Higher Education Alumna Receives Distinguished Service Award

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Arleene Breaux

Arleene Breaux, a graduate of the U of A higher education doctoral program, recently earned the 2021 E. Roger Sayers Distinguished Service Award.

Breaux is a clinical associate professor in the University of Alabama's Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Technology Studies. The award is named in honor of E. Roger Sayers, president of the university from 1988 to 1996.

Prior to joining the faculty in Alabama, Breaux was vice chancellor for university relations and the executive assistant to the chancellor at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. She earned both a bachelor's degree in finance and an M.B.A. from Nicholls State University and an Ed.D. in higher education administration from the U of A.

Breaux said her doctoral experience at the U of A is one she continues to cherish. "My professors fully prepared me to lead in the dynamic higher education environment, engage in rigorous scholarship, and most importantly, teach and mentor graduate students that will serve as our next generation of academic leaders," she said.

Breaux said much of the success of the executive Ed.D. program that she leads in Alabama is a direct reflection of her experience in the U of A's weekend doctoral program.

"As a first-generation college student, earning a doctorate from the University of Arkansas has been one of my — and my family's — proudest achievements," she said. "My sincere gratitude to  the U of A for providing me with a phenomenal education and to my chairs, Drs. John W. Murry Jr. and Dr. Michael T. Miller for their valuable insights while I was a student and today, as esteemed colleagues."