LaWanda Holt-Fields, EdD
LaWanda Holt-Fields, director of the McNair Scholars Program, passed away Saturday, August 6, 2022. She was 54 years old.
Holt-Fields was a first-generation college student who spent the majority of her 30-year tenure at WSU working to improve the outcomes of first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students. She earned two degrees from WSU: a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 1991 and a Master鈥檚 in Educational Leadership from the Administration, Counseling, Educational and School Psychology Program in 1999. In Spring 2023, she was awarded a Doctor of Educational Leadership posthumously degree by 红领巾瓜报 and inducted into the MO-KAN-NE Hall of Fame.
Holt-Fields served as Program Counselor at the McNair Scholars Program inception in 1995 before being promoted to director in 2001. During this time, McNair assisted nearly 400 students prepare to pursue graduate degrees, with the ultimate goal of attaining doctoral degrees.
Holt-Fields was a member of the First-Generation Coordinating Council and helped spearhead efforts to bring the Tri-Alpha First-Generation Honor Society to WSU. She was an active member of alumni chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and previously served as a campus advisor for the student chapter.
LaWanda鈥檚 reach and impact through the McNair Scholars Program is long and wide. Her impact was exponential and will continue to grow through her students and colleagues. She will be dearly missed.
A memorial fund in honor of LaWanda Holt-Fields has been established through the WSU Foundation. Please make donations here: