June, 2015
Agenda Items I.1.a.(1) and I.1.a.(2)
REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION TO IMPLEMENT
A DOCTORATE OF EDUCATION DEGREE
IN STUDENT AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP
AT UW-LA CROSSE
PREAPARED BY UW-LA CROSSE
ABSTRACT
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse proposes to establish a Doctorate of Education
(Ed. D.) in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership. The program will be delivered
online to enhance access to working professionals. It will be a collaborative program that shares
courses with UW-Green Bay, UW-Oshkosh, and UW-Stevens Point. The collaborative nature of
the program, as well as the online delivery format provides students with enhanced access to this
degree while also allowing them to remain professionally employed while completing the
degree. The development of this program responds to strong student and alumni demand for a
terminal degree in student affairs that will enhance career advancement.
PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION
Institution Name
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Title of Proposed Program
Student Affairs Administration and Leadership
Degree/Major Designations
Ed. D.
Mode of Delivery
Collaborative/Distance Education (online)
Projected Enrollments by Year Five
Table 1 below represents enrollment and graduation projections for students entering the Ed. D.
in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership program over the next five years. By the end
of year five, it is expected that 36 students will be enrolled in the program and 36 students will
have graduated from the program.
Table 1: Projected Enrollment
Continuing
students
Graduating
students
Total
Enrollment
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
12
24
24
24
24
0
0
12
12
12
12
24
36
36
36
Tuition Structure
For students enrolled in the Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership
program, a per credit tuition rate of $700 will apply. All four collaborative Ed. D. partners have
agreed on the same per credit tuition for the shared foundational courses. Shared electives will be
priced by each campus.
Department or Functional Equivalent
Department of Student Affairs Administration
College, School, or Functional Equivalent
College of Liberal Studies
Proposed Date of Implementation
Fall, 2016
INTRODUCTION
Rationale and Relation to Mission
The Student Affairs Administration Department in the College of Liberal Studies is the
only department at UW-La Crosse that solely offers graduate education. We do not offer any
programs at the undergraduate level. The department houses the master’s degree program in
Student Affairs Administration, one of the largest graduate programs at UW-La Crosse, with a
student population of over 90 students. Graduates of the master’s degree program enjoy
extremely high placement rates (90-100% consistently for the last 5 years) following graduation
from the program. The master’s degree is offered both on-campus and online.
UW-La Crosse has offered the Master of Science in Education – Student Affairs
Administration degree for 45 years. In 2006, we expanded access to the degree by developing an
online option for students who were already employed in higher education. This allowed
working adults the opportunity to earn the master’s degree without relocating to La Crosse.
Now, we are seeking approval to further extend that access to working adults who need a
terminal degree to advance in their higher education careers.
The demand for student affairs professionals with terminal degrees is growing for student
affairs positions at the Director level and above. Many of our graduates have inquired about the
possibility of the department offering a terminal degree in the field. Our department is uniquely
positioned to meet this demand with an online applied Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration
and Leadership because of our expertise in online teaching and learning and because of our
success with the online master’s degree.
The proposed applied doctorate degree in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership
aligns with the UW-La Crosse institutional mission in three important ways: it contributes to
supporting student success, it is grounded in the liberal arts, and it fosters curiosity and life-long
learning through collaboration and innovation. Students admitted to the Ed. D. program will be
student affairs professionals already working in higher education in student affairs areas charged
with supporting student success. The program requires students to apply theory to practice in
their current profession and provides the leadership skills necessary to advance to more
responsible positions in student affairs. Grounded in the liberal arts (education, history,
psychology, sociology, and communication), the program models collaboration and innovation
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among higher education professionals and their institutions. The program itself would be part of
a four-campus Ed. D. collaborative that works together to offer both required and elective
courses to graduate students at each of the four partner campuses.
The proposed program at UW-La Crosse supports major themes in the university’s
Strategic Plan. The UW-La Crosse Strategic Plan calls for academic programs that “. . . foster
and produce: critical thinkers, lifelong learners, skilled and collaborative practitioners and global
citizens who use knowledge and technology with wisdom and ethics”. The Ed. D. was
purposefully designed as an applied doctorate with a focus on developing skilled and
collaborative practitioners who are familiar and comfortable with administrative, teaching, and
learning technologies being used in higher education today. The UW-L Strategic Plan also
focuses on developing new graduate programs and on raising the visibility of graduate studies at
UW-La Crosse. This degree would do both.
Need as Suggested by Current Student Demand
In December 2012, UW-La Crosse hired a market research firm (Hanover Research) to
assess the student and labor market demand for an online Ed. D. degree in Student Affairs
Administration and Leadership. Hanover Research conducted a survey of prospective students.
