Program Linkage: The doctoral faculty has determined that the focus of the program should be on producing graduates with leadership abilities viewed in terms of a four part model for understanding leadership in the workplace, which is also the framework for organizing instruction

A. Organizations: effective leaders understand that organizational effectiveness is the simultaneous product of the structural and process dimensions of the workplace, shaped by the people in it; this course deals with organizational structures, processes and outcomes to the extent that student dissertations necessarily focus on aspects of educational organizations and leadership.

B. Change & innovation: as organizations face new challenges or become too stable and complacent, change becomes necessary or inevitable and it is essential that leaders be able to understand and manage the change process, which is rarely a rational chain of events. EDFN 8773 does not deal topically with change per se. However, the skills necessary for conceptualizing and conducting a major study are directly applicable to formal planning of change efforts.

C. Leadership: leadership is seen as a combination of role identity, ability, skills, knowledge, disposition, values and assumptions about people, purposes and the work at hand. Students have opportunity in EDFN 8773 to practice leadership skills in carrying out seminar responsibilities.

D. Self: while effective leaders possess knowledge, skills, and technical expertise, and a preparation program can facilitate their development in students, they are insufficient until personalized and integrated through thoughtful reflection on one's own needs, values and assumptions in relation to the needs, values and assumptions of others in the workplace to whom the leader is responsible. The dissertation, including the proposal, is of course a highly personalized task that requires the student to reflect on personal needs, beliefs and priorities in relation to energy, commitment, ability and limitations. A panel of former students and students currently conducting their dissertations meet with the class to share their dissertation experiences and how the process has changed them personally.