Spalding University Chief Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Steven Kniffley, a faculty member in the School of Professional Psychology and the leader of Spalding’s Collective Care Center behavioral health specialty clinic for racial trauma, was recently honored by Louisville Business First as a 2021 Health Care Hero.
Kniffley is a scholar and frequent public speaker on matters of race and racial trauma and has given dozens of presentations, interviews and seminars on those topics.
Dr. Kniffley, who is a graduate of the Spalding PsyD that he now teaches in, was also recognized last year as a member of Louisville Business First’s Forty Under 40 list of outstanding young professionals in Louisville and received a MediStar Award from the Medical News for his work in treating and raising awareness for racial trauma.
He was appointed to the role of Chief Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer in December. A member of President Tori Murden McClure’s senior leadership cabinet – known as the Operational Council – Kniffley plays a broad role in promoting diversity and inclusion in programs across campus. He is also the President-Elect of the Kentucky Psychological Association.
A list of all 2021 Louisville Business First Health Care Heroes can be found here (subscription link), and the honorees will profiled in the April 9 issue of the publication.
Spalding University’s Festival of Contemporary Writing – the state’s largest fall-spring reading series – will take place in a virtual format Tuesday, Nov. 10 through Friday, Nov. 20, featuring readings by faculty of the low-residency programs of Spalding’s School of Creative and Professional Writing.
Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott will make a special appearance on Thursday, Nov. 19 to accept the Spalding Prize for the Promotion of Peace and Justice in Literature.
All readings will take place virtually and are free and open to the public, but you must register separately for each event in order to receive the link to attend. The complete schedule of the festival, which is held in conjunction with the School of Writing’s fall residency, is listed below, and each session has a unique registration link.
The Spalding Prize for the Promotion of Peace and Justice in Literature was established to honor exceptional literary works that exemplify Spalding University’s mission. The $7,500 prize will be awarded to Willmott for his body of work in November during his virtual visit to the School of Writing, home of the nationally distinguished low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program.
Willmott, who in 2019 shared the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman, is also Professor of Film and Media Studies at the University of Kansas and has spent his filmmaking career taking on the subject of racism in America. He is a frequent collaborator with Spike Lee, most recently on the critically acclaimed Vietnam film Da 5 Bloods. Willmott’s other films include the mockumentary CSA: The Confederate States of America (which he wrote and directed) and Chi-Raq, a retelling of Lysistrata in a violence-wracked neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side (which he co-wrote with Lee). The film critic Richard Brody called Willmott’s work “brilliantly imagined fictions.”
“Kevin Willmott is an extraordinary screenwriter and teacher,” said Kathleen Driskell, Chair of the School of Creative and Professional Writing. “BlacKkKlansman, which he wrote with Spike Lee and others, is the kind of work we aim to recognize with our Spalding Prize and bring to our students’ attention. BlacKkKlansman is courageous, unflinching, and beautifully written. Like his earlier work, it’s a relevant social commentary on our times.”
In 2019, the year Willmott won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay with co-writers Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, and Charlie Wachtel, the film was nominated for a total of six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The screenplay was adapted from Black Klansman, Ron Stallworth’s memoir detailing his work as the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department, during which he infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan of Colorado Springs. BlacKkKlansman premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. The American Film Institute named it one of the top films of 2018.
Willmott has visited the Spalding MFA program twice before, most recently to talk about Chi-Raq. Prior to Willmott’s visit, all School of Writing students and faculty will read and discuss the screenplay for BlacKkKlansman and will view that film as well as Da 5 Bloods, Destination Planet Negro!, and CSA: Confederate States of America.
Kevin Willmott, Academy Award-winning screenwriter. Credits include BlacKkKlansman, Da 5 Bloods, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America. Willmott will be awarded the Spalding Prize for the Promotion of Peace and Justice in Literature for his body of work.
As the country celebrates the leadership and influence of school principals during National Principals Month in October, graduate students in Spalding University’s new principal preparation partnership program with Jefferson County Public Schools said they are receiving valuable training on how to manage real issues facing principals in Louisville schools.
