“Everything rises and falls on leadership.” — John C. Maxwell
According to author, speaker, and blogger John C. Maxwell, “leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
Throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, the panhandle of West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, you can find successful leaders and rising stars at a great number of educational and nonprofit organizations. They serve as directors and docents; principals and superintendents; deans and politicians; and nonprofit administrators and community organizers.
Shenandoah University has a long history of developing leaders, and the School of Education & Human Development (SEHD) offers two doctoral programs, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Administration and the Doctor of Professional Studies (D.Prof.) in Organizational Leadership, to help these rising stars and community leaders to think deeply, examine closely and develop practical responses to the problems and opportunities they face in the organizations they serve.
The programs are guided by passionate and inspirational faculty members: Head of the D.Prof. in Organizational Leadership Professor of Research John Goss, Ph.D. and Head of the Ed.D. in Administration Associate Professor of Leadership Cathy Shiffman, Ph.D.
Each doctoral program is organized around a core of leadership and inquiry courses, complemented by courses in the student’s individualized concentration. Professors emphasize the application of theory to real-world problems and lived experiences, and graduate students bring their professional expertise and apply what they learn to that experience.
Traci Townsend ’13, Ed.D., principal of Earle B. Wood Middle School in Montgomery County, Maryland, found these qualities helpful. “I was able to tailor some of my required research and writing to support my interests; as a result I am able to apply much of what I learned about equity and race in public education to the instructional focus of my school.”
“The program was helpful to me on several levels,” says Shenandoah University’s Director of International Programs Bethany Galipeau-Konate ’14, D.Prof., who recently received the Harold Josephson Award for Professional Promise in International Education from the Association of International Education Administrators. “It gave me a good foundation in research and helped me develop a critical eye within my particular field of work. The program also allowed me to customize my learning through directed studies, preparing me for a methodologically sound dissertation.”
The unique cohort learning model connects groups of individuals who move through a program together, allowing for close collaboration and interactive learning communities.
“At Shenandoah, I participated in a cohort with other educators from a variety of backgrounds,” said Superintendent of Shenandoah County Public Schools Jeremy J. Raley ’10, Ed.D. “The perspectives we shared allowed me to see multiple sides of issues, thus helping me to grow as a professional.”
Global Chief Information Security Officer of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, and recent TED talk guest lecturer at the University of Notre Dame, J.R. Reagan ’14, D.Prof., appreciated the cohorts’ continuity. “It was great to have a group of people going through it with you,” he said. “It wasn’t a random set of people who would show up in your class every semester. You could share together and get through it together, and I thought it was an invaluable resource.”
According to Dr. Goss, an important facet of the Ed.D and D.Prof. programs is their intentional difference from a Ph.D. program. Both are “professional doctorates” built for scholarly or researching professionals, rather than a professional scholar/researcher (the embodiment of a Ph.D.). “The programs, therefore, forge a special relationship between the research and its real-world applications,” said Goss.
“My professors really opened up my world, in terms of deep understanding of resources and research, as I learned how to think through problems related to organizational leadership,” said Nan Bryant ’11, Ed.D., principal of John Kerr Elementary School in Winchester, Virginia “Learning is a lifelong journey, and I am still figuring out ways to continuously improve my service as a lifelong educator; but the skills I gained through my graduate studies at Shenandoah University provided a foundation that is unforgettable and priceless.”
Similarly, Doug Alderfer ’12, Ed.D., assistant superintendent for Rockingham County Public Schools remarked, “The program blended theory and practical application, preparing me for the complex challenges and opportunities I face in my current position. My professors helped me to think more critically and better recognize the variety of factors that impact the decision-making process.”
Each alumni’s success speaks volumes about how Shenandoah’s leadership programs make a profound impact in the lives of individuals and communities across the region. For more information about master’s and doctoral programs in leadership visit the leadership studies webpage.
– by Katherine Anderson