Northwest Arkansas native Dr. Victoria Groves-Scott is the new dean of the College of Education at the University of Central Arkansas. She began on July 1, 2015.
Prior to coming to UCA, Groves-Scott served as assistant dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She began her career as an elementary special education teacher and has worked in various roles at three institutions of higher education including Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the Associated Colleges of Central Kansas and the University of Kansas.
Groves-Scott received her Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and special education from Drury University, before earning her Master of Arts in special education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She then earned her Doctor of Education in special education from the University of Kansas and served a pre-doctoral internship at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Groves-Scott said that throughout her career, her educational philosophy has focused on social justice.
“I believe educators have a deep obligation to make education the great equalizer, and it has not fully lived up to this promise,” Groves-Scott said. “While there are institutional and larger societal issues that contribute to systematic inequalities, we realize that some kids have been left out and that there are ways in which we can make a difference in the policy discussions and in the schools and classrooms. We have an opportunity to make a tremendous difference in students’ future social and economic opportunities, and we are dedicated to that mission.”