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Roberts, Among Leaders In Gifted
Bowling Green, Ky. - Dr. Julia Roberts, one of the 55 most influential individuals in the history of gifted education, will be honored March 18 at Western Kentucky University.
The contributions of Dr. Roberts, director of WKU's Center for Gifted Studies and the Mahurin Professor of Gifted Studies, will be celebrated at a reception at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center at WKU's South Campus. The reception is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. with remarks at 5:15 p.m. Special guest will be Virginia Fox, Kentucky's secretary of education. The reception is sponsored by President Gary Ransdell, the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and The Center for Gifted Studies' Board of Advisors. In 2003, Dr. Roberts was among 55 individuals listed in "Profiles of Influence in Gifted Education: Historical Perspectives and Future Directions," published by the National Association for Gifted Education. She has served as director of The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University since it was created in 1989. During her career in gifted and talented education, she received the first-ever David W. Belin Advocacy Award from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education Distinguished Service Award. She also was named one of the first Distinguished Professors at WKU. Dr. Roberts has been active as an advocate for gifted and talented education. She serves on the NAGC's Board of Directors and chairs the organization's Legislative Task Force. She has been the Political Action Coordinator and Treasurer for The Association for the Gifted, a division of The Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Roberts came to WKU in 1974 as assistant director of the Teachers Corps Project and is a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, teaching graduate classes leading to the Gifted and Talented Endorsement. She holds a master's degree and doctorate in education from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri. In addition to gifted education, her areas of specialization include curriculum, leadership, and middle and secondary education.
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