SUNY Empire State College has launched its first doctoral program in the college’s nearly 50-year existence.
The Ed.D. in educational leadership and change will prepare current educational leaders to advance their education and careers while learning how to lead positive change in colleges, universities and communities, officials said om Aug. 27.
As educational systems face mounting challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and a rapidly changing workforce, the program will address both day-to-day and long-term issues confronting educators to prepare them for leadership positions in higher education institutions, college officials said.
Applied coursework will focus on educational trends, organizational issues, and policy, including rigorous training in research methodology enabling graduates to analyze challenges facing their institutions in a broader national and global context.
The 54-credit program can be completed in three years, almost entirely online.
The program is designed for working professionals, including faculty, college deans, assistant deans, and other academic administrators. SUNY Empire’s flexible degree program will allow candidates to earn the degree on their own time, at their convenience. Candidates will receive a comprehensive learning experience that seamlessly delivers courses online, in a collaborative virtual environment.
“This is an exciting moment for the growth of Empire State College with our first-ever doctoral program in Educational Leadership and Change,” said SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras. “SUNY Empire’s statewide footprint and robust online learning platforms will ensure educators can advance their learning and careers around the demands of their busy schedules. We are facing historic challenges in and out of the classroom that go well beyond the immediate pandemic – now is the time to drive change smartly and intentionally to build the educational systems of the future. This program will do just that.”
“Graduates will complete the program with advanced qualifications to lead academic institutions, utilizing action research methods to analyze real challenges that impact higher education,” said SUNY Empire State College Provost Meg Benke. “They will be empowered to re-imagine how students learn, how educators teach, and how we communicate with our communities. SUNY Empire’s community college partners have been particularly eager to have this flexible program available for their faculty, staff, and administrators.”
Approval of the new degree “is a defining moment for SUNY Empire,” said SUNY Empire State College Dean of the School for Graduate Studies Nathan Gonyea. “It finalizes the goal at our founding almost 50 years ago to provide opportunity to individuals across New York state to access all levels of higher education from undergraduate certificates to doctoral degrees. I want to thank all of the faculty and staff who have worked over the course of many years to make our first doctorate possible.”
SUNY Empire appointed Dr. Ali Ait Si Mhamed as associate professor and founding coordinator of the program that began Sept. 1.
He holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy from SUNY Buffalo, an M.Sc. in education from D’Youville College and a Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature with a special focus on linguistics from Université Ibnou Zohr in Morocco.
He comes to SUNY Empire from the Graduate School of Education at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan, where he served as associate professor in the Graduate School of Education. His principal areas of research include research methods, advance quantitative research, policy and reform in education, and higher education finance.
SUNY Empire currently offers more than 800 courses within 110 degree programs, all available online.
Additional details on SUNY Empire State College’s Ed.D. in leadership and change can be found at www.esc.edu/graduate-studies/edd-educational-leadership.
