The inaugural cohort for the newly-launched doctorate degree in
Educational Leadership for Equity and Justice (DELEJ).
By Daisy Ratzlaff
91Ƶ welcomed its inaugural cohort for the newly launched doctorate degree in Educational Leadership for Equity & Justice (DELEJ) this past summer. Designed to address pressing issues in education, the program aims to cultivate transformative leaders committed to promoting equity and justice. With nearly 80 applicants competing for just 25 positions, the program ultimately accepted 27 individuals ready to make a difference in their communities.
“It’s been a labor of love for multiple people,” said Andrea Bingham, the newly appointed Director of the Educational Doctorate Program and Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, who joined 91Ƶ in July 2023.
The program is rooted in an initial partnership between 91Ƶ and Fresno State that began in 2016. After four years in the partnership, a decision was made to create a unique program tailored specifically to 91Ƶ. During the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years, professors Tiina Itkonen, Charles Weis, Annie White, and the Dean of the School of Education collaborated with Bingham to help develop the curriculum for DELEJ, which involved extensive preparation of documents, proposals, and marketing plans.
“Reviewing feedback from graduates of our prior doctoral program and our Advisory Committee resulted in significantly improved courses, a program roadmap, and dissertation-in-practice support from the prior partnership program in which we participated with Fresno State," said Charles Weis, 91Ƶ’s Program Chair & Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, and School Counseling & Psychology.
Bingham said launching the program required significant effort and dedication.
“When that decision was made, we began to pull together what needed to be done to develop the DELEJ program and get it approved,” she explained. “There was a lot of work involved in preparing for the launch.”
The DELEJ courses and the program were granted approval by the University’s Academic Senate, Provost, and President Yao in the Fall of 2023. In the Spring of 2024, the program received approval from WASC, the accrediting commission for schools of Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Chancellor’s Office, paving the way for the program to open applications. Bingham and other faculty also conducted informational sessions that attracted nearly 250 attendees.
“We ultimately ended up with 78 total applications, which is really wonderful for a first-year program, but it put us as the faculty and admission’s committee in a very difficult position because as we were going through these applications we were just so impressed with the level of leadership and with the level of achievement,” she said.
Every applicant was required to submit two written essays about their leadership, their leadership trajectory and their commitment to solving educational problems of equity and justice. She said the admissions process was rigorous, with the committee interviewing over 60 applicants over a two-and-a-half-week period. Ultimately, 27 students were admitted, representing a diverse array of sectors, including P-12 education, community colleges, and leadership roles within virtual and special education settings.
“We have a wide variety of school counselors or former school counselors, people who are assistant principals or principals, leaders of virtual schools, and leaders of schools who serve students with disabilities. We even have a student who is helping to launch a black student honors college — which is the first one of existence in the country,” said Bingham. “There is just so much potential for these students to really make a significant impact. It's exciting.”
To be eligible for the program, applicants must meet specific requirements set forth by the CSU system, including holding a master's degree, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, and demonstrated experience in educational leadership. The program is primarily asynchronous online, with an annual five-day, in-person summer residency designed to foster community and collaboration among students.
“They have formed this wonderful support system for each other and have been really pushing each other to keep in mind the goal, the why, and the differences they want to make in education and the community,” she said.
As the current cohort settles into their studies, the application process for the next cohort has already begun with a deadline of January 10, 2025.
“We hope it is as large of an applicant pool as the first cohort,” said Bingham. “These
are incredible people, and they are going to make an indelible impact on the world,
I have no doubt about that. It has been really powerful to hear from a student how
they are already taking what they are doing in class and bringing it to their day-to-day
work. The overarching goal is to create transformative change in education. We want
the people who leave our program with the skills and knowledge that they need to affect
change, to move their communities and their educational context forward toward a more
equitable, more just education for the students they serve.”