Mary L. Spencer

Mary L. Spencer is Dean Emerita of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences and is a retired professor of psychology and Micronesian Studies at the University of Guam. Throughout her training at the University of Kansas and the University of New Mexico, and in her research in California, Hawaii, and the Micronesian region, Dr. Spencer lived and worked in multi-ethnic/multi-racial environments. In California, she conducted many program evaluations and consultancies for the California State Department of Education with bilingual education programs. Her bilingual education work led to an opportunity to go to Guam to teach summer school courses and eventually join the University of Guam’s psychology program on a permanent faculty basis, leading to language, education, and social research with the Asian and Micronesian children and families of Guam and the wider Micronesian region. As Dean of a large college for a decade, she supported and inspired faculty in several disciplines to engage in language and culture research, teaching, and service activities relevant to regional needs.