The inaugural 19-member cohort of Spalding’s JCPS Aspiring Leaders Principal Certification Program recently spread out in the Dunn Elementary School cafeteria for a socially distant, masked-up class titled Leading Teaching and Learning, taught by Dunn Principal Dr. Tracy Barber. Guest speakers explaining JCPS diversity and equity policy Zoomed in on a projector screen as the students – who are all JCPS teachers and employees, themselves – took notes and asked questions.
It was a session that typified the Aspiring Leaders experience – with an actual JCPS principal and actual JCPS administrators and staff leading dialogue and teaching curriculum designed specifically for future JCPS principals.
Aspiring Leaders student Mario Ransan, a social studies teacher at the Phoenix School of Discovery, said he became interested in the Spalding program upon hearing “who you’re learning from and the sheer amount of experience that they have.”
To that point, Ransan said, the very first meeting of one of his classes included an hour-long guest lecture from JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio.
“That was Day 1, and that was huge,” Ransan said. “Every other class has been just like that. We meet everybody that we’ll need to know for the district. Plus other principals and vice principals. It’s just invaluable. This is legit. To be able to sit down with real principals and ask real questions and get real answers has been huge.”
Ransan said he has enjoyed learning from Barber, who routinely shares real issues she’s dealt with and explains how she handled them.
“The reality is that schools must change fundamentally,” said Barber, who earned her Doctorate of Education (EdD) in Leadership from Spalding. “Before we can redesign schools, we must redesign the programs that prepare school leaders. Tapping potential leaders in JCPS with demonstrated knowledge of curriculum and instruction and then planning quality school leadership growth opportunities is what Spalding University has developed in the Aspiring Leaders program. This diverse group of future school leaders are engaged in the critical work of acquiring skills needed to build higher performing, equitable schools for our community.”
Graduates from the yearlong program will earn the degree of Master of Education in Instructional Leadership: Principal Preparation, and be positioned for a Level I Kentucky Principal Certification and, depending on the individual’s previous education, either a Rank I or Rank II Kentucky Teacher Certification.
The hybrid online/in-person program within Spalding’s College of Education is directed by Assistant Professor Dr. Glenn Baete, a retired JCPS assistant superintendent and former principal at Doss High School.
Ransan, who also earned his master’s in teaching from Spalding, said that Baete has been accessible via texts and calls whenever he’s needed him with questions about assignments. Another Aspiring Leaders student, Torri Martin, who teaches eighth-grade math at the J. Graham Brown School, said Baete is understanding and flexible about the demands the cohort members face as working professionals.
“They have made it very, very easy for a working adult to get a graduate-level degree,” she said.
Martin said the collaboration between Spalding and JCPS to design a program that is tailored to the needs of the local school system is “very, very special.”
Learning about “the reality of what it’s like day to day in the schools has been invaluable,” Martin said. “Hearing from Dr. Barber about what she would do in certain situations and her vast experience, I couldn’t get that anywhere else.”
The 30-credit hour Aspiring Leaders program is open to JCPS employees with a Kentucky teaching certificate and at least three years of teaching experience and a bachelor’s or master’s degree with a 2.75 GPA.
The Spalding master’s curriculum is unique in that it has been tailored directly for the JCPS system and will be presented through the lens of JCPS’ three institutional pillars – a Backpack of Success Skills, Racial Equity, and Climate and Culture.
Pollio and Spalding President Tori Murden McClure held a news conference in March to announce the Aspiring Leaders program, just before the pandemic.
The first cohort began meeting virtually in July and has held weekly in-person meetings this fall.
Watch a video from the March introductory news conference
Dear Spalding Community,
We are excited for the start of the 2020-21 academic year and cannot wait to see our students again soon. The fall semester will continue Spalding’s rich tradition of innovative teaching and learning across multiple formats. While we are, of course, looking forward to the safe restart of in-person instruction on our campus, we are also continuing to grow and enhance our online course offerings. We are mindful of the important work our students, faculty and staff have been doing since March, when we transitioned to remote learning in a matter of 10 days.
Following last spring’s unprecedented movement of courses, information and people – including transitioning faculty, staff, and students to work from home – we wanted to review the important direction that Spalding University was moving, regarding teaching and learning, prior to the pandemic. We also want to discuss how those activities connect to the directions we are heading as we prepare for classes in fall 2020.
