Doctoral Program Introduces New Program Option for Higher Ed Professionals

In response to student interest and meeting workforce demands, the Department of Educational Leadership (EDL) has recently added a new program option to prepare educational leaders in community college and postsecondary education. 

According to Professor Betty Alford, chair of the EDL department, the new Leadership in Community Colleges and Postsecondary Education option is designed for experienced professionals who are interested in deepening their knowledge and skills of educational leadership for continued advancement. 

“We are so pleased to be able to offer this additional option as a part of the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program,” said Alford. “We now have three faculty members whose expertise in higher education has allowed us to expand our program offerings to include this much needed training.” 

The new Community Colleges and Postsecondary Education option features instructional strategies focused on problem-based learning and critical inquiry. Each class aims to advance students' critical consciousness in order to effect institution-wide change to advance equity and the success of underrepresented students. 

“This option will specifically appeal to higher education professionals who serve in various areas of leadership such as Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Disability Services, Student Success Offices and University Housing,” said Educational Leadership Assistant Professors Liane Hypolite and Eligio Martinez in a joint statement. “Students who select this program option will learn more about the context of higher education; gain skills in the historically informed analysis of current issues in higher education; and engage in planning for systemic and institutional change.” 

The new option, which is currently recruiting for summer 2023, builds upon the department’s existing option in PreK-12 Leadership. According to the EDL website, the program emphasizes research into practice and is carefully designed to accommodate working professionals. Over the course of three years, students in the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program complete 60 semester units, including a dissertation project.  

“Our graduates continue to excel and progress in their professional positions such as superintendent of schools, assistant superintendent of schools, associate vice presidents of human resources at community colleges and other positions of educational leadership,” said Alford. “We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of the doctoral graduates and look forward to the selection of a new cohort that will begin in summer 2023.”

For more information, prospective students can sign up for a virtual information session by visiting www.cpp.edu/ceis/edleadership.