NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, October 23, 2018
CONTACT: Patrick Riccards | [email protected]  |  (703) 298-8283

Woodrow Wilson Foundation Selects 25 of Indiana’s Leading Educators for Prestigious National Program To Prepare Next Generation of School Leaders

Indiana University, Indiana State University Welcome 2018-19 Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellows in Education Leadership

PRINCETON, NJ (October 23, 2018)—Twenty-five of Indiana’s leading educators have been honored as Woodrow Wilson Foundation MBA Fellows in Education Leadership, joining a statewide movement to help successful educators become strong school and school district leaders.

Developed by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the WW Indiana MBA Fellowship program was created to develop a new model in education leader preparation, equipping graduates to head changing 21st-century schools across the state. The WW Indiana MBA blends clinical practice in schools with innovative business school coursework. It ensures that graduates have the knowledge and skills not only to guide schools and districts in a changing education environment, but also to 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 was one of the first three states, along with New Mexico and Wisconsin, to offer the WW MBA Fellowship, 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.

“Strong school leaders are an essential component for student success,” WW Foundation President Arthur Levine said. “Through the Indiana MBA in Education Leadership, Indiana University and Indiana State are strengthening K-12 schools across Indiana have a pipeline of well-prepared, well-equipped individuals to lead their schools and improve education across the state. This year’s 25 Indiana MBA Fellows are part of a strong commitment to school improvement in Indiana.”

Under the Woodrow Wilson model, Fellows take MBA courses with a specific focus on the education context. Offered through business schools in collaboration with education schools, the program is designed to prepare leaders who will 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.

“With the support of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, we continue to prepare outstanding educators for leadership roles across the state,” said Katherine Ryan, MBA director at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. “Graduates of our MBA for Educators program have transitioned into building and district level positions that enable them to have a positive impact on thousands of Indiana students. Superintendents were deeply involved in recruiting our current cohort, and we trust that their corporations will benefit greatly from the business skills and knowledge the Fellows gain through this Kelley MBA program.”

“Once again we are excited to welcome a new class of Woodrow Wilson Fellows to our MBA program,” said Brien Smith, dean of the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University. “These educators are bright, talented, and committed to improving K-12 education.  Our excitement and commitment to this program continues.  The partnership between our MBA faculty, Educational Leadership Faculty, and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation has brought new energy to our campus and is preparing a great set of educational leaders for Indiana.”

Unlike programs that recruit career changers from other fields to work in schools, the Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship is intended for education professionals nominated by their school districts or charter school leaders. Those school systems partner with participating universities to establish internal leadership talent pipelines and cultivate new leaders. Fellows selected have demonstrated effective leadership and will use their knowledge of the education context to help transform schools from within.

Each Fellow receives a stipend, which covers full tuition, materials, and associated program expenses. In exchange, each Fellow agrees to serve in an approved school or district leadership role within the state for at least three years, with Foundation-supported mentoring.

Both universities are partnering with a variety of area school districts and charter schools to develop partnerships that will sustain clinical placements, or in-school learning arrangements, and mentoring opportunities for WW MBA Fellows.

Applications to the WW MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership are available by nomination only. To learn more about the WW MBA in Education Leadership, visit http://woodrow.org/fellowships/ww-ed-mba/indiana.  A full list of the 2018 WW Indiana MBA Fellows follows at the end of this release.

 

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.

The Indiana University Kelley School of Business
For nearly 100 years — first in Bloomington and later in Indianapolis, online and for top companies – Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business has prepared students to lead organizations, start companies, develop new products and services, and shape business knowledge and policy. Its programs are consistently ranked among the best in the nation, its faculty members are internationally recognized for their teaching and thought leadership, and businesses worldwide hire its highly qualified graduates. Kelley has an extensive track record of creating customized programs for Fortune 500 firms such as Microsoft, General Electric and General Motors, as well as for physicians enrolled in its Business of Medicine MBA Program. More information is available about Kelley at https://kelley.iu.edu/

###

The 2018-19 Class of Indiana MBA Fellows in Education Leadership:

Indiana State University

• Angie Abrams-Rains, Muncie Central High School/Muncie Community School
• Courtney Foreman, Healthy Elementary School (Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation)
• Megan Handel, Monroe County Community School Corporation
• Jeremy M. Kaylor, Phalen Leadership Academies
• Katrina Kelly, Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township
• Amanda Knipper, Wawasee Community School Corp.
• Kimberly C. Peirick, Munster High School
• Krista Polston, Warsaw Community Schools
• Elizabeth Stroven, Mary Feeser Elementary School
• Andrej Wright, Plaza Park International Prep Academy, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.

Indiana University

• Julie Copeland, Brownsburg Community School Corporation
• Deb Daugherty, Huntington County Community School Corp.
• Joe Doyle, Bloomington High School South
• Justin Earl, Jennings County Middle School
• Rhiannon Fry, Washington Community Schools/Griffith Elementary
• Alexis Harmon, Monroe County Community School Corporation
• Jessica Heckman, Brownsburg Community School Corporation
• Brandon Hubbell, Brownsburg Community Schools
• Beth Husband, Huntington County Community School Corporation
• Ben Jones, Arlington Heights Elementary/Monroe County Community School Corp.
• Brenda Meredith, Washington Community Schools
• Kristen Murphy, Washington Community School Corporation
• Lyn E. Ocken, Huntington County Community School Corporation
• Karen Pedigo, Jennings County Schools
• Tara Weisheit, Veale Elementary School

---