Several important educational outcomes have been realized at Spalding since early 2018 in the delivery of academic programs, courses and services. Here are some of the important developments that have taken place:
• Since February 2018, an intentional transition has been taking place to provide a broader ecosystem of course modalities and options for traditional and nontraditional learners at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2018, a 14-person online taskforce of faculty and staff studied and recommended taking more programs online and providing more hybrid options as well. As a result, between Academic Year (AY) 2016-17 and AY 2019-20, undergraduate online and hybrid courses grew as a percentage of all courses from 16% to 24%, while master’s courses grew from 4% to 7%, and doctoral courses grew from 12% to 14%. Hence, online, hybrid, and remote learning options have been growing at Spalding and providing additional accessible platforms to complement face-to-face courses. More digital immersive options will be coming for Spalding students.
• In line with the vision of the 2018-19 Spalding online taskforce, the University has also linked its online courses and programs to an online program management organization, Symbiosis, that will build up to 20 new online courses for our faculty in AY 2020-21. The University will utilize funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief program (part of the CARES Act) in order to deliver new courses that will be connected to both hybrid and fully online programs. The Provost, Academic Deans and a number of faculty leaders are currently working with Symbiosis on identifying courses for development.
• All Spalding students have access to the internet, computers and technology aides, and Spalding’s staff in information technology and online learning have equipped our students with the tools they need to successfully complete their academic coursework. In August 2020, Chief Information Officer Ezra Krumhansl will unveil a new video conferencing platform for faculty and their students in classes: Office Suite HD Meeting. HD Meeting is a branded Zoom product that will allow both full-time and adjunct faculty access to video conferencing for both real-time instructional use in the classroom and one-on-one and group meetings with students. Additionally, HD Meeting has a classroom-style “breakout groups” feature that divides synchronous classes into breakout groups during the class session. CIO Krumhansl will announce HD Meeting training soon.
• The University has continued to invest in the latest tools and applications in regard to cutting- edge educational technology. This summer faculty and students got access to our new learning management system—Canvas. Not only is Canvas the higher education industry’s gold standard, but it provides a state-of-the-art mobile app for students that will allow them to access course content and communication quicker, easier and better.
• The University continues to invest in academic support services for undergraduate and graduate students with an excellent writing center and math lab and increased graduate assistant support for various faculty and staff units so both undergraduate and graduate students will be supported in their quest to become better students in their academic, personal, and leadership endeavors. Continuing to offer these services in a hyflex/hybrid online and in-person format in AY 2020-21 will be one of the goals of the student success area.
• Spalding continues to provide financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants and loans for both undergraduate and graduate students, and graduate assistantships provide $450,000 per year for approximately 75 graduate students. An increasing number of students will receive some form of financial aid in the coming year, making a high-quality Spalding degree affordable.
In March 2020, we were able to adapt not to a storm, but a climate shift in higher education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With our commitment to the best in face-to-face and remote learning, Spalding is making 21st century education accessible and attainable for our students. Each student is important at Spalding. Our commitment is to allow students to have a highly individualized experience that is cutting-edge and academically rigorous and yields the outcomes that will help each student not only find intellectual satisfaction but apply the Spalding mission of “meeting the needs of the times.”
We look forward to serving you in the coming academic year!
Sincerely,
Dr. John Burden, Provost Dr. Tomarra Adams, Dean of Undergraduate Education Dr. Kurt Jefferson, Dean of Graduate Education
With one of Kentucky’s premier certified hand therapists serving as a lead instructor, Spalding University’s Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy is offering a new graduate certificate and post-professional doctoral track in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation. Unique to this region, the programs will provide occupational therapists with advanced knowledge of the complex physiology and occupations of the hand and arm as well as training in how to evaluate and treat upper-limb injuries.
Spalding is now accepting applications for Fall 2020 for both the certificate and the post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) track. Assistant Professor Dr. Greg Pitts, a licensed OT and certified hand therapist who owns and operates Commonwealth Hand Therapy clinic in Lexington, will teach multiple courses.
The 15-credit-hour certificate program in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation consists of three five-hour courses presented in a hybrid format of online instruction and face-to-face skill development. Applicants must have a professional degree along with certification or licensing in occupational therapy or physical therapy.