Results of the survey were extremely supportive of the development of an online Ed. D. in
Student Affairs Administration and Leadership. Fifty-six percent of respondents indicated such
a degree would be extremely or very valuable in furthering their career aspirations and of those,
60% indicated they would apply within the next two to five years if the program is offered by
UW-La Crosse. The most common reasons given by prospective students for their interest in the
online Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership from UW-La Crosse was career
advancement and promotional potential, anticipated program cost, and reputation of the Student
Affairs Administration Department at UW-La Crosse.
UW-La Crosse is uniquely positioned to offer an online Ed. D. in Student Affairs
Administration and Leadership because of the expertise that is currently available in the
Department of Student Affairs Administration in the College of Liberal Studies. Many of the
alumni of the department’s master’s degree program are located in Wisconsin and throughout the
country. They, and other potential applicants, are mid-career individuals who would benefit
greatly by earning a doctorate degree in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership. The
department currently has an online master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration which has
been extremely successful. The proposed Ed. D. would build on that success.
Need as Suggested by Market Demand
According to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA),
institutions of higher education are increasingly requiring doctoral degrees for director and senior
student affairs level positions. A scan of recent student affairs job listings (Higher Education
Recruitment Consortium, NASPA, American College Personnel Association, and Chronicle of
Higher Education) revealed that more than 20% of the student affairs-related job listings require
or prefer candidates with the doctorate degree. Given the challenges facing higher education and
the call for greater accountability, it is not surprising that the demand for highly skilled
administrators with terminal degrees in student affairs remains strong.
Hanover Research, a market research firm, also assessed the labor market demand for an
online Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership. This research confirmed a
growing demand for doctorate level prepared administrators in student affairs. It also revealed a
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lack of online Ed. D. programs in student affairs nationwide. In fact, the report from Hanover
Research revealed there were only seven full doctoral programs in student affairs administration
nationally and none of them were offered in a fully online format. In addition, none of them were
offered by institutions located in Wisconsin.
Emerging Knowledge and Advancing New Directions
While the need for people to assist college students has been in existence for over 375
years, the profession and discipline of student affairs is relatively new, having emerged during
the 1960’s in response to unprecedented growth in higher education. The diversification of the
college student population, and the emergence at that time of major national issues that impacted
college students like the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, all contributed to the
growth of student personnel professionals. The profession began to establish national
professional associations and a body of research to inform the profession. In the past, most
student affairs administrative positions did not require doctorate degrees and most administrators
came either from the faculty or from people working in direct student services areas. Today,
however, there is emerging increased demand for student affairs administrators at the Director
level and above who hold a doctorate degree in student affairs or related disciplines. The
proposed Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership seeks to address this new
direction in the student affairs profession.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
General Structure
Institutional Program Array
The proposed program enhances graduate education at UW-La Crosse. Development of
the Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership will not have a negative impact on
any of the existing programs at UW-La Crosse because the degree will follow the model
established by the existing Master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration, which includes the
self-supported online Master’s degree program in the department. The new Ed. D. would
provide increased visibility for graduate programs at UW-La Crosse, both locally and nationally,
since this program would be the only Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership
offered fully online in the nation.
Other Programs in the University of Wisconsin System
A scan of the UW System program array reveals that although the UW System has
doctorate degrees in higher education administration and in educational leadership (primarily
focused on K-12 education), it does not offer a doctorate degree that focuses exclusively on the
administration of student services in higher education within the existing program array. UW-La
Crosse is the only public institution in the state of Wisconsin that offers a degree in Student
Affairs and would be the only public institution in the state to offer the Ed. D. in Student Affairs
Administration and Leadership in Higher Education. The Ed. D. in Student Affairs
Administration and Leadership would clearly fill a void in the UW System program array.
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Collaborative Nature of the Program
UW-La Crosse will be partnering with UW-Green Bay, UW-Oshkosh, and UW-Stevens
Point in two important ways on this degree. First, the four campuses will be sharing two core
courses that will be required for each institution’s Ed. D. These courses are being developed
collaboratively and will be taught and assessed collaboratively. Enrollment in the courses will
consist of students from any of the four partner campuses, thus saving both human and financial
resources. Both courses will be delivered in an online format to ensure access.
A second major part of the collaborative nature of the proposed Ed. D. is the concept of
shared elective courses. Each partner institution has agreed to contribute 2-4 courses (6-12
credits) for other partners to use as shared electives on the degree. These shared electives will be
intentionally designed for use on the Ed. D. by a partner institution. The intention of the shared
electives is to extend the expertise of one campus to students at another campus. In addition, this
sharing of courses and students also allows for multiple disciplinary perspectives to be heard and
explored by students in these shared courses, since the students will all be from different
campuses and different Ed. D. programs. This sharing of elective courses saves resources
because each campus will not need to develop and teach these electives.
