ACADE MICS
The Inspired Career of an Early Childhood Educator and Leader: Dr. Evia L. Davis
“THERE IS NO SHORT CUT TO ACHIEVEMENT. LIFE REQUIRES THOROUGH PREPARATION. …” MEMORABLY EXPRESSED BY GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER, THIS TRUTH IS THE CREDO OF DR. EVIA L . DAVIS, CHAIRPERSON AND PROFESSOR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES (FCS) IN LANGSTON UNIVERSITY’S SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE AND APPLIED SCIENCES (SAAS).
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er lifelong success resulted from her own hard work and determination, even as her dedication to the young people in her charge — future teachers studying at FCS and children in the care of LU’s Early Childhood Laboratory — ensured that they had the thorough preparation needed to grow and thrive.
From her earliest years, Davis was inspired by her mother, an early childhood educator in Mississippi. “Thanks to her life and example, I learned how much I love children and families,” she said. “That guided me to the education profession.” Davis’s formal studies in education began when she enrolled at Langston University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1976. Two years later, she competed a master’s in child development from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. In 1978, Davis moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and began an 18-year career with Saint Louis Public Schools as an early childhood educator for kindergarten, fourth grade, and fifth grade, and as a preschool coordinator. During her time there, she realized that, with the right preparation, greater achievements awaited her. While fulfilling her school duties with distinction, Davis set to work on a doctorate in early childhood education at Saint Louis University, earning her Ed.D. in 1993. Soon after, she added the position of adjunct professor in the education department at Harris-Stowe State
College in St. Louis — even as she continued at the public schools. In January 2000, Davis made another momentous career decision, accepting a position as coordinator of the Early Childhood Laboratory at Langston University’s School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences (SAAS). In August of that year, she was named chairperson of the Department of Human Ecology, later to become FCS. As chair, Davis worked tirelessly to modernize the laboratory. She sought grant funding to achieve multiple objectives — increase the number of children enrolled from 10 to 60, establish a demonstration teaching laboratory, begin an after-school program, and create a lending library. The crowning recognition of her efforts was the laboratory’s accreditation for excellence in childcare from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Davis also created an associate degree program in childhood development and led the self-study needed to receive accreditation. (continues) S C H O O L O F A G R I C U LT U R E & A P P L I E D S C I E N C E S
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