COEHD Recognition
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s College of Education & Human Development is pleased to announce it has achieved perfect accreditation results from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. This distinction encompasses 33 initial teacher preparation certification areas and two advanced programs: the master’s degree in Gifted Education and the master's degree in Educational Leadership for UL Lafayette.
COEHD Research and Scholarly Highlights
During the 2025-2026 academic year, COEHD faculty demonstrated exceptional success in scholarship, research, and grant activity.
Significant publication accomplishments included Dr. Tori Flint’s solo-authored book, Sparking Joyful Learning: A Teacher’s Guide to Connecting Play and Reader Response (Rowman & Littlefield, 2025), and the publication of Dr. Julius Austin’s Mind Your Business: Merging Meaningful Work with Financial Wisdom through the American Counseling Association. Faculty scholarship also received national visibility including Dr. Dustin Joubert’s featured interview in Runner’s World highlighting his research on responsive, lightweight “super-shoes” of running.
Research productivity remained strong, with faculty publishing in high-impact journals, mentoring graduate students to successful publication outcomes, and supporting doctoral students in securing prestigious postdoctoral appointments. Collectively, these efforts contributed to continued progress toward promotion and tenure goals.
Faculty also secured substantial external funding, including Dr. Doug Williams’ $1.4 million in new federal support to study AI in Teacher Preparation and a fully funded Board of Regents Targeted Departmental Enhancement grant ($107,377) to establish the Ragin’ Cajun Writing Collaborative led by Dr. H. Michelle Kreamer. Additionally, Dr. Erica Schmidt serves as co-PI a $4.1 million federal grant focused on improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes among older adults through innovative service delivery models. Dr. Heather Stone serves as Co-Pi on a $7.1 million USGS South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center grant.
Academic leadership and program innovation were equally noteworthy. Faculty successfully advanced a new doctoral program proposal in counseling and instructional innovation was demonstrated through the redesign of coursework to emphasize applied learning experiences that moved beyond traditional written assignments.
Professional Service Summary
During the 2025-2026 academic year, faculty and staff demonstrated exceptional achievement in teaching, research, mentorship, service, accreditation, and program innovation. Significant accomplishments included national and international recognition for scholarly presentations, publications in practitioner journals, invited presentations on accreditation, assessment, artificial intelligence, and educator effectiveness, and leadership on externally funded research initiatives.
A defining theme across these accomplishments was a strong commitment to student success and mentorship. Faculty mentored graduate and undergraduate students to completion of doctoral degrees, supported award-winning student research, guided students into graduate programs, and received meaningful recognition from students for their teaching, support, and dedication. Excellence in teaching was further evidenced through innovative course development, curriculum alignment with state and national standards, incorporation of artificial intelligence into teaching and learning, and consistently strong student evaluations.
Faculty and staff also provided outstanding institutional leadership through accreditation and assessment activities, continuous improvement efforts, statewide educator preparation initiatives, faculty learning communities, and advocacy for exceptional learners. Several individuals earned notable honors, including selection to leadership positions and advisory groups, college and university awards, national conference recognitions, and nominations for distinguished teaching awards.
Programmatic leadership resulted in substantial improvements across multiple areas, including educator preparation, inclusive postsecondary education, student support systems, admissions processes, assessment practices, curriculum redesign, and professional development opportunities. Collectively, these accomplishments strengthened student learning, enhanced program quality, expanded the institution's scholarly impact, and advanced the College's culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.