Doctorate in Education

Preventing Teacher Burnout: Causes, Symptoms, and Tips

Teachers affect a student’s achievement two to three times more than any other factor at school, according to a study from RAND. Research published in the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education suggests that professors, too, significantly influence student success and college dropout rates. While teachers and professors can transform students’ lives, they face formidable challenges. Long hours, solitary work, and lack of autonomy can place undue stress on them and compromise their potential to make a positive impact. Two-thirds of faculty participants in a study reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education said they felt “very” […]

Empowering Women in Higher Education Leadership

Though men still hold the majority of executive leadership positions in higher education, women represent more than half of administrators overall, according to a study from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Women in higher education leadership bring unique skills to bear on their approach to leading — skills honed by navigating the competing demands of their gender and their occupation. Women in Higher Education: Stats and Trends The number of women in higher education leadership is on the rise, but that is a relatively recent development. In the not-so-distant past, women couldn’t attend most colleges and universities […]

Maryville Online EdD: The Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education

Transcript Dr. Christopher Gearin: My name is Dr. Chris Gearin. I’m the Director of the Higher Education Leadership program at Maryville University and I’m also faculty in the program. It really has been a change to the landscape as far as everything is switching to online. So schools have been forced to move everything online. Some are more prepared than others. What people are seeing as online learning at some places is emergency remote learning, as opposed to online learning. But it really has had a tremendous impact on higher education. I think online has adapted over time to become […]

Provost vs. Dean: Differentiating Two Key Higher Education Roles

The United States higher education system is in a state of evolution. As the Pew Research Center reports, state and federal government funding has shifted, with state investments in colleges and universities declining and federal support growing. Additionally, there is the expanding role of technology in education: According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology, cutting-edge tools such as virtual reality will change how, when, and where students learn (for instance, by further promoting the growing trend toward distance learning). Finally, universities and colleges are facing greater calls to support diversity and inclusion across their student bodies. […]

Guiding Higher Education: The Job of a Department Chair vs. Dean

Colleges and universities thrive when guided by dedicated higher education professionals. In particular, department chairs and deans take on administrative challenges that determine the future success of their schools. Department chairs work as professors who also perform administrative duties. They set the department curriculum, interview potential new professors, manage faculty schedules, settle faculty and student disputes, and sometimes oversee research. In this role, the department chair liaisons between a department and the administration, reporting to the dean. Department Chair Salaries and Job Outlook The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not have a specific category for postsecondary department chairs. […]

Active vs. Reflective Leadership: Two Educational Styles

The authoritarian style of leadership no longer has the influence it once did in classrooms or businesses. This shift is particularly important in higher education, where faculty and staff have the potential to influence thousands of students. Why Leadership Styles Matter How leaders act plays a major role in the environments they create. Poor leaders can destroy morale and hold an entire business back from reaching its potential. Strong leadership can push a group of successful employees to new heights. In higher education, leadership styles at the top have a direct impact on students. Professors who feel motivated by their […]

Expanding Educational Horizons: Why Get a Doctorate in Education?

Working in a college or university is a dream job for many academics. There, they pass their knowledge along to their students, and in many instances, they can pair teaching with research. Once they’ve earned an advanced degree in a specific discipline and often several years of work experience, they may be able to gain an adjunct, full-time, or even tenure-track position. However, after several years of working as a full-time professor, they might realize they could do even more in a different position in higher education. Department head, admissions director, college administrator, and other roles in higher education all […]

EdD Faculty Perspective

Transcript Kimberly Allen: I actually am one of those individuals who went to college and never left. Walked onto my first college campus and fell in love with the college environment and felt like I stood on the 50 yard line of where learning happens. Susan Bartel: We had a very successful on campus program and so this gave us an opportunity to take what we perceived to be a very unique and quality program to those people who would not have access to it otherwise. Kimberly Allen: If and when you reach a point that you feel like you’re […]

4 Key Leadership Skills in Higher Education and How to Develop Them

Virtually every success—regardless of one’s occupation—can be achieved through leadership. How do people get ahead in their careers? Leadership. When tensions flare, how do cooler heads prevail? Again, through leadership, displaying the kinds of characteristics that have come to define this highly sought-after personality trait. Discipline In a publication titled Leadership Lessons, produced by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, former university administrator James Wagner noted there at least five characteristics that are instrumental to roles in higher education. Chief among them is discipline.Discipline is manifested through a strict code of conduct that’s usually needed to accomplish […]

Tips on Landing the Job in Higher Education Administration

The road to a career in higher education as a student fresh out of college is similar to what long-distance runners must do to complete a marathon: it takes dedication, perseverance, time and most important of all preparation. With a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University, you’ve reached the 25th mile marker. But to complete the trek and cross the finish line, one final push is necessary: landing the job. In order to join the approximately 175,100 people in the U.S. who count themselves as higher education administrators, the following are a few example questions you […]