The 30-hour post-professional OTD track, meanwhile, is designed for licensed occupational therapy practitioners who want to progress to the full doctoral degree. It involves five 13-week courses of online instruction blended once a trimester with in-person testing. It includes a three-hour course in upper-extremity wound care. A self-directed capstone is the final requirement.
“These Upper Extremity Rehabilitation programs are really going fit a need – and not only in the Louisville area,” said Dr. Rob McAlister, Chair of the Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy. “Because the classes are primarily online, we can also serve the rest of the country and even beyond the limits of our country if a person can come to Louisville once every three months for a weekend. Then that person can attain a credential that really makes them more marketable in their profession.”
Dr. Greg Pitts
In addition to teaching the scientific principles related to upper extremities and injuries, Spalding’s new programs will also place an emphasis on teaching management skills and business applications in an upper extremity rehab clinic.
“Our dream was to develop a program where a post-professional occupational therapist could come to Spalding and learn real-world applications for both basic and complex orthotics and develop skills that will help perpetuate their careers,” Pitts said. “Students will also develop an understanding of the value of mentorship and the value of science as they apply it to the treatment of patients. You can become a very valuable employee because you can learn to help manage therapists and help provide good functional outcomes. You can become a leader in upper extremity rehab.”
Pitts is well-established as a leader in the field. He is the past chair of the American Hand Therapy Foundation, and he is currently on the board of the Hand Therapy Certification Commission. For years, Pitts has served as Clinical Director for On-Site Rehabilitation for Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown, and he is a past recipient of Kentucky’s Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year Award.
“Dr. Pitts is so passionate and so knowledgeable,” McAlister said. “He is a nationally recognized authority on upper-extremity care, and he is one of the foremost practitioners in the country. He owns his own business, so from a practitioner’s standpoint and from a business standpoint, he knows what it takes to succeed, and he can communicate that knowledge really well to students. The faculty teaching in these programs are world-class.”
Spalding Dean of Graduate Education Dr. Kurt Jefferson said the Upper Extremity Rehabilitation certificate and post-professional OTD track “continue the important tradition of Spalding’s occupational therapy program expanding its footprint both academically and clinically in Louisville and beyond.”
He continued: “The opportunity for healthcare professionals to gain continual knowledge and expertise in this area will benefit practitioners in important intellectual and professional ways.”
Spalding’s Board of Trustees has bestowed the rank of Professor Emeritus and the title of Emeritus Professor of Psychology on Kenneth Linfield, PhD, a long-serving faculty member in the School of Professional Psychology.
Professor Emeritus Linfield has left a lasting mark on the University by displaying an intense love of learning and teaching, a powerful dedication to their students and a strong loyalty to Spalding that will be remembered and appreciated for years to come.
Dr. Kenneth Linfield
Following a career as a Methodist pastor, Dr. Linfield has served 21 years at Spalding. He is said to have always viewed his work as an extension of his ministry.
Dr. Linfield has spent the past 13 years as the Director of Graduate Training, taking on the major responsibilities of student advisement, admissions, tracking, and policy execution. He is an expert in quantitative methods, statistics, program evaluation and design and research ethics. His interests also include various elements of religious faith and spirituality, and the relation of religion and spirituality to a broad range of mental health issues, including positive elements such as well-being.
He is an associate editor of the American Psychological Association journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. He wrote a graduate textbook on Program Evaluation, and he has coauthored a wide range of articles and chapters.
Dr. Linfield is said to have “left an indelible mark of quality on all of his professional activities, both within the School of Professional Psychology and across the broader Spalding community. He has embodied the concept of compassion across all his professional endeavors.”
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In observance of it, Dr. Teah Moore, Director of Spalding University’s new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, offers her insights on mental wellness and the role that mental health practitioners can play to support it.
Why is mental health awareness important?
We often lack the knowledge of what mental health is and why it is important. Having an opportunity to emphasize its importance is a great time to educate people about how it plays a major role in our lives and the lives of our love ones.
Can it be common for people not to pay attention to their mental wellness and address the stress and anxieties they may be experiencing?
