Dr. Laurie Croft is retiring after twenty-six years of tireless service to the Belin-Blank Center, the University of Iowa, and the broader gifted community. We sat down with her to reflect on her career and her thoughts on what lies ahead.
Croft’s high-ability daughters sparked her interest in giftedness. In the 1980s, there were very few opportunities for advanced learners, and she wanted to be able to help provide her children with the opportunities they deserved. In 1994, she earned her PhD in Educational Leadership: Gifted Education from the University of Tulsa. The following year, Croft presented on her dissertation topic to the Belin-Blank Center’s Wallace National Research Symposium on Talent Development. “Not long after that,” said Croft, “The Center advertised a position for an administrator to focus on the Invent Iowa program and on professional development, and although I wasn’t entirely sure what either role might entail, I applied. I was drawn to the Center’s focus on the nature and needs of advanced learners. I was delighted that the Belin-Blank Center believed I could support their vision and mission.”
Over time, Croft’s role at the Belin-Blank Center began to focus on providing professional development opportunities for educators, including the State of Iowa Talented and Gifted (TAG) Endorsement. “We provided a wide array of coursework that emphasized student socio-affective needs, best practices in pedagogical strategies, and our unique focus on issues such as twice exceptionality and acceleration, with its multiple options for challenging these students,” said Croft.
Croft continued the legacy of other professors in gifted education but also developed new courses and workshops. She served as the lead instructor for the Belin-Blank Talent Development Fellowship and the College of Education’s Honors Opportunity Program (HOP) advisor for over 20 years. “The Belin-Blank Center had launched a program to connect with outstanding undergraduates in the Teacher Education Program, and I was able to help that program grow and evolve,” Croft explained.
“She gave her heart and soul to the Center and the College,” said Megan Foley-Nicpon, PhD, director of the Belin-Blank Center. “We will miss her stories about her daughters, grandchildren, and [her husband] Jerry, her love of her multiple pets, her creativity and enthusiasm, her knowledge and love for history, and last but not least, her stellar baking skills.”
In retirement, Croft hopes to publish an Open Educational Resource and stay active in the gifted education community. Of course, Croft is looking forward to relaxing, too, and moving back to Oklahoma to spend time with her family. “Although I long thought I would be a grandmother to my daughters’ cats and dogs, I actually have two very busy toddlers to play with! I look forward to spending more time with my college-age grandchildren, as well, and with relatives I’ve seen only briefly over the years,” said Croft.
To learn about the Laurie Croft Scholarship, please contact Mae Parker at mae.parker@foriowa.org.
Belin-Blank Center 