Watson one of 10 to receive national HBCU honor

Office of Communications & Marketing |Northeastern State University
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Northeastern State Universitys Dr. Allyson Watson will be honored this month in the Historical Black Colleges and Universitys annual publication HBCU Digest 50. This edition of the publication will introduce the inaugural class of Genesis Scholars; faculty members and administrators doing extraordinary work in research and teaching who received their undergraduate training at historically black colleges and universities.

Watson was one of 10 individuals selected to receive this honorable recognition. Watson was appointed to serve as the Eddings Endowed Chair for Urban Education, Outreach and Research at NSU in 2013, and founded the Teaching and Urban Reform Network (TURN) program that prepares pre-service teachers in urban education and encourages effective pedagogical practices in 2010.

The NSU professor brings an impressive skill set and wealth of experience to all of her projects. Watson received a baccalaureate degree from Bethune Cookman University in Elementary Education and completed her masters (M.Ed.) and doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees in educational administration, curriculum and supervision from the University of Oklahoma. At the age of 25, she was the youngest African-American to graduate with a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from OU. Watson is also the recipient of several teaching awards to complement her academic research.

Since she began her career in education in 1998, Watson said she has been committed to making a difference in the lives of students, urban schools and teachers she encounters.

I believe that my job as an educator is to empower others to believe in themselves and their capacity to achieve their goals, said Watson.