Certainly. Like other problems we don’t always know that there is a problem. We see this in athletes, such as tennis players. Many players are finding success after giving their mental wellness attention. We also can recall how champion swimmer Michael Phelps has shared that he knew how to succeed in the pool but only through paying attention to his mental wellness, gained essential skills to succeed in life.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a cause of anxiety and isolation for many. What advice or tips do you have for people to stay mentally well at this difficult time?
While it depends on what the anxiety is about, listening to your thoughts is a good start. Really listen to yourself and what you are saying. Thought stopping is a basic exercise for anxiety. When you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, Say Stop it. You would be surprised at how many negative thoughts go through our minds and add to our anxiety. Spend time filling yourself with positive news, entertainment, readings and people. This gives you positive things to think about. For isolation, consider connecting using the tools such as Zoom, Skype and FaceTime. Call people. Don’t worry about being a bother. Go through your contacts and reconnect with people you haven’t spoken to in a while. Plan your day. Plan fun. Find laughter and humor. Learn to live in your whole house. I read where people often use only part of their home. The key word is Live.
What are some ways a mental health professional like a counselor can help an average person, especially someone who has never seen a professional counselor or therapist before and isn’t sure what to expect?
Professional counselors can help normalize what people are experiencing. Feelings and emotions are normal. It’s normal to feel some anxiety. It’s normal to experience loneliness. It’s normal to worry. The professional counselor can explain how we help people get unstuck when emotions, anxiety and worry get overwhelming or when we seem to be in a loop. A professional counselor can help people not only survive but thrive during this pandemic. They can help us answer, “Who or what do you want to be on the other side of this?”
Compassion. We have become such a punitive society and one filled with opinions about the lives of others. I know that Spalding graduates will take caring to a new level. They will ask themselves, “How am I responding or going to respond?” Respond with compassion and not fear, hate or hurt. Increasing access to mental health comes by identifying those that need care and encouraging them to receive care. The stigma and past treatments can be roadblocks. Our graduates will deliver mental health services that see people as people and not as a problem.
Spalding students wanting to connect to a mental health professional are encouraged to contact Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) Director Dr. Allison From-Tapp at at [email protected] or (502) 873-4458. Members of the public can contact Spalding’s Center for Behavioral Health (CBH) at [email protected] or (502) 792-7011 to inquire about telehealth services.
During a time of widespread anxiety and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, Spalding University is set to launch a graduate academic program to develop professional counselors. This program, in keeping with the mission of Spalding, will train compassionate mental health professionals.
Spalding is now accepting applications for its new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program that will begin classes this fall and is pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which is Spalding’s regional accrediting body.
The two-year, 60-credit-hour MACMHC program will prepare students to become future practitioners as licensed professional counselors upon meeting the state’s postgraduate licensing requirements.
Mental health counseling is a growing field, with the number of jobs in it and other closely related occupations expected to grow 22 percent from 2018 to 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. For years, there has been a local and national shortage of mental health practitioners to help combat the opioid crisis, rises in suicide and other psychological distress. The demand has increased as the stigma of receiving mental health services has lessened and more people seek them out.
“The mission of Spalding is to meet the needs of the times by training compassionate professionals who can make a difference in the world,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “The need for access to mental health services has always existed, and it’s been magnified by the current situation – where everyone is facing the stress and emotional challenges of a pandemic. We are proud to launch a new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program that will train future practitioners who can provide help and meet this important need.”
The new master’s program is open to students with a bachelor’s degree in any major and a 2.75 GPA from a regionally accredited institution. The deadline to apply for the Fall 2020 cohort is June 1. Spalding alumni can receive a 10 percent discount on tuition. Visit spalding.edu/master-of-arts-in-clinical-mental-health-counseling for more information about the program and its curriculum and faculty.
“We will train students to become competent counselors and encourage them to find creative ways and settings to deliver services, based on their strengths and backgrounds,” Program Director Dr. Teah Moore said. “We expect that our students will go off to work in hospitals, social service agencies, children’s homes and residential facilities for people battling addiction. Others could go into music therapy, adventure-based counseling or pastoral counseling. The opportunities the graduates of this program will have will be abundant and will help meet a growing demand.”
