Concordia-Chicago and MEMSPA Enter Doctoral Program Partnership

Submitted by Concordia University Chicago. Photo: Dr. Alan Meyer (left), Concordia-Chicago executive vice president of planning and research, and Paul Liabenow (right), MEMSPA executive director,

Concordia University Chicago and the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association (MEMSPA) have entered into a partnership to enroll Michigan school leaders in Concordia-Chicago’s Ph.D./Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. The first cohort of students is expected to begin their degree program in the fall of 2015.

The program will be an option for nearly 2,000 principals and other K-12 school leaders in Michigan. Doctoral degree candidates will take part in a blended learning experience, with approximately half of the courses offered online and half on-site in Michigan. Instructors will include faculty from Concordia University Chicago and adjunct instructors from Michigan.

MEMSPA is an organization committed to creating school principals who are highly skilled, confident, engaged and solution-oriented. They provide a network and a voice for principals throughout the state of Michigan.

“This partnership establishes a pathway for talented school leaders to earn their doctoral degree from Concordia-Chicago’s highly regarded education programs,” said Paul Liabenow, executive director of MEMSPA. “We look forward to the number of top-quality principals that will graduate from this program and serve Michigan schools for years to come.”

“We are excited to work with the committed and capable education professionals who will come to Concordia-Chicago through MEMSPA,” said Dr. Tom Jandris, senior vice president for educational innovation and dean of the College of Graduate and Innovative Programs at CUC. “Good leadership is in demand in all types of organizations, and our doctoral programs prepare candidates to be principals and administrators that guide their schools to success.”

Originally founded as the Addison Teachers’ Seminary, Concordia University Chicago has a national reputation of educating exceptionally qualified teachers for more than 150 years. The University’s Department of Leadership is at the forefront in providing educators with quality, relevant and current graduate education.