CMU Doctorate in Educational Leadership

10/19/2026

📢 Dissertation Blackboard Shell Notification Tip

Have you noticed getting email notifications every time we update the Dissertation Blackboard Shell? As we've continued to add new resources, revise materials, and improve content, some students have reported receiving frequent notifications about uploads, deletions, and other content changes. And we know that can be annoying.

Unfortunately, we can't turn these notifications off because Blackboard controls notification settings at the individual user level. According to guidance provided by our CMU BB team (thanks, Marnie!), students can manage their own email notification preferences through Blackboard. 

To reduce or stop these notifications:
- Log in to Blackboard.
- From the Blackboard homepage, click your name/profile menu.
Locate and select Email Notifications.
- Review the list of notification types.
- Uncheck any notifications you do not wish to receive.
- If available, select the option to receive notifications once per day rather than immediately.
- Save your changes.

Please note that these notification settings apply to all of your Blackboard courses and organizations, not just the Dissertation Shell. 

We will continue updating the Dissertation Shell with new dissertation resources, templates, guides, and support materials throughout the year. Adjusting your notification settings can help you stay informed without filling your inbox with frequent update messages.

Questions about the Dissertation Shell? Feel free to reach out and we'll be happy to help! 🎓📚

10/13/2026

We are excited to share that EdD Candidate, Christine Whitmire (Cohort 27) will defend her dissertation on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, on campus. Christine has asked that the event be private. Feel free to send her well-wishes below or directly.

The dissertation title: Leadership in Preschool: A Phenomenological Study of Rural Elementary Principals in Michigan’s State-Funded Pre-K.

Committee:
Dr. Eric Buschlen, Chair
Dr. Gregg Dionne, CMU
Dr. Joellen Lewsader, CMU

10/08/2026

We share a department now with our Counseling peers to make CEH (Counseling, Educational Leadership, and Higher Education).

Kudos to our counseling peers for this recognition.

A national honor for CMU’s counseling program!

Congratulations to our Master’s in Counseling program on being named the 2026 recipient of the ACES Robert Frank Outstanding Counselor Education Program Award: Master’s Program! 🥳 Only one master’s-level counseling program in the nation receives this recognition each award cycle—an incredible achievement that highlights CMU’s commitment to innovative, student-centered counselor education.

We’re proud of the faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners who make this program exceptional. 🔥

Learn more about this national recognition: https://www.cmich.edu/news/details/cmu-s-counseling-program-receives-national-recognition

10/06/2026

Dear EdD Alumni . . . we need your help!

If you know of someone who is interested in learning more about our EdD Program, please share a link to an upcoming webinar. They only need to register for one. The webinar will feature Dr. Buschlen, a program faculty member, a current student, an alum, and others interested in the program. Thanks!

October 21st, 8pm - https://fireup.cmich.edu/register/October2026Webinar
November 17th, 4pm- https://fireup.cmich.edu/register/November2026Webinar
January 7th, 8pm - https://fireup.cmich.edu/register/January2027Webinar

10/02/2026

🚨 📣 Hey there! We wanted to let you know that Educational Leadership & Higher Education scholarship applications are now open.

Several scholarships are available for masters, doctoral, and Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) students. If you're enrolled in one of our programs, we encourage you to take a few minutes to see whether you qualify.

Applications are submitted through CMU's Scholarship Universe system, which is linked here and in the comments.

The application period opened October 1, 2026, and the deadline to apply is December 21, 2026.

Educational Leadership Endowed Scholarship – Open to students enrolled in an Educational Leadership or Higher Education program (undergraduate minor, graduate, or doctoral) who are in good academic standing.

George C. Comden Endowed Scholarship – For graduate students in Educational Leadership or Higher Education. Preference is given to U.S. military veterans, active-duty members, reservists, and National Guard members.

Harry J. Brunet Specialist in Education Scholarship – Specifically designated for students pursuing the PK–12 Educational Leadership Ed.S. program.

Scholarship Universe connects you to donor-based CMU scholarship opportunities for which you qualify for. Be sure to check application deadlines.

