IU is only one of five universities to be invited as a part of the Woodrow Wilson MBA Fellowship in Education Leadership program in the nation. Kelley Business School is the first top-ranked business school to be involved, according to the release.
IU will provide aspiring education leaders with a rigorous business-based academic program in their MBA degree design. A yearlong clinical experience and three years of working with School of Education faculty will also accompany the degree, according to the ?release.
“We’re very proud and excited to be part of the Woodrow Wilson MBA program,” Idalene Kesner, dean of IU’s Kelley School of Business and the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management, said. “This is a wonderful next step in sharing transferrable business strategies and working to improve education for Indiana’s future leaders.”
Students pursuring the degree will begin classes in Summer 2016. Fifteen chosen Indiana students will receive 100 percent tuition reimbursement from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation grant, according to the release.
Their education will occur over an 18-month period with courses at IU-Bloomington, and online courses for the Kelley School MBA for Educators will be provided from full-time faculty, according to the release.
“For our children to succeed, they need excellent teachers in their classrooms,” Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, said. “And for those teachers to succeed, they need exemplary educators leading their schools and districts. The Woodrow Wilson Foundation is honored to have IU as part of its MBA Fellowship network. Joining the other institutions, IU and Kelley will help set a new standard for principal and superintendent education across the ?nation.”
The program will be intensive and highly selective, blending an education-based business curriculum with clinical experience in innovative schools, corporations and nonprofit organizations, according to the release.
John Wisneski will direct the Kelley School MBA for Educators. He is a management faculty member and an alumnus of both the Kelley School and the IU School of Education, according to the release. Anne Ottenbreit-Leftwich will serve as the program’s associate director. She is an associate professor in the School of Education.
The 48-credit-hour Kelley School MBA for Educators program will complement the education leadership degrees the School of Education already offers, according to the release.
The Woodrow Wilson Foundation program also involves the University of Indianapolis and Indiana State University. The foundation offers its MBA fellowship in New Mexico and Wisconsin as well, according to the ?release.
“This is an additional opportunity for aspiring leaders in school systems to get the training they need to be successful,” Wisneski said. “Based on everyone’s life experiences, people have different skill gaps as they prepare to become leaders in school systems. For those who feel they lack skills in managing others or leading large-scale improvement initiatives, this should be the perfect opportunity.”
