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As Indiana Works To Improve Pipeline of Strong School Leaders, Newest Cohort of Woodrow Wilson Foundation MBA Fellows in Education Leadership Selected

First Classes of Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellows Named at Indiana State University,
Indiana University; Third Group of MBA Fellows at University of Indianapolis to Begin Work

PRINCETON, NJ (June 1, 2016) –

As Indiana continues its efforts to improve student success in classrooms across the state, Indiana’s 2016-17 class of Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellows in Education Leadership were announced today. Led by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the MBA Fellows program is helping the state continue to set new national standards in the preparation and placement of educational leaders equipped to head changing 21st-century schools.

In 2014, the first cohort of Woodrow Wilson Indiana MBA Fellows in Education Leadership began their work at the University of Indianapolis. This year, inaugural classes at Indiana State University and Indiana University will join a third UIndy cohort. The WW Indiana MBA Fellowship program charts a new course in education leader preparation. Blending clinical practice in schools with innovative business school coursework, it ensures graduates have the knowledge and skills not only to guide schools and districts in a changing education environment, but also close achievement gaps between America’s lowest- and highest-performing schools and between the country’s top-performing schools and those around the world.

Indiana is one of three states, with New Mexico and Wisconsin, that currently offer the WW MBA Fellowships, which integrates graduate education coursework with an MBA curriculum tailored to school leaders’ needs. The Woodrow Wilson Foundation administers the programs in Indiana through the generous financial support of Lilly Endowment Inc.

“Working with Indiana University, Indiana State, and UIndy, the Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship program is ensuring Indiana public schools have leaders that represent the most innovative, results-oriented thinking today,” said Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and author of an influential national study that called for dramatically changing how the United States prepares school leaders. “After the classroom teacher, the most important factor in a child’s school success is a school principal. Through the Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship, we are ensuring Indiana’s schools have a pipeline of exemplary principals focused on both teacher and student success. Indiana is a part of an important new national movement to dramatically improve how we prepare educators.”

“We’re very happy to continue our partnership with the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and to see this important program expand,” said Deborah Balogh, executive vice president and provost at the University of Indianapolis. “UIndy has received phenomenal feedback from central Indiana school districts that were seeking exactly this sort of opportunity to cultivate new leaders.”

“The collaboration of the faculty in business and education to develop this outstanding program is very exciting; I am confident this program will provide quality leaders for Indiana’s public schools,” said Brien Smith, dean of the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University.  Kandi Hill-Clarke, dean of the Bayh College of Education at Indiana State added, “Preparing quality teachers and educational leaders has always been at the center of ISU’s mission, a fact made more meaningful as the University celebrates its Sesquicentennial anniversary. This exciting program provides a unique opportunity for us to continue that effort by building on the strength of the faculty of our two colleges to prepare the next generation of school leaders.”

“This has been one of the most interesting and fun projects to work on because it has really challenged us to think about how we educate educators,” said Idalene “Idie” Kesner, dean of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management. “We developed a creative curriculum that applies business and management practices designed to inspire teachers and students. It’s very gratifying to know that our first cohort will be starting soon.”

The Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership recruits and prepares experienced educators who take a full year of executive-style MBA courses. The program is offered through the business schools at partner universities and is equivalent in rigor to traditional MBA programs and it benefits from their rigorous MBA programs. It is designed to prepare leaders who will create school cultures to drive innovation, expand the use of analytics and evidence-based practices, raise student performance to international levels, and improve the quality of school systems and teaching over time. Indiana and Wisconsin were the first two states to embrace this new approach to school leadership, with New Mexico joining in 2015.

Each Fellow is selected from a highly competitive pool of nominees. Unlike programs that recruit career changers from other fields to work in schools, the WW MBA Fellowship requires that candidates be current educators who are nominated by Indiana school districts or charter schools. In this “business to business” model, districts must nominate candidates before they can apply, and must agree to participate in certain aspects of the program if their nominee is selected.

Fellows are selected based on, among other things, key competencies of effective leaders. Each receives a Fellowship stipend that  covers tuition and materials for the MBA program, along with executive coaching. In exchange, Fellows commit to serve in leadership roles in identified districts/schools for at least three years.

A full list of the 62 individuals named 2016–17 Indiana MBA in Education Leadership Fellows class follows. The university partner programs work with school district partners to develop partnerships that will sustain clinical placements (in-school learning arrangements) and mentoring opportunities for WW MBA Fellows.

