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Lucille Speakman Legacy Endowment Award

“Perpetuating a legacy of excellent teaching and devotion to student success”.

In 2010, Fort Smith Junior College alumnus Randy Wewers (’58) established an endowment to honor Miss Lucille Speakman, arguably the most renowned professor in our school’s 89 year history. This endowment is separate from other campus awards named in honor of Lucille Speakman.

Much of Miss Speakman’s success stemmed from her self-funded travels, visiting the places she taught about in Europe, Africa, and even behind the now-fallen Iron Curtain. In dedicating the 1963 yearbook to Miss Speakman, the editors wrote, “Her name, Fort Smith Junior College, and education have become synonymous”.

The Lucille Speakman Legacy Endowment was established so that UAFS faculty members may apply for a grant to fund self-guided travel, international study, curricula development, and research with the demonstrated goal of improving their classroom teaching.

All UAFS full-time faculty members are invited to apply for the 2025 Lucille Speakman Legacy Endowment grant of $2,000.00 by submitting a letter of application which includes:

  • Explanation of how the grant will be spent (e.g. travel destination, research goal, conference or seminar to be attended, etc.) with anticipated associated costs.
  • Documentation of anticipated expenses (e.g. airfare, hotel, car rental, meals, etc.)
  • Explanation of how the experience will be applied to improve your classroom performance and how it will benefit students.
  • Examples of prior trips, conferences, research, etc. you have self-funded and how those experiences have been incorporated to improve your teaching skills or enhance student learning.

Applications and Travel Information

Applications should be emailed to:

Madison Dickerson
LCSW, CHEHS, Social Work Department, Vines 105
Chair of the Faculty Awards Committee
Email: madison.dickerson@uafs.edu

The subject line of the email should read:

Lucille Speakman Legacy Endowment Application Complete by February 3, 2025.

Funds from this year’s grant must be utilized by June 30, 2025.

All travel arrangements must be made through the UAFS Travel Office.