The Educational Leadership Department at Ball State University
The Educational Leadership Department in Teachers College, Ball State University, is one of the most vibrant and well known programs at the University and in Indiana. According to the most recent U.S. News and World Report ranking of on-line masters in educational administration and supervision programs, Ball State was ranked 11th in the nation. Ball State is the number one provider of school principals in Indiana and the second largest provider of school superintendents.
In 2018-2019 the Educational Leadership Department moved from a P-12 to a P-16 program with the addition of three full time faculty from the higher education and community college leadership program. This move has created a new dynamic that has brought an expanded programmatic perspective to the preparation of educational leaders at Ball State. The Higher Education and Community College Leadership program is the home for the nationally recognized Masters Program in Student Affair Administration in Higher Education (SAAHE). Begun in 1965 SAAHE has graduated over 800 outstanding higher education leaders across the nation.
Ball State’s P-12 program is nationally recognized in the last ELCC accreditation review. It is fully aligned with national and state educational leadership standards. Faculty are comprised of former practitioners (assistant principals, principals, assistant superintendents and superintendents), but also are state, national and international researchers and scholars. For example, our P-16 faculty had given 45 professional conference papers by mid-year 2019, within Indiana, the rest of the nation, and in Australia, Canada and Germany. Similarly the P-16 faculty had 41 research and professional journal articles in the same time period, not to mention several published books.
How You Can Help Us Reach Our Program’s Future Benchmarks
The Department of Educational Leadership is committed to providing high-caliber mentoring experiences for their graduate students and creating a culture of collaboration, innovation, and creative problem-solving for educational leaders. Here’s what your financial contribution would do to help us achieve our continued progress towards meeting our programmatic benchmarks:
- Support for Cutting-Edge Research and Social Justice Minded Leaders
Financial support for both students and faculty is needed to help enhance the ways educational leadership preparation is conceptualized and to advance Ball State University’s distinctiveness. For faculty, focused-support is needed for all aspects of their cutting-edge research designed to help improve and enhance the development of social-justice minded educational leaders within P-16 settings.
- Support for Building Collaborative World Wide Partnerships
For example, resources to build meaningful collaborations with research partners worldwide as well as supporting opportunities to share research papers at national and international research meetings. For students, more support for professional development opportunities that complement in-class work will elevate their national profile and bring their success stories to larger audiences thereby extending the impact they make on the field of education. For example, dedicated funds to support their research projects and travel to conferences to present the results of their research.
- Support for Bringing Distinguished Scholars to Campus
In addition, having funds to bring distinguished scholars to campus would provide both students and faculty with enhanced networks, an up-close look at best practices in other states and countries, and assist with communicating the message that Teachers College is the destination of choice for the leaders interested in high-impact practices focused on student success.
- Support in Re-imagining the Future of Education and the People Who Will Lead It
The Department of Educational Leadership is actively engaged in re-imagining the future of education and what role educational leaders will play to help bring forward a more socially-just educational future for all. Supporting this department will have a direct and lasting impact on those poised to lead our P-16 educational agencies and institutions in the future.
