Tribute to Verna Johnson Lowe on the Occasion of Her Retirement
Sep 29, 2026 | Alumni
By Milton Lowe
I want to congratulate my wife of 51 years, Dr. Verna Johnson Lowe, on her retirement after 51 years in education. She spent 8 years in public schools and then 43 years in higher education.
We got married after graduating from Central Wesleyan College (now Southern Wesleyan University) in the summer of 1974. We lived there for a year after graduation, and Verna taught in Westminster, SC. In the summer of 1975, we moved to Kentucky so I could attend Asbury Theological Seminary.
That fall, Verna had the opportunity to start the first-ever Learning Disabilities Classroom in Jessamine County at the middle school. She later launched the first Learning Disabilities Classroom at the high school. Subsequently, she became the first full-time school psychologist in the county school system after earning a master’s degree in School Psychology from the University of Kentucky.
From 1980 to 1981, she taught part-time at Asbury College (now Asbury University). In 1982, she became a full-time professor at Asbury. During her early years there, she also earned her Ed.D. in Special Education (Personnel Preparation) from the University of Kentucky. Over the course of 31 years, she served as professor, chair of the education department, dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, and Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning.
Afterward, she served as Dean of the College of Education at Eastern Kentucky University and later as Vice President for Compliance at the University of the Cumberlands.
For the 9 years prior to her retirement, she worked at Western Governors University, first in compliance and most recently as the National Director and Dean of Educator Preparation. WGU is a fully online university, and its Teachers College—one of four colleges at the university—serves over 50,000 education majors. It’s the largest in the nation and produces over 10% of America’s teachers each year.
Over her 43 years in higher education, Verna has impacted the lives and careers of countless teachers across the country. The number of students impacted by those teachers is truly immeasurable.
Verna currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at Southern Wesleyan University and chairs the Education Policies Committee.
Thank you, Verna, for your life of exceptional and far-reaching influence.