09/29/2026

The 12th Annual Klymyshyn Symposium here at CMU has announced they are accepting proposals for their upcoming symposium taking place February 17-18, 2027.

If you have a great class project, dissertation, research project, campus initiative, creative work, or professional practice you'd like to share, we hope that you consider submitting a proposal.

Past sessions have highlighted classroom projects, community partnerships, workplace initiatives, student experiences, research studies, and collaborative efforts across CMU and beyond. This is a great opportunity to share your work, build connections, and contribute to conversations that strengthen our campus and communities.

Proposal deadline is November 2, 2026

Submit a proposal here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=brxxyMZ8V0qk6yIwn8NJY1XzRom4kwpHv448iDeau_BUOUJRVVlIWjU3TFRJTVpDQVhJR1hPS0tXNS4u&route=shorturl

Learn more about the symposium here: https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/university-engagement-student-affairs/klymyshyn-symposium

CMU’s Klymyshyn Symposium brings students, faculty, and community leaders together for talks and sessions focused on creating spaces where people thrive.

09/28/2026

This past weekend, Dr. Amy McGinnis (Cohort 11) was awarded the Alma College Distinguished Alumni Award. Congratulations and well deserved!

Do you have news to share? Please send it our way as we love to share updates with our alumni!

09/24/2026

If you've ever thought about publishing your dissertation but just haven't gotten around to it, consider this a bit of digital encouragement from your faculty!

The Journal of Educational Leadership in Action is seeking submissions for its Fall 2026 issue, with preference given to manuscripts submitted by November 1. They reached out to us and asked us for help soliciting manuscripts.

The journal publishes research and scholarly work focused on educational leadership and higher education, so odds are that your recent dissertation is a good fit.

We have also added resources to the newly revised dissertation shell to help you take your dissertation and develop it into a journal manuscript. Your dissertation chair can be a great resource, too, as you consider which parts of your research might be a good fit for publication.

Learn more about the journal and its submission guidelines:

The Journal of Educational Leadership in Action welcomes original manuscript submissions from all authors who hold copyright ownership of their work or have received explicit authorization from the copyright holder(s). In academic contexts, authors typically retain initial ownership of their intelle...

09/14/2026

What does it look like to put a caring university into action? That question was at the heart of Friday’s panel, featuring two members of our doctoral community you might know!

Current student Vernique Jackson and professor Matt Johnson brought student and faculty perspectives to an important conversation about the future of work in higher education. President MacKinnon and Provost Lancaster, also pictured, offered opening and closing remarks.

The conversation builds on Dr. Kevin McClure’s visit to CMU last semester and his book, "The Caring University." The panel brought faculty, staff, students, and university leaders together to think about workplace culture, belonging, support, and what it takes to create a university where people can thrive.

Have you read the book? It's a great guide on improving workplace culture in higher education. If you do read it, keep an eye out for a CMU faculty cameo in the book! 👀

We’re glad to see these conversations continuing at CMU, and especially proud to see our doctoral community helping shape them.

09/09/2026

We have spent a good chunk of time expanding the Doctoral Dissertation Resource Shell in Blackboard. The biggest addition is a new chapter-by-chapter dissertation writing guide that walks students through every major dissertation component, from Chapter 1 through Chapter 5.

The shell also now includes written and video resources on every aspect of the dissertation chapters, from chapter components like literature reviews to methodology, links to policies and important forms, and resources on software, dissertation meetings, and everything in between. We've tried to make the shell comprehensive without being overwhelming.

To find the shell, search Blackboard for "Doctoral Dissertation Resource Shell." And if you are a current student and aren't in the shell, drop us a message on here and we'll add you.

If you're working on your dissertation, we highly recommend starring it so it shows up in your Blackboard favorites.

Even if you're not yet at the dissertation stage, the shell can be helpful for coursework, literature reviews, comprehensive exam preparation, methodology questions, and research design.

More resources will continue to trickle in, but most of the shell is now built and ready to use. Good luck, and happy writing!