Al Kettlewell `50 has not forgotten the sacrifices he made while pursuing his doctorate in education.

“All of us who went through the program can remember how financially stressed we were,” said Kettlewell, a former assistant dean and professor in the Department of Educational Leadership (EDL). “We had to give up our full-time jobs and come back to campus for a year, and a lot of us had families to support.”

With those memories and an appreciation of what Miami has given them, Kettlewell and a group of his fellow professors emeriti are stepping forward to support the next generation of leaders in education. Kettlewell, along with former Miami EDL faculty members James Burchyett, Jim Showkeir, and Charles Teckman `51, have each endowed fellowships to provide financial assistance to doctoral students. Their efforts join with the late Hugh Morrison and John Shreve, former faculty members who established the program’s original two fellowships.

“We have historically lacked these types of special scholarships,” said Kate Rousmaniere, chair of the Department of Educational Leadership. “Nearly two-thirds of our doctoral students have left full-time jobs as school administrators and teachers, and they come here on teaching assistantships that pay $15,000 a year. These are adults who have families and mortgages, and they need support.”

Each fellowship, which is endowed to provide funds in perpetuity, supports one doctoral student each year. The fellowships are set up according to the donor’s preference and can support tuition, living expenses, travel to conferences, or costs associated with dissertation research. The recipients must be doctoral students in education and are, in most cases, selected by the chair of the EDL department.

Kettlewell, Burchyett, Showkeir, and Teckman have taken their support a step further by working with Miami to create the Educational Leadership Fellows Program. The program’s objective is to reconnect with EDL alumni/retirees and inspire them to make contributions of their own. Plans include an annual EDL reunion during Alumni Weekend that includes a lecture on leadership in education presented by one of the Fellows.

The lectures will be compiled in a book, which will provide a record of how educational concepts evolve over time, and the names of the Fellows will be recorded on a plaque in McGuffey Hall, along with the names of the fellowship recipients.

“It’s really exciting and special because of the enthusiasm these gentlemen and this program are generating,” Rousmaniere said. “These are people who worked in the department and/or got their degrees here, and they really care about this place. They’re giving what they can because they want to support these students.”

According to Kettlewell, he cannot think of a better investment in the future.

“This program prepares principals, superintendents, and curriculum directors to serve at public schools,” Kettlewell said. “It’s stressful, difficult work, and not a lot of people are willing to accept that challenge. We need to do anything we can to help make it easier for them. There has never been a greater need for educational leadership than there is today.”

For more information on the Educational Leadership Fellows program, please contact Beth Sims of the Miami University Office of Development at 513/529-1343 or simsme@muohio.edu.