The Indiana MBA efforts build on the successful efforts of the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship program – offered at Ball State University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Purdue University, University of Indianapolis, and Valparaiso University. The highly competitive Teaching Fellowship program recruits both recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math—the STEM fields—and prepares them specifically to teach in high-need secondary schools.

Visit http://woodrow.org/fellowships/ww-ed-mba/indiana/ to learn more about the Foundation’s work in school leadership preparation in Indiana.

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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 Indiana State University
Indiana State University (http://www.indstate.edu) is a Public, Doctoral/Research University located in Terre Haute, IN, approximately one hour west of Indianapolis.  The University enrolls over 13,000 students in over 100 majors.  The University has consistently been ranked by Princeton Review as one of the “Best in the Midwest.” ISU is a consistent member of the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and has been named the national’s Non-Profit Leadership Campus of the Year.  Washington Monthly ranks ISU #1 in community service and #3 in service learning.  Forbes Magazine has identified Indiana State University as the most affordable University in the state and ranks ISU as one of the nation’s best colleges that emphasizes quality as well as value.

The MBA and Education Leadership Preparation at Indiana State University
Both the Princeton Review and US News recognize the Scott College of Business as one of the top business schools in the nation.  The MBA degree was praised by the Princeton Review for small classes, great teachers, and an affordable tuition. The Scott College of Business is accredited by AACSB, the highest achievement for business schools and the hallmark of excellence in management education.  Educator Preparation has been at the core of ISU’s mission for 150 years.  Today, the Bayh College of Education continues that great tradition.  The College is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Indiana Department of Education.  The College’s educational administration program has been recognized for its scholar/practitioner approach to preparing building level and district level educational leaders.

About Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington is the flagship residential, doctoral-extensive campus of Indiana University. Its mission is to create, disseminate, preserve, and apply knowledge. It does so through its commitments to cutting-edge research, scholarship, arts, and creative activity; to challenging and inspired undergraduate, graduate, professional, and lifelong education; to culturally diverse and international educational programs and communities; to first-rate library and museum collections; to economic development in the state and region; and to meaningful experiences outside the classroom. The Bloomington campus is committed to full diversity, academic freedom, and meeting the changing educational and research needs of the state, the nation, and the world.

About the University of Indianapolis
Since 1902, the University of Indianapolis has been committed to education for service. Today, 5,400 students are enrolled in respected undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs in the health sciences, arts, sciences, business, education and engineering, with an average class size of 17 providing a student-centric interdisciplinary and experiential learning environment. Located minutes from downtown, UIndy is a community anchor, elevating quality of life for all while connecting students with the internships, culture, recreation and community service opportunities available in a vibrant metropolitan atmosphere. The recently launched Campaign for UIndy is advancing education as well as social mobility and the health of communities. More information is available at campaign.uindy.edu.

The 2016-17 Class of Indiana MBA Fellows in Education Leadership include:

The University of Indianapolis

• Austin Barcome
• Carroll Bilbrey
• Jordan Bragg
• Meagan Campbell
• Brelyn Critzer
• Stephanie Dalton
• Kea Deppe
• Brent Dikeman
• Georgia Everett
• Spencer Fort
• Shelbi Fortner
• Jodi Hauk
• Kelly Herron
• Melinda Just
• Lauren Kersey
• Jill Landers
• McKenzie Leckrone
• Patrick Mahaffey
• Gretchen Matthews
• Melisa McCain
• Laci McKenzie
• Jodi Morrow
• Danielle Murphy
• Rachel Neese
• Edward Roe
• Zach Schroeder
• Christy Shepard
• John Skomp
• Amelia Torres
• Robert Van Horn
• Amy Wackerly
• Grace Wallace
• Ginger Washington
• Charonda Woods

Indiana State University

• Tracy Carrillo
• John Chinn
• Jeffrey Clutter
• Jeffery Dierlam
• William Durham
• Christian Frye
• Matthew Irwin
• Mary Katherine Jenner
• Erin Kaiser
• Cheryl McIlrath
• RonNella Moore
• Jason Vandewalle
• James Welter

Indiana University

• Cliff Bailey
• Christie Cloud
• Laura Florek
• Michael Gaines
• Kyle Goodwin
• Nicholas Gron
• Barbara Kiplinger
• Angela Long
• Justin Quick
• Ramona Rice
• James Rosinia
• Seth Slater
• Casey Stansifer
• Kelly Wade
• Jessica Wotherspoon

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