FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, June 2, 2015

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INDIANA UNIVERSITY, INDIANA STATE JOIN WOODROW WILSON NETWORK TO PROVIDE WOODROW WILSON MBA FELLOWSHIP TO ASPIRING EDUCATION LEADERS

UNIVERSITIES PART OF GROUNDBREAKING EFFORT TO TRANSFORM PRINCIPAL, SUPERINTENDENT PREPARATION IN INDIANA, NATION

EXPANSION MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH $14.48 MILLION GRANT FROM LILLY ENDOWMENT

PRINCETON, N.J. (June 2, 2015) — As school districts strive to identify education leaders ready for the challenges of a 21st-century classroom, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation today announced that Indiana University (IU) and Indiana State University (ISU) will become part of an expanded network of institutions offering the Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership. The University of Indianapolis (UIndy) launched the effort in Indiana in November 2013.

Designed to improve the preparation of principals and superintendents serving traditional public schools and charter schools, the Indiana WW MBA effort provides aspiring education leaders with a rigorous business-based academic program, a year-long clinical experience, and three years of mentoring.

The expansion is the result of a $14.48 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. The funds are being used both to extend the program at UIndy and to begin similar programs at Indiana and Indiana State, both of which were selected as part of an exhaustive selection process open to universities throughout Indiana.

“For our children to succeed, they need excellent teachers in their classrooms. And for those teachers to succeed, they need exemplary educators leading their schools and districts,” said Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. “The Woodrow Wilson Foundation is honored to have IU and ISU as part of its MBA Fellowship network. Both institutions are educating Indiana’s next generation of citizens. Through the MBA Fellowship, they, along with UIndy, will set a new standard for principal and superintendent education across the nation. None of this would be possible without the generous support of Lilly Endowment.”

The overarching goal of the WW MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership is to increase the quality and relevance of principal and superintendent education.

A national study by Levine makes clear that school leaders play an important role in student achievement, yet many current M.Ed and Ed.D. programs need greater selectivity and rigor. The WW MBA Fellowship program—one of a handful of education MBA programs nationwide and the only one with its blend of resources and clinical work—is designed as a new model of principal and superintendent preparation.

The WW MBA Fellowship program seeks to prepare education leaders to drive innovation, expand the use of analytics and evidence-based practices, raise student performance to international standards, and improve the quality of school systems and teaching over time. The intensive, highly selective program blends an education-based business curriculum with clinical experience in schools, corporations and nonprofits and gives fellows exposure to innovative schools.

“We’re very proud and excited to be part of the Woodrow Wilson MBA program,” said Idalene “Idie” Kesner, dean of IU’s Kelley School of Business and the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management. “We have been working with the IU School of Education the last couple of years with our Effective Leaders Academy, which is based on the philosophy of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation that business training can enhance the preparation of today’s educators. This is a wonderful next step in sharing transferrable business strategies and working to improve education for Indiana’s future leaders.”

“Indiana State University is excited to be part of this program,” said Jack Maynard, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The university has a rich tradition of preparing educational leaders for the state and a nationally ranked MBA program. The opportunity for the faculty of the Scott College of Business and the Bayh College of Education to work together to prepare education leaders has the potential to transform the preparation of school leaders in Indiana and across the nation. We look forward to working with the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and the other University partners in this effort.”

Maynard will serve as director of the MBA in Education program at Indiana State after completing his term as interim provost on June 30.

In addition to the Woodrow Wilson MBA programs in Indiana, the Foundation also offers its Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship in New Mexico and Wisconsin.

The Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship draws on the Foundation’s experience with the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship, which recruits candidates to teach in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) in high-need schools and also works to transform teacher education. The Endowment was the primary funder of the WW Teaching Fellowship in Indiana, the nation’s first WW Teaching Fellowship. Launched in 2007 with Endowment funding that would eventually total more than $15 million, the Teaching Fellowship is now funded through the state of Indiana. The Teaching Fellowship is also offered in Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio.

To learn more about the Indiana MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership, please visit: http://woodrow.org/fellowships/ww-ed-mba/

About the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (www.woodrow.org) identifies and develops the nation’s best minds to meet its most critical challenges. The Foundation supports its Fellows as the next generation of leaders shaping American society.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly and his two sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., with gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical company. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. More information can be found at www.lillyendowment.org.

About the University of Indiana Kelley School of Business
The Indiana University Kelley School of Business is one of the world’s leading business schools.  With graduate and undergraduate programs ranked in the top 10, including the #1 ranked online MBA and MS programs by US News, the Kelley School has over 10,000 students on its Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses and over 100,000 alumni worldwide.  The Kelley faculty are known as both leading researchers and highly-acclaimed teachers who impact business as scholars, consultants, and mentors.

About Indiana State University
Indiana State University combines a tradition of strong undergraduate and graduate education with a focus on community and public service. Serving more than 13,000 students and offering more than 150 academic programs, Indiana State integrate teaching, research, and creative activity in an engaging, challenging, and supportive learning environment to prepare productive citizens for Indiana and the world.

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