Miami University

EDL emeriti

5/7/08

Al Kettlewell `50 has not forgotten the sacrifices he made pursuing his doctorate in education.

“All of us who went through the program can remember how financially stressed we were,” said Kettlewell, a former assistant dean and professor in the Department of Educational Leadership (EDL). “We had to give up our full-time jobs and come back to campus for a year, and a lot of us had families to support.”

Kettlewell and fellow professors emeriti are stepping forward to support the next generation of leaders in education. Kettlewell, along with former EDL faculty members James Burchyett, Jim Showkeir, and Charles Teckman `51, have each endowed fellowships to provide financial assistance to doctoral students. Their efforts join with the late Hugh Morrison and John Shreve, former faculty members who established the program’s original two fellowships.

“Nearly two-thirds of our doctoral students have left full-time jobs as school administrators and teachers, and they come here on teaching assistantships that pay $15,000 a year. These are adults who have families and mortgages, and they need support,” said Kate Rousmaniere, EDL chair.

Each fellowship, which will provide funds in perpetuity, supports one doctoral student each year. The fellowships are set up according to the donor’s preference and can support tuition, living expenses, travel to conferences, or dissertation research costs.

Kettlewell, Burchyett, Showkeir, and Teckman have taken their support a step further by working with Miami to create and promote the Educational Leadership Fellows Program. The objective is to reconnect with EDL alumni/retirees and inspire them to make contributions of their own.

Cheryl Gabe, who earned her Ph.D in 1988, Beth Muskopf, who earned her Ph.D. in 1998, and Phil Price, who earned his Ph.D. in 1978, are the first EDL alumni to commit to the program.

Kettlewell cannot think of a better investment in the future.

“This program prepares principals, superintendents, and curriculum directors to serve at public schools,” Kettlewell said. “It’s stressful, difficult work, and not a lot of people are willing to accept that challenge. We need to do anything we can to help make it easier for them. There has never been a greater need for educational leadership than there is today.”

For more information on the Educational Leadership Fellows program, contact Beth Sims of the Miami University Office of Development at 513-529-1343 or simsme@muohio.edu.