New and Noteworthy A CENTER FOR STUDENT SUPPORT
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences launched the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) in fall 2024, which supports students with limited financial means participate in experiential learning and academic enrichment opportunities. Edward García Fierros, PhD, the inaugural Charles A. Walsh III ’68 Director of the center, shares his story and inspiration.
Define Teacher
Teacher (noun)
- One who educates, mentors and inspires
- A person who has the capacity to impact generations of students
When Edward Garcia Fierros, PhD, was growing up in a barrio (a predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhood) of San Antonio Texas, there were no expectations for him to attend college. It was expensive, and his high school didn’t have a lot of college preparation resources and support. Yet, Dr. Fierros excelled in high school, and his teachers encouraged him to pursue higher education.
“My history teacher, Mr. Lilburn Lillard, believed that I had what it takes to earn a college degree. I was convinced by him and other teachers, and I applied and was accepted to Texas A&M University,” Dr. Fierros recalls. He was the first in his family to pursue higher education, and they did not have the resources to help him pay—leaving Dr. Fierros to navigate the complicated financial aid applications and paying for tuition, room and board with little support.
“Like many first-generation college students who are accepted to college because of their success in high school, I quickly learned that my level of preparation was nowhere near that of my classmates who attended better-funded schools,” he says. “Adding to the inequity in educational preparation, the financial burden and self-doubt was my inability to recognize that I needed help and that I did not know where to seek it.”
Due to a challenging first semester, Dr. Fierros transferred to San Antonio College and then graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a degree and teaching certification in history and government. He moved to Boston with his wife, allowing her to pursue a doctorate in history. Unfortunately, Dr. Fierros learned that schools in Massachusetts did not accept teaching licenses from Texas.
“With my career option stymied, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Massachusetts at Boston,” he says. He took classes at night and worked at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum during the day and weekends. For his master’s thesis, he researched the Healthy Start Initiative, a federal program designed to address the high infant mortality rates in US urban communities by providing perinatal care to expectant mothers.
“It was during the writing of the thesis that I developed a love of learning about the research process, learning from others’ research and crafting my own analytical points,” Dr. Fierros says.
He decided to pursue a doctorate in Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation from Boston College—a selective program that only accepts two or three students a year. After graduating and teaching at Northern Arizona University for a few years, a position opened at Villanova University.
“Villanova seemed to provide its students with a rich learning environment, a strong community, and a long tradition of contributing to the greater good,” Dr. Fierros says. “After two days of interviews that included teaching a class, leading a research talk and meeting formally and informally with numerous faculty and administrators, I returned to Flagstaff and dreamed about the possibility of becoming an assistant professor at Villanova University.”
He joined Villanova’s Department of Education and Counseling in 2002.
Supporting Students’ Potential
Dr. Fierros was fortunate to have many teachers who saw his strengths and talents—things he didn’t immediately see in himself—and supported and encouraged him along the way. That is what Dr. Fierros strives to do for Villanova students.
“They were accepted to Villanova not only because of their previous successes in high school, but because of their potential,” says Dr. Fierros. “We are here to help them become successful students.”
Villanova has numerous offices dedicated to helping every student navigate their college journey—including support from the College’s professional development and advising teams and University resources such as the Writing Center, Math Center, Tutoring Services, Learning Support Services and the Center for Research and Fellowships. Today, another vital component of a comprehensive Villanova education is experiential learning. It is essential to post-college success, but most of these opportunities carry a cost—additional to the typical tuition, room and board.
DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR MEMORY?
Villanova faculty often become lifelong mentors to their students. We invite alumni of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to submit a memory or note of gratitude about a faculty member who had an influence on your life.
Adele Lindenmeyr, PhD, the William and Julia Moulden Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, recognized student needs for co-curricular support and decided to launch the Center for Inclusive Education—naming Dr. Fierros as the inaugural Charles A. Walsh III ’68 Director of the Center. The Center helps undergraduate and graduate students with limited financial means participate in experiential learning and academic enrichment opportunities, including immersion programs, study abroad, faculty-mentored research, unpaid internships and academic or professional conferences.
“The College is already supporting students in their academic and co-curricular pursuits. CIE elevates our unwavering commitment to creating an equitable environment for every student by helping remove financial barriers that may impede their access to these opportunities,” says Dean Lindenmeyr.
The Center provides stipends and facilitates efforts across the College to support students with information and access to funds for co-curricular academic enrichment, experiential learning and professional development—enabling more students, regardless of their financial resources, the opportunity to fully participate in learning opportunities outside the classroom.
“My hope is that students will not automatically see cost as a barrier to participation in learning experiences like paid and unpaid internships, research alongside a professor, travel abroad or attendance at a scholarly conference,” says Dr. Fierros. “My vision for the CIE is that it will become known as one of a group of special offices on Villanova’s campus that can provide CLAS students with access to an educational experience that they once considered impossible.”
The Center is generously supported by donors, including those who established the Charles A. Walsh III ’68 Director of the Center for Inclusive Education and the Lynne ’87 and Jeffrey Pagano Endowed Fund for Inclusive Education.
“I am so proud to be the Director of the Center that bears Charlie Walsh’s name. Not only does it celebrate his long-standing support of CLAS and Villanova, but also it specifically targets funding to help under-resourced students have more complete learning experiences while at Villanova,” says Dr. Fierros. “Being named to this position provides me the opportunity to bring the mission of the College and the University to life.”
