The School of Education hosted its Summer Institute on June 15 and 16 for candidates in the Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Educational Administration program on the Minneapolis Campus. Supported by the $1.7 million grant received from the Kern Family Foundation, the Summer Institute featured nationally recognized speakers and formation activities aimed to equip participants to become leaders of character and lead schools of character. This is the third Summer Institute, and over 70 educators attended.
Saint Mary’s was happy to welcome back Elizabeth (Liz) Huntley, Esq. as the keynote speaker for the Summer Institute. Huntley is the president and co-founder of the Hope Institute, an organization in Alabama that helps schools build a culture of character for their students. Huntley is also an accomplished litigation attorney, dedicated child advocate, author, and lecturer. She regularly speaks to groups throughout the U.S., often on the importance of character and education. Huntley first spoke at Saint Mary’s as the Convocation speaker in 2018.
Marcia Nelson, Ed.D., director of the Ed.S. program, introduced candidates to the revised curriculum that will be introduced this fall. “Our new Wise Leadership curriculum is a virtue-based approach to professional ethics for educational leaders,” Nelson said. “Wise leadership is more necessary for school leaders than ever before.”
Dr. Lance Forman and Dr. Robin Cayce of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, presented “Finding a Path in the Gray Areas of Leadership.” This interactive presentation used videos of realistic ethical dilemmas to help prepare candidates to navigate ethical dilemmas in education by applying Saint Mary’s Wise Leadership framework.
The Summer Institute concluded with a panel discussion with distinguished educational administrators throughout the state including Bret Domstrand, principal of Lake Marion Elementary, Erin Jensen, director of special education in the Elk River School District, Karin Lopez,
principal of Woodbury Middle School, Bruce Miller, principal of Eastview High school, and Dr. Mary Wolverton, associate superintendent in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. The focus of the discussion was how educational leaders can foster flourishing school communities.
St. Mary’s Education Specialist (Ed.S.) program continues to be one of the largest in the state. It prepares students to become educational leaders as licensed K-12 principals, directors of special education, and superintendents. Graduates of the Ed.S. program not only serve as moral leaders in their schools but often in their communities as well. “We desire our graduates to be competent professionals as well as individuals who practice moral virtues such as honesty and justice; civic virtues such as civility and service; and intellectual virtues such as open-mindedness and patience,” said Michael Hahn, Ph.D., assistant dean of the school of education.