25-12-Annual Report 2025_FINAL no bleed pages-1 - Flipbook - Page 14
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Nationally
recognized
rural education
researcher
joins College
of Education
faculty
J. Kessa Roberts joins the Clemson University College
of Education faculty ranks this fall, bringing her diverse
career experiences and an extensive background in
rural education research. Roberts’ backgrounds as a
school psychologist and a prolific academic researcher
inform her knowledge of education across multiple
contexts and fuel her passion for the work.
Roberts’ colleagues at Clemson and the College of
Education’s growing reputation in rural education helped
to attract her to an open position with the college.
At the request of the National Rural Education
Association (NREA), Roberts partnered with a team
of five other researchers at universities and research
organizations around the country to create a national
research agenda for the next five years of rural
education research. This project uses data from various
input sources gathered through surveys, interviews and
focus groups to guide educational researchers on areas
of need for rural education research.
“I had so many trusted colleagues who spoke highly of
Clemson and were hired with a rural focus,” Roberts
said. “Increasingly at conferences and in the research
space, Clemson was quickly becoming known as a ‘rural
powerhouse.’ My on-campus interview only proved that
to be true and helped show me this was
the correct move.”
Roberts earned a Ph.D. in educational policy from
Ohio State University, a master’s degree in psychology
from Millersville University and a bachelor’s degree
in psychology from the Templeton Honors College at
Eastern University.
Roberts started her career as a K-12 school psychologist
in rural Pennsylvania, often stepping up to serve in other
roles that were missing in the district due to limitations
imposed by geography, budget or both. She felt called
to higher education because of the continual mismatch
between the needs of rural communities and the federal
and state policies at play.
“Clemson was quickly becoming
known as a ‘rural powerhouse.’ My
on-campus interview only proved
that to be true and helped show me
this was the correct move.”
“I fell in love with teaching and research early in my
doctoral studies, and I am really passionate about
preparing future leaders who have an ideal vision
13
of schooling but can balance it with real-world
constraints.”
J. Kessa Roberts
Assistant Professor, Clemson University
