Note From The Interim Head

Welcome to the Department of Educational Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Our department prepares collaborative, proactive educational leaders, professors, researchers, and policy analysts who are committed to improving the quality of leadership in a variety of rapidly changing and increasingly diverse organizational contexts. Our graduates assume leadership positions within a wide variety of educational organizations, engage in scholarly inquiry, and work to improve educational policies and practices. Our departmental mission is as follows:

Through an integration of teaching, advising, mentoring, and research, our mission is to develop educators who lead complex learning organizations and who are committed to excellence in scholarship, policy analysis, organizational reform, democracy, justice, and equity.

In order to fulfill our mission, we offer a range of graduate programs organized under three program areas: a) Educational Administration and Leadership; b) Higher Education; and, c) Educational Leadership and Policy. Our faculty is distinguished by scholarly accomplishments, instructional excellence, and leadership experience. Our professors have served in a variety of leadership roles in the fields of higher education and public schools, including such positions as university presidents, department heads, superintendents, and principals. Because of our extensive experience and research base, our programs are characterized by high quality learning experiences that assist aspiring educational leaders and scholars in gain a comprehensive understanding of their disciplines, while also engaging in opportunities to connect theoretical principles to leadership practices. Our curriculum is oriented toward a holistic approach to leadership, including intellectual, moral, ethical, spiritual, and democratic aspects. Students may elect to enroll in on-campus courses, our off-campus cohorts in the Chicago metropolitan area, and in our newly established online program.

Departmental faculty are engaged in research initiatives that extend our students’ learning experiences beyond the classroom, as well as which serve to inform practice. For example, the Office of Community College Research and Leadership undertakes projects related to community colleges, workforce development, student success, and high school to college transition. The Higher Education Collaborative, an interdepartmental, cross-disciplinary affiliation of individuals with teaching, scholarly research and other professional interests in higher learning, regularly hosts research seminars conducted by nationally-recognized scholars. These activities and other initiatives provide students with opportunities to be involved in research, as well as to learn from top scholars in the field of educational leadership.

Our Department continues to grow and prosper. We invite you explore our website, and do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your interests and to determine whether our EOL Department can assist you in attaining your educational goals.

Donald G. Hackmann
Associate Professor and Interim Head
dghack@illinois.edu