SHSU Has New Educational Leadership Institute
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Ted Creighton |
As part of Sam Houston State University's growing doctoral effort,
an Institute for the Study of Higher Education Center for Research
and Doctoral Studies in Educational Leadership has been created.
SHSU's newest institute will help area colleges and universities
train administrators and gather important information in the
field of higher education.
With the institute in its first year, one of its first projects
is a conference to be held Thursday (April 14) at North Harris
Montgomery Community College. Some of the topics include, "Working
with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board," "Challenges
in Higher Education Leadership," and "Challenges Surrounding
Dual Credit Programs."
Ted Creighton is directing the institute, which is housed in
the College of Education.
Creighton said the purpose of the conference is to "bring
in large numbers of higher education leaders and we're going
to talk about the problems that we face in higher education.
Some of the problems relate to enrollment management... How
do we keep kids enrolled in college, how do we keep them from
dropping out?
"Then another problem probably we're going to talk about
is dual credit programs, where in community college, students
can take a course that will count toward a university degree."
The institute will be directed by Creighton and coordinated
by Anthony Harris. Creighton said the institute has benefited
from the support of a broad spectrum of university administrators.
"The institute was created and supported because they agree
that the need is great and that the institute will benefit both
the university and the doctoral students within the program,"
Creighton said.
Harris added that the institute will also benefit the community.
"We felt it was important to extend the learning and training
opportunities for students in our program in addition to providing
an opportunity for our students to do research," he said.
"Part of it was a genuine desire to not just be an instructional
learning component, but also a service component to allow the
institute to sort of be a conduit, or a vehicle for...outreach
programs and outreach services to help practitioners and administrators
and professors in other training programs in other kinds of
settings."
Harris said this is unique because "we're working with
two-year and four-year leaders together." It will facilitate
research among faculty members of other colleges, coordinate
transfers of students between institutions, and give local universities
and colleges a body of well-educated future employees from which
to draw, he said.
"There's one program from UT Austin that is similar, but
we're currently the only program for higher education leadership
in the Greater Houston area, and only one of two in the whole
state," said Creighton.
Harris said that he hopes the institute will soon be able to
add a research journal. "We want to provide an opportunity
for people to have their research published."
Research is an important part of the institute's mission.
"The funding currently comes from registration fees so
at this particular symposium, for instance, we're going to take
money we get from the registration fees to funnel back into
the program... to drive research support for the doctoral students
and give them funds that will help with their publications and
their presentations," said Creighton.
- END -
SHSU Media Contact: Kelly
Jakubowski
April 12, 2005
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