Retired UA Little Rock professor donates $10,000 to support educators
August 4-10, 2025
By Angelita Faller
Dr. Melville Fuller, professor emeritus of education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has donated $10,000 to the School of Education to support the Trojan Teachers Residency Program, an innovative teacher training initiative entering its third year.
The Trojan Teachers Residency Program provides year-long, paid residencies for teacher candidates who are paired with experienced mentor teachers in local schools in central Arkansas. The immersive program gives aspiring teachers the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the classroom throughout an entire school year, preparing them to be day-one ready as educators when they graduate.
“I was excited to hear about this new residency program,” said Fuller, who taught at UA Little Rock from 1974 until his retirement in 1995. “It’s a big step forward from what I did for 22 years at UA Little Rock, when I would visit student teachers four or five times a semester. Now they get to spend a full year with a teacher and learn the ins and outs of the profession. That makes a real difference.”
The donation will directly support student residents by helping offset the costs associated with their training and participation in the program.
Dr. Rachel Eells, Windgate Foundation Endowed Director of the School of Education, expressed her appreciation for Fuller’s gift.
“We’re so grateful to Dr. Fuller for this generous support of the Trojan Teachers Residency Program,” Eells said. “His gift will help ensure that our teacher candidates are well-prepared and supported as they develop into the next generation of outstanding educators.”
Fuller, who now lives in Franklin, Tennessee, remains deeply passionate about education. Since retiring, he has continued teaching young students about science and paleontology, his favorite subject, through summer programs like the Young Scholars Institute, where children affectionately call him “Dr. Dino.” He even has a fossilized tooth from a T-Rex, estimated to be from around 66 million years ago, that he found in Montana that is a big hit among his young students.
Reflecting on his time at UA Little Rock, Fuller called it “the best time of my life.”
“We had so many wonderful education students,” Fuller said. “Some of them drove 75 miles a day just to come to class. Supporting this new generation of teachers is one way I can continue to give back to the university and the profession I love.”
Photo Caption:
UA Little Rock School of Education student Amari Bonne, left, meets her teacher mentor, Melissa Cormier, second from left, during a Teacher Residency Match Day event with the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District.
Photo Credit:
Photo by Benjamin Krain.
