By Eric Cassidy
Staff Reporter
Sacred Heart University will introduce their new (093) state certification program for educators seeking to become future superintendents of public schools across America. The program will begin in the fall of 2018, making Sacred Heart the only institution in the state providing superintendents of schools (093) certification program.
According to the Sacred Heart University website, this new addition will be placed under the Isabelle Farrington College of Education. Completing this course will earn the students a sixth-year diploma at the end of their term.
“I think it is great. In our current climate we need to emphasize education in order to continue to improve our communities, and that starts with strong leadership and strong superintendents,” said senior Shawn Lee.
The program will be directed by Doctor of Education David G. Title, an assistant professor in the Education Leadership and Literacy Department. He will cover two courses throughout the duration of the program as well as supervise the order of operations within the department. The rest of the staff will be composed of highly reputable school superintendents that will help guide and educate their future students through their coursework.
“This will provide full-time working professionals with outstanding preparation for the superintendent role. We aim to build on the number of highly skilled leaders able to fill the increasing number of vacancies for school superintendents,” said David G. Title to the University.
“The University has always done an excellent job with developing new programs that involve well-rounded and experienced professors. I’m happy to see that they are yet again starting up a new program that will better the future of our educational system,” said senior Chris Peterman.
The certification program will include 15-18 students who will take part in five courses, each counting for three credits, as well as completing a final capstone. Of the five courses the students will be taking, one of them will be a yearlong internship. The internship will focus on placing the students in real-world scenarios to gain more exposure and practical experience. Candidates will be assigned to several school districts where they will work with current superintendents.
“My sister has had a positive experience with the graduate program for elementary education. Knowing her success, I can strongly say that the future candidates for this certification program will experience wild success,” said senior Ryan Borchardt.
The inaugural program will begin this coming August and run until May of 2019. Students who are accepted into the program will attend only Saturday classes to prevent time conflictions with their potentially full-time employment.
“The program’s goal is to ensure that every candidate acquires the knowledge and skills necessary to be a successful superintendent of schools upon completion,” said David G. Title to the University.
In order to be accepted into the certification program, applicants must have a 092 certification, meaning that they must hold a master’s degree as well as 18 course credits. Candidates must also have an intermediate administrator position with at least two years of experience and the support of their current Superintendent.
“As great as it is that Sacred Heart keeps wanting to expand their programs, I feel that they should focus more on strengthening the broad subjects and majors that already exist as opposed to spreading themselves too thin,” said junior Greg Argenio.
“I think that this is a great opportunity for students who are aspiring to be future educators here at Sacred Heart. This program will be able to give students exposure to something that is significant to the education system,” said freshman Tim Betz.