Some of the shared courses will be packaged into specialty emphases that can be noted
on the student’s transcript. For example, the Student Affairs Administration Department at UWLa Crosse may offer a 9 credit emphasis in Student Affairs for use by students in the First
Nations Education program at UW-Green Bay, if those students are interested in working in
Tribal Colleges. In that case, the student’s transcript would reflect completion of the Ed. D. in
First Nations with an emphasis in Student Affairs. This opportunity would not be available to
Green Bay students without the collaboration of the Ed. D. partners.
Shared courses taken by students will be approved and articulated by each campus to
make the transfer of these credits seamless. Students will be able to choose from a pool of shared
courses, which will help them to shape the curriculum in ways that closely address their
professional goals. Students will work closely with their Ed. D. advisors to identify appropriate
shared courses. Shared courses will be priced by each campus and each campus may identify as
many shared courses as they like but must contribute at least two (six credits). This sharing of
faculty expertise may also saves resources by enrolling more students in existing courses on each
campus.
Diversity
The collaborative Ed. D. program advances inclusive excellence in a number of ways.
Using the four pillars of inclusive excellence, our curriculum and faculty represent:
1. Diversity – we achieve compositional diversity through proportional representation of faculty
with different identities in gender, race/ethnicity, social class, age, as well as representing
different disciplines,
2. Equity – the entire curriculum, and especially the collaborative diversity course, develops
equity-minded practitioners, those who “call attention to patterns of inequity in student
outcomes, and are willing to assume personal and institutional responsibility for the elimination
of inequity,”
3. Inclusion – the beauty of this collaborative program is our ability to engage diverse
perspectives across four campuses and disciplines, recognizing that something as seemingly
neutral as “leadership” has significant differences across communities,
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4. Excellence – this program builds on the success of existing master’s degree programs, which
utilize the best of online education and are considered exceptional by students and communities
of practice alike.
The strategic plans for the program, which mirror some of the hallmarks of success
identified by UW System, include a curriculum which embraces equity and diversity as core
values – present in all courses and processes, not just in the shared diversity course. The program
will also reflect greater compositional diversity among faculty and students, including retention
and upward mobility for faculty who are members of underrepresented populations, as well as
enhanced retention and degree completion for students who are members of underrepresented
populations (underrepresented populations may vary by field/discipline). Greater numbers of
credentialed practitioners, who demonstrate multicultural competencies and equity-mindedness
needed to lead diverse communities, will be an important outcome of this program as well.
Designed as an online, collaborative advanced degree program, this program will meet a
researched need in our state, with a special mission to serving working adults who cannot
complete a more traditional, on-the-ground doctoral program.
Our primary goals as the program begins are to: (a) target diverse populations in our
marketing and recruitment plans, highlighting the diversity of our faculty and their shared
expertise in equity and inclusion, and (b) ensure that the curriculum reflects the diversity of all
fields represented in the collaborative degree program, with special attention to how issues of
diversity and equity are embedded in all courses.
Program description
The proposed degree will prepare student affairs professionals for increasingly
responsible positions of leadership in increasingly diverse small and mid-sized institutions of
higher education. The program is designed to provide students with the knowledge needed to
develop into competent and expert student affairs professionals and to provide them with the
management and leadership skills needed to develop into innovative student affairs managers
and leaders. In addition, the program seeks to develop scholar practitioners who utilize researchinformed decision making and who are ambassadors of diversity, social justice, and
globalization. Graduates of the program will also be skilled in interpersonal relationship
development and will be ethical and people-focused leaders.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Through knowledge acquired in this program, graduates will be able to:
a. Demonstrate mastery of student affairs and higher education content
b. Synthesize information from a range of sources to analyze issues and apply
solutions to professional practice
2. Through management and leadership skills acquired in this program, graduates will be
able to:
a. Develop a vision for an educational division, considering complexities of
institutional culture and resources
b. Effectively justify decisions, judgments and recommendations, weighing
competing evidence and making connections to the values and beliefs of the
institution
3. Through assessment, evaluation and research skills acquired in this program, graduates
will be able to:
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a. Use assessment, evaluation and research methods to inform practice
b. Defend data informed decision making in professional practice
4. Through an understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion skills acquired in this
program, graduates will be able to:
a. Challenge the manifestations of privilege and assess implications for practice
b. Examine the diversity of students and colleagues within the social and cultural
context in which they live
5. Through the development of exceptional interpersonal relationship skills acquired in this
program, graduates will be able to:
a. Demonstrate respectful collaboration while seeking alternate points of view
b. Defend practices that promote the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of
each person
Program Objectives
1. Knowledge: To develop competent and expert student affairs professionals
2. Management and Leadership: To develop innovative student affairs managers and leaders
3. Assessment, Evaluation and Research: To develop scholar practitioners who advance
research-informed decision making
4. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: To develop ambassadors of diversity, social justice, and
globalization
5. Interpersonal Relationships: To develop ethical and people-focused leaders
Assessment of Objectives
The Student Affairs Administration & Leadership Assessment Committee is composed of
selected Student Affairs Administration faculty that will oversee the curriculum and ongoing
assessment of the program. This committee meets at least once per semester and will oversee the
annual program review process as required by the Department of Student Affairs Administration
Bylaws. Both direct and indirect measures will be used to assess student learning outcomes in
the program.
