SRU, YSU team up for doctoral program

Graduates of the program would receive their degrees from Youngstown State.

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Slippery Rock University and Youngstown State University are working on a plan to bring a doctor of education program to western Pennsylvania.

It would be a collaborative effort that would bring YSU’s existing doctor of educational leadership program to Slippery Rock.

The Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit, which provides educational services to public schools in the Beaver Valley area, is interested in participating in the program, according to Slippery Rock University.

A meeting for prospective students will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Regional Learning Alliance in Allegheny County.

Under the proposal, YSU professors would initially teach the doctoral-level classes with Slippery Rock professors getting involved in subsequent years. Graduates of the program would receive their doctorate from YSU.

“The program will increase the preparation level of administrators and give our current students, even those in undergraduate majors, another goal to shoot for,” said Jay Herzog, Slippery Rock’s dean of the College of Education.

It will target educators with K-12 principal certifications.

Participants would be able to earn a doctorate through a combination of online study and traditional classroom activities offered at the Regional Learning Alliance, which is administered by Slippery Rock.

“It’s a fantastic idea that will help our graduates gain additional skills and knowledge about educational leadership and how schools interact in today’s communities,” Herzog said.

The institutions hope to be ready to launch the program in fall 2008.