April 14, 2020
Dear Spalding Graduate Students,
Thank you for your flexibility and cooperation as we navigate the move to online-only courses during the coronavirus pandemic. We hope you are adjusting well to the transition to online classes, and, I applaud you for your dedication to your academic career. Most importantly, I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe during this time.
These uncertain times have generated several common questions from grad students about university policies and academic processes that relate to them. For your reference, I have compiled answers and information about a range of topics into a Frequently Asked Questions format. Please review them, and never hesitate to contact me at [email protected], a member of your faculty or your advisor.
PERSONAL TRAVEL
What about traveling personally or home to continue my graduate studies during the COVID-19 advisory period?
Graduate students considering leaving Louisville are encouraged to review with their program directors and faculty that they can meet their Spalding obligations remotely and, if so, notify their program directors that they plan to continue their coursework remotely. Please check the university guidance on travel and COVID-19 as updates to the university COVID-19 webpage are made on an ongoing basis. Graduate students considering international travel, for instance, to return home, should be aware that you may face quarantine and/or flight cancellations. Also, you may be unable to return to campus for an extended period of time after traveling abroad. You may face visa issues and may not be able to travel to some domestic American destinations as well due to the trajectory of the coronavirus virus itself. If you are unable to return to campus, you may be asked to take a leave, depending on the requirements of your program. All students are encouraged to talk with program directors and faculty and think through the various ramifications of travel at this time in the COVID- 19 advisory period.
RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE/INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD PROPOSALS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS DOING RESEARCH
Can I still submit my research projects to the Research Ethics Committee for review and approval during the COVID-19 advisory period where our coursework and research is now conducted online?
Yes. The Research Ethics Committee (also called the Institutional Review Board) continues to operate and accept proposals for research projects that relate to human and animal subject matter and all advanced graduate-level projects must go through the committee for approval or denial. Dr. Cindee Quake-Rapp is the chair of the committee and the committee’s graduate assistant is Nicole Hagan. Please contact Nicole at [email protected] and for more information on the process, please click on this link: https://my.spalding.edu/depts/rec/default.aspx
DOCTORAL DISSERTATION DEFENSES
Can my defense be moved to a virtual format?
Yes. During the current COVID-19 advisory period in which academic coursework and research are being conducted virtually via GoToMeeting and other forms of technology, all dissertation defenses will be held virtually over GoToMeeting (the university’s virtual meeting platform). After the University returns to pre-COVID-19 temporary guidelines, dissertation defenses will most likely be moved back to the in-person, face-to-face (non-virtual) format. However, until further notice, these virtual defense guidelines will be put in place.
Can my friends and family attend my defense?
Yes, but only via the teleconference virtual link. Spalding is using GoToMeeting as its virtual meeting platform. You and your dissertation chair will provide the link to your committee members and to others who might want to attend. At this time, the University does not plan on offering any face-to-face and on-campus dissertation defenses until the COVID-19 advisory period ends.
Can I postpone my defense?
It is recommended you review this request with your dissertation chair and program director. Although academic deadlines remain in place, individual students may be able to work with their programs to alter or modify their defense dates.
Can I confirm the completion of my doctoral dissertation and submit my dissertation signature pages electronically?
Yes. In addition to electronic dissertation submission process, all doctoral candidates can submit electronically their 1) dissertation title, 2) name of dissertation chair, 3) date the defense is officially considered completed (after all additions and corrections are complete, which may mean the official completion date is after the actual dissertation if a committee requires further changes to the graduate student’s actual doctoral dissertation), and 4) a dissertation signature page to the Registrar and their graduate program directors. The Registrar will accept scanned signatures as well as electronic signatures. Please send those to the Registrar’s Office at [email protected] and copy your graduate program director. Please contact the Registrar or Dean of Graduate Education ([email protected]) if you have any questions about the dissertation submission policy, which has not changed from the pre-COVID-19 advisory period policy.
Sincerely,
Kurt W. Jefferson, PhD Dean of Graduate Education Professor, Doctoral Program in Leadership
The Spalding University College of Education and Jefferson County Public Schools have announced a partnership on a new graduate academic program at Spalding that is designed specifically to prepare JCPS employees to become principals, helping bolster the principal pipeline in the school district.
