Chapter 3: Change Leadership and Support for the CPED-Influenced Education Doctorate

Higher education organizations are historically slow to change. Steeped in longstanding traditions and the traditional philosophies of academe and the academy, the integration of a CPED-influenced education doctorate does not come without its challenges. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the experiences of the integration of the CPED framework into doctorate of education programs at Phase I CPED member institutions. This exploration will address change leadership, program specific changes and support, as well as the successes and challenges of implementing these programs.

Greenwald (2012) describes that many higher education institutions are “like Dorothy’s house in the Wizard of Oz: they have been picked up by uncontrollable forces, are flying through the air and know not where they will land” (para. 1). This is due in part to decreased funding, which is forcing institutions to make budget cuts that affect programs and services as well as making necessary changes to the way they operