roark reads, works on projects around her house and spends time with friends.
Education:
B.A., Louisiana Tech University; M.Ed., Ed.D., Northwestern State University
Courses taught:
EDCI 561 – The Teaching of Reading: Content Areas
EDCI 562 – Analysis of Reading Difficulties
EDCI 568 – Clinical Internship
EDCI 582 – Advanced Methods of Instruction in Elementary School Language Arts
Contact information:
119 Polk Hall
Phone: 985.448.4319
E-mail: susan.roark@nicholls.edu