Michigan State University will help lead the nation's efforts to improve school leadership by serving as headquarters for the University Council for Educational Administration and Educational Administration Quarterly, a top research journal.
The MSU College of Education was selected to host the University Council for Educational Administration for five years starting on July 1, 2020. UCEA, which has been based at University of Virginia since 2011, represents scholars from more than 100 member universities and significantly influences the work and training of K-12 educational administrators.
Educational Administration Quarterly, the leading research journal in the field, will also be based at MSU. UCEA voted to move the publication during its national convention in November 2019.
"This new partnership indicates that Michigan State is a place well-positioned to help the field nationally and internationally, and to improve the preparation of principals, administrators and superintendents who are so important to students’ learning," said Robert Floden, dean of the College of Education. "It will provide us with a platform to take our work on school leadership to the next level."
Faculty members from MSU’s K-12 Educational Administration graduate programs have held leadership positions with the organization. Terah Venzant Chambers, professor in the Department of Educational Administration at MSU, ended her term as UCEA president; and Gerardo R. López, professor in the Department of Educational Administration, became president in November. Lopez is also the editor of EAQ.
Chambers and Chris Torres, assistant professor of K-12 educational administration, will be associate editors of EAQ.
"The exciting thing about working at MSU is you not only have an opportunity to impact current practices in the state, you have an opportunity to impact the world through your research," López said. "And that’s the reason why an organization like UCEA is looking toward us."
In 1954, MSU was one of the founding members of UCEA and will be the eighth university to host the council since that time. Previous hosts include Teachers College of Columbia University, Ohio State University, Arizona State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Missouri, University of Texas and, most recently, University of Virginia.