Direct measures will include:
 Successful completion of a dissertation
 An oral presentation of the dissertation
 A comprehensive exam that is locally developed and course embedded
 An advisor evaluation
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Indirect measures will include:
A student self-assessment prior to program completion
Job placement data
Exit interviews
Alumni surveys
Program Curriculum
Students enrolled in the Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership will
complete a total of 57 credits. The curriculum contains 12 credits of Foundational coursework (6
of these credits are collaborative credits, designed and taught by the collaborative Ed. D. partner
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faculty), 18 credits of Administrative coursework, 18 credits of Research and Assessment
coursework, and 9 credits of elective coursework. The elective credits must be taken from one or
more of the collaborative Ed. D. partner institutions (excluding UW-La Crosse courses). Partner
institutions may offer 9 credit emphasis areas or stand-alone elective courses. With the approval
of the student’s Ed. D. advisor, the student will select elective courses or emphases from the
partner institutions that best fit the professional goals of the student.
Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership Curriculum (57 credits)
Foundational Courses (12 credits, 6 of which are collaborative)
21st Century Learners
Organization and Governance
Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Leadership (collab. course)
Diversity and Equity in Education (collaborative course)
3 credits
3 credits
3 credits
3 credits
Administrative Courses (18 credits)
Enrollment Management
Policy and Regulatory Compliance
Organizational Communication
Finance and Budgeting
Supervision and Human Resource Management
Strategic Planning and Managing Change
3 credits
3 credits
3 credits
3 credits
3 credits
3 credits
Research and Assessment Courses (18 credits)
Quantitative Research Methods
Qualitative Research Design Methods
Assessment and Program Evaluation
Dissertation Seminar
Dissertation
3 credits
3 credits
3 credits
3 credits
6 credits
Specialty Emphasis or Approved Elective Courses (9 credits)
Students will enroll in 9 credits taken from the collaborative Ed. D. partner institutions’
collaborative course offerings. These credits may be packaged to provide a specialty emphasis
established by the participating institution or may be chosen by the student in consultation with,
and as approved by, the student’s Ed. D. advisor.
Special Topics in Student Affairs (electives from partner institutions)
9 credits
Projected Time to Degree
This is a cohort program, designed to run year-round. Students take 6 credits each term
(Fall, Spring, Summer). In the third and final year, students will have one term with 9 credits and
the other two terms with 6 credits. This program is designed so that people who are working fulltime in higher education can continue to work and still reasonably complete the Ed. D. in Student
Affairs Administration and Leadership online in 3 years.
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Program Review Process
Institutional Review
The first internal review of the Ed. D. in Student Affairs Administration and Leadership
program will occur five years after program implementation; thereafter the program will be
reviewed, along with the other programs in the Student Affairs Administration Department, on a
seven-year cycle. These internal reviews will be assisted by an external consultant, and include
the Dean, Faculty Senate, and Provost evaluations of program curriculum, assessment of student
learning, degree of program success, new initiatives, personnel, and program support. Based on
the review, recommendations will be generated to facilitate continual program improvement.
The program’s quality and success will be measured by the following indicators:
 The general goals and objectives of the program: Are the goals of the program relevant
and is the department actively striving to accomplish them?
 Student learning outcomes: Are the student learning outcomes appropriately chosen for
the program? Are they being achieved using appropriate assessment methods?
 Appropriateness of curriculum: Does the curricular content of the Ed. D. support the
stated student learning outcomes? Does it align with expectations of the broader student
affairs community (e.g., this includes the key components suggested by the Council for
the Advancement of Standards)? Does the curriculum reflect new developments in the
field?
 Personnel: Is the existing number of faculty and staff sufficient to meet the needs of the
program? What is the quality of contributions made by existing personnel to the areas of
teaching, scholarship, and service?
 General availability of resources to support students and faculty; and
 Alumni success.
Accreditation
UW-La Crosse will seek accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HCL), a
commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities. The program will
utilize the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) to conduct a
self-study which will provide valuable documentation for accreditation processes and will adhere
to the standards set forth by CAS for graduate programs in Student Affairs.
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