Alumni Event Spotlight
20th Anniversary of the EdD Urban Education Leadership Program
On September 12, over 200 attendees convened at the UIC Forum for “Equity-Centered Leaders, the Next 20 Years,” a celebration of the UIC College of Education’s EdD in Urban Education Leadership. The evening was a manifestation of the shared vision of program faculty from 20 years ago and a celebration of the program’s accomplishments, impact, and influence since that time. It was also a homecoming for many, reuniting past and present cohorts, colleagues, program partners, supporters, funders, and friends. This celebration event also highlighted a renewal of the UIC commitment to prepare leaders who transform schools into more equitable spaces for teaching and learning. While the program’s structure, leadership, and people have changed, the commitment to the program’s founding vision is unwavering.
Led by Master of Ceremonies, Dr. Lionel Allen Jr. (cohort 3 and EdD Program Co-Coordinator), the celebration marked the program’s remarkable growth over 20 years. The evening served as a reminder of what is possible with the right mix of people, purpose, and passion. A program that started with just 13 students has produced over 175 doctoral graduates. Currently, 265 UIC-trained administrators remain in educational leadership positions in the United States and globally in the school, district, higher education, and nonprofit sectors—138 of them currently in leadership positions in the Chicago Public Schools.
A panel of equity-focused thought leaders who represent preK-12 education, academia, and philanthropic sectors included three current and former urban school district CEOs—Dr. Janice Jackson (cohort 2 and past CEO of CPS), Pedro Martinez, current CEO of CPS; and Dr. Warren Morgan (cohort 8 and current CEO of Cleveland Public Schools). Also on the panel were Sara Slaughter, Executive Director of the W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation and Dr. Decoteau Irby, Associate Professor in the College of Education. The panel moderator, Peter Martinez, asked a series of questions where the panelists challenged attendees to recognize white supremacy as a central element of inequity that needs to be named and confronted in school policies and practices.
Dr. Muhammad Khalifa, Professor of Educational Administration and Executive Director of Urban and Rural Initiatives at the Ohio State University and pioneer in the research on culturally responsive school leadership delivered a powerful keynote presentation. Khalifa’s compelling personal narrative included an account of how white supremacist thinking infiltrates the educational practices of all of us, regardless of race or ethnicity, and how awareness of that fact is a professional challenge and responsibility. With such a message, our celebration provided a testament to the impact of the EdD Program and a reminder of the future work ahead.
