Pros And Cons Of Western Kentucky University

“The Spirit Makes the Master” is the phrase coined for Western Kentucky University. Most may associate the spirit with ballgames and fans, but it is more than that. The spirit of the university is a sense of pride that encompasses the campus. The spirit of Western Kentucky University is one that demonstrates an interest in the betterment of the student body through professional and personal development. An institution is only as good as the people within, the students it impacts, and the programs developed. Western Kentucky University’s Educational Leadership doctoral program is a distinct program filled with knowledgeable and distinguished faculty, and a student body eager to learn about the many facets of leadership. WKU carefully
designed the Educational Leadership doctoral program to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to become effective and efficient leaders in the community.
The faculty and coordinators of the Educational Leadership program have set forth prestigious goals for graduate students.
As stated by WKU’s Educational Leadership program, the goals include the encouragement of participants to become practitioner-scholars through the promotion of skills and knowledge in real world practice settings; opportunities to explore an entire range of career options in various settings to make a solid career choice in the future for themselves and their students; promote inter-program, cross-program, and inter-institutional collaboration; provide participation with leadership to bring about changes to enhance student learning; and lastly, provide interdisciplinary research preparation focused on contextually based real-world problems and education central to future global competitiveness. As in any program, there are pros and cons to the establishment and running of the program. Today I have discussed areas the program excels in, while also addressing areas that have room for improvement. If awarded this funding, the program can be shaped and molded to become one of, if not the best Educational Leadership programs in the
nation. Based on my experience in the Educational Leadership program thus far, I can say the program has proven to be an exceptional one crafted to meet the needs of individuals with different leadership styles and capabilities. Program coordinators ingrained the unique program goals into the courses to provide students with an enriched learning environment. The program is designed with four different pathways for students based on their leadership discipline. The four leadership disciplines, or strands, offered through this program include; Organizational leadership, postsecondary leadership, P-12 Administrative leadership, and Teacher leadership. There are a series of core courses required for all students. Based on the individual students’ leadership strand there is a separate set of elective courses that must also be taken. The core classes required for each student include courses in research and leadership.
As in most cases, the first course required for new students in the program is the orientation course. This course acclimates students to the doctoral program by delivering information about different aspects of the program including what is expected of the student, introductions to various faculty within the program, brief dissertation review and expectations, and a brief introduction to research. This course is the equivalent of a university experience course for undergraduate students. Fall of 2017 was my first semester in the program and I immediately felt that I was in the right program.
Dr.
Kenyetta Martin was the professor for the course and she described the anxiety that most students experience when they first enter a program at this level. She discussed her experience and how she felt like an imposter in a room of professionals that belonged to the program. As she continued her program she realized that the other students around her had similar stories and experiences and soon realized she fit in. I experienced the same thing when I attended the first class. I was anxious and afraid I would not fit in, but I quickly learned that other students were in that room for the same purpose as I was. They were there to become better leaders in their profession. I have connected with more people than I ever expected, and I have made several friendships with students within my cohort that I hope to have for a
lifetime.
One of the best features of the program is the cohort set up. The cohort has created bonds, friendships, and a level of comfort for students. Zander (1982) stated that members of effective groups develop a sense of purpose when their activities require mutual interaction and interdependence. Literature indicated that adults learn best when they can direct their own learning, influence decision making, focus on problems relevant to practice, tap their rich experiential background, and build strong relationships with peers (Merriam & Caffarella, 1999). Students want to be involved in their education and the cohort program model allows this. Although cohorts are not a new or creative model today, they are still effective learning environments. Students can work collaboratively with other students and share their own personal knowledge and experience with a set group of people. This helps to improve the students' academic success. Cohorts assist students in building relationships they may not have built in a traditional program.
Besides affecting academic performance, students’ interpersonal relationships can be influenced by the cohort experience. Individual support and encouragement result from the intense interpersonal associations that develop among cohort members (Barnett, Basom, Yerkes, & Norris, 2000). The program setup was designed to meet the needs of the busy, full time, family-oriented professional. It is beneficial to create working relationships with people that are going through the same struggles as you. Most of the people in the program are already in their professions working a full-time job, raising a family, and going to school part-time. Most have been out of school for years, so trying to adjust and get acclimated back into the habit of studying and taking classes can be overwhelming.
The orientation and research I courses should be required the first semester. Research drives this type of program and I did not realize this until after I started the program. I did not take a research course the first semester and now I feel like I am behind and do not know what I am doing. Had I truly understood the importance of research, I would have taken it my first semester. I think that requiring students to take courses in a specific sequence for the first two or three courses should be a requirement. The orientation course and the first research course should be the first courses taken. Research and leadership drive this educational leadership program, so it would make sense to designate them as the first courses for students to take.