The yearlong Aspiring Leaders Principal Certification Program will launch this summer with its first cohort of JCPS employees pursuing Spalding’s Master of Education in Instructional Leadership: Principal Preparation.
The 30-credit-hour program is unique in that master’s curriculum has been tailored directly for the JCPS system and will be presented through the lens of JCPS’ three institutional pillars – a Backpack of Success Skills, Racial Equity, and Climate and Culture. Current and former JCPS principals and administrators will serve as Spalding’s instructors in the program. The partnership was formally approved by the Jefferson County Board of Education.
“We are building a pipeline for the next generation of school leaders,” JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said. “We appreciate Spalding partnering with us to develop a degree program aimed at giving teachers the unique, practical knowledge and skills they need to become a top-flight principal at a JCPS school.”
WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE (STORY CONTINUES AFTER VIDEO)
The Aspiring Leaders program is open to JCPS employees with a Kentucky Teacher Certificate, at least three years of teaching experience and a bachelor’s or master’s degree with a 2.75 grade-point average. In addition to earning the master’s of education, completion of the program will lead to a Level I Kentucky Principal Certification and, depending on the individual’s previous education, either a Rank I or Rank II Kentucky Teacher Certification.
The Spalding program will be offered to JCPS employees at a tuition rate of $395 per credit hour, substantially lower than most other academic programs at the university. Spalding will work with JCPS on reviewing the applicant pool to select a cohort of the most promising aspiring principals.
The cohort model is designed to promote a learning environment in which diverse colleagues inspire and support each other while developing lasting professional relationships.
“As an urban education institution, Spalding is strongly committed to supporting Louisville’s diverse public school system,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “Through the Aspiring Leaders program, we are taking the next step in our support of JCPS by aligning our principal-preparation courses to be in lockstep with the values of the school district. We understand the unique strengths and unique challenges of Jefferson County schools, and we want to work with the district in ensuring that every school has a high-quality leader.”
Spalding Assistant Professor Dr. Glenn Baete, who retired last year as a JCPS assistant superintendent after previously serving as principal of Doss High School, will serve as program director for Aspiring Leaders.
Other instructors in the program include Dunn Elementary School Principal Dr. Tracy Barber and retired JCPS Assistant Superintendent Kirk Lattimore, who was a longtime principal at Crosby Middle School and recently served as acting principal at Manual High School. Many other JCPS leaders will come to Spalding to construct course experiences and give guest lectures on topics such as human resources, budgeting and curriculum instruction.
“You have individuals (teaching in the program) who have very strong backgrounds in a large, urban school district,” Baete said. “They are uniquely qualified from their personal experience to help these aspiring leaders develop the skills and understanding they need to succeed in JCPS schools. We will ensure that the classroom activities, the clinical experiences really align to the three pillars of JCPS. You’ll be experiencing JCPS first-hand in this program, and you’re going to see the people in Jefferson County who on a day-to-day basis help principals do their work.”
The Aspiring Leaders program consists of face-to-face, online and hybrid classes. (SEE A DETAILED PROGRAM CALENDAR HERE.) After meeting four times in July, students will attend one Wednesday evening class per week from August to April, one or two Saturday sessions per month from November to April, and four other weekday sessions during the 2020-21 academic year. (JCPS will provide substitute teachers to cover participants on the latter four days.)
Applications are being accepted through March 27 through the JCPS employee online hub or through this Spalding University/JCPS Aspiring Leaders Application. An informational session will take place 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12 in the Stewart Auditorium of JCPS’ Van Hoose Education Center. For more information, contact Dr. Baete at [email protected] .
College of Education Chair Dr. Chris Walsh said the Aspiring Leaders program is an example of Spalding answering a call from the state’s Education Professional Standards Board that requires colleges of education to partner more closely with their local school districts “to create programs and experiences that meet the needs of the times.”
“Our Aspiring Leaders’ partnership with JCPS is more than a graduate program for school leaders; it’s a rich opportunity for growth and personal transformation,” Spalding Dean of Graduate Education Dr. Kurt Jefferson said. “I’m thrilled that Spalding will be at the heart of these leaders’ intellectual and professional development in this exciting new master’s degree program.”
