Higher, Postsecondary and Continuing Education

The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis offers degrees with a focus on Postsecondary Education Leadership at the Master's and Doctoral levels. Recent graduates of the program are faculty members at research universities, researchers in research centers and consulting firms, University administrators, and a University President. The Department's focus is to develop a knowledge base that includes an understanding of the institutional context of postsecondary education, academic leadership, culture and governance, and student services administration. Program faculty have expertise in a variety of institutional types and educational contexts, including research universities, historically black colleges and universities, community colleges, vocational technical colleges, adult learning in non-traditional settings (see notes on bottom of page), and the view that education should be approached as a K-16 system. Students receive a strong foundation in research methods (both qualitative and quantitative), and an understanding of the institutional dynamics and policy context of post-secondary education.

Higher, Postsecondary and Continuing Education Faculty

Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis faculty members with a higher, postsecondary, continuing or vocational education emphasis include:

Elton Crim, whose focus is the teaching, advising, and directing of HPCE graduate students. Dr. Crim also manages the electronic portfolio management system.

Clif Conrad, who conducts research on college and university curriculum - at the undergraduate and graduate levels, in the professions as well as the liberal arts and sciences. An expert on qualitative research methods as well, he has been an expert witness and consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice in major civil rights cases involving race and gender in higher education for more than two decades.

Jerlando Jackson, who conducts research on academic deans, and on student services, particularly as they relate to African American students. His work examines unique contributions that deans (including deans of color) provide to the learning environment in research universities.

Allen Phelps, whose research and teaching include an emphasis on leadership in the vocational technical college system. Dr. Phelps is the Director of the Center on Education and Work.

Alan Knox, who conducts research on adult learning, and has recently published a book on evaluation of adult learning programs.

Wendy L. Way , who has a joint appointment in the UW School of Human Ecology and conducts research in continuing and vocational education.

Affiliated Faculty

Faculty in other departments affiliated with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis include:

Mark Albanese -- Population Health Sciences

Lori Bakken -- Medical School

Craig Gjerde -- Department of Family Medicine

Don Hanna -- UW Extension

George Mejicano -- Medical School

Curtis Olson -- Medical School

Brad Rossing -- School of Human Ecology

Research Centers

Department faculty and faculty affiliates include directors and senior scholars of several policy research centers on campus. Many doctoral students in policy are employed at one or more of these centers during their stay at the University:

The Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education: The Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education (WISCAPE) is a relatively new center on campus designed to engage key stakeholders – researchers, faculty members, university staff, senior administrators, and community and government leaders – in an ongoing dialogue about postsecondary education. This exchange enhances the understanding of postsecondary education and its role in improving our society and our lives. WISCAPE engages key audiences through three broadly defined themes: financing postsecondary education, managing and leading the entrepreneurial university, and expanding the boundaries of postsecondary education. Students participate in WISCAPE through attendance and participation in conferences and forums, and by participating in a research circle, which brings together doctoral students around campus with research interest in postsecondary education issues. WISCAPE researchers from the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis include Jerlando Jackson and Jennifer Delaney.

The Wisconsin Center for Education Research: The Wisconsin Center for Education Research is one of the oldest, largest, and most productive education research centers in the world. A part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education, WCER provides a productive environment where some of the country's leading scholars conduct basic and applied education research. Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis faculty with research conducted through WCER currently include Geoffrey Borman, Colleen Capper, Rich Halverson, Carolyn Kelley, and Allan Odden. Examples of research conducted by other faculty with an interest in educational policy issues include research on math and science education reform at the K-12 and post-secondary education levels, research on assessment and standards-based reform, and research on child care policy.

Examples of Recent Dissertations:

Dianne Gardner-Gletty. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment and Faculty Work in Higher Education: A Comparative Study of Assessment Implementation in a Research Extensive Setting. Current Position: Assistant Professor, Illinois State University.

Connie Schroeder. Faculty Change Agents: Individual and Organizational Factors that Enable or Impede Faculty Involvement in Organizational Change. Current Position: Program Specialist, Center for Instruction and Professional Development, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

David Weerts. Understanding Differences in State Support for Higher Education: A Comparative Study of State Appropriations for Research Universities. Awarded ASHE Dissertation of the Year. Current Position: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education.

For more information on how to apply, contact Graduate Student Coordinator Shari Smith directly at ssmith@education.wisc.edu and see the Admissions section.

Note:

CAVE, Continuing And Vocational Education, is no longer a standing degree program at the University of Wisconsin. This area of study is currently housed within the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. Please contact the faculty members listed above who specialize in higher, postsecondary and continuing education.

File last updated: November 5, 2008 10:39 AM
Feedback, questions or accessibility issues, please contact the webmaster.
© Copyright 2009 The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, UW-Madison. All rights reserved.