Chapter 2: Popular to Purposeful

The University of Missouri (MU) is the oldest public university west of the Mississippi River, founded in 1839. Fourteen colleges and schools offer over 280 degree programs. The total enrollment at MU in the fall of 2012 was 33,805, of which 6,545 are graduate students. Among graduate students, 58% are female, 9% are from a historically underrepresented ethnicity, and 19% are international.

The College of Education at MU was founded in 1868 and is comprised of five academic departments. Of the 2,905 students enrolled in degree programs in the college, 1,674 are graduate students. The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis started its Educational Doctorate (EdD) program in educational leadership in 1996. The professional practice cohort program enrolls educational leaders throughout the state of Missouri in a variety of educational settings including Pre K–12 and higher education. Approximately 60% of the students are leaders in a Pre K–12 setting and 40% serve in leadership roles in a post-secondary context. Because all students are practicing leaders, their work settings serve as labo-ratories of practice, to immediately integrate coursework into practice. The newest cohort, cohort eight, is 57% female and 8% identify as students of color. There are no international students in the program.