Niagara University is pleased to announce that, beginning August 2011, its internationally-accredited College of Education will be offering a doctoral degree in leadership and policy. The Ph.D. program, which will start accepting applications in January, will prepare leaders to implement systemic change in an effort to further community goals and aspirations.
The program is designed to provide an interdisciplinary forum for doctoral study and research, allowing candidates to generate new knowledge related to critical leadership issues that directly relate to matters of those who are underserved.
“We are very excited to be able to offer a doctoral program based on an innovative and unique model that is strongly aligned with the mission of the university,” said the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., president of Niagara University. “As a Vincentian university, Niagara seeks to inspire its students to serve all members of society, especially the disadvantaged. The leadership and policy Ph.D. program focuses on this mission of Niagara University in bringing social justice and empowerment to those most in need to the forefront of research. It is through this cultivation of research that we may indeed be able to transform our impoverished communities and change how we think about leadership in this regard.”
“In addition to corresponding with the university’s mission, the proposed program is aligned with the conceptual framework of Niagara’s College of Education and its existing graduate program offerings,” added Dr. Debra Colley, dean of Niagara’s College of Education. “The college has a long-standing history of providing advanced study in policy and leadership in both Ontario and New York, and we expect this program to draw a significant number of students from both sides of the border.”
Niagara University will fill a choice need for a major segment of the Western New York and Southern Ontario graduate student population who may be seeking a doctorate in leadership and policy studies from a private Catholic university. The United States and New York State Departments of Labor project that there will be a significant increase in related jobs requiring doctoral degree qualifications, and that producing and maintaining a well-educated leadership labor force is essential for the economic improvement of Western New York.
The approval of this Ph.D. program is in keeping with the existing authority of the university to offer doctoral degrees. The program will attract advanced graduate students who have “leadership” experiences in their professions and have articulated their perspectives in both speaking and writing in professional forums.
Niagara University’s College of Education holds National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation in the U.S., Ministerial Consent through the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in the Province of Ontario, and accreditation through the Ontario College of Teachers. In addition, its advanced programs (post-Master’s) in educational leadership have recently received full national recognition through Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC). Niagara University has had a strong presence in Ontario, Canada for the past four decades, educating Canadian students both on its New York campus and at various sites in the greater Toronto region of Canada.
For more information about Niagara University’s education programs, visit www.niagara.edu/education or call 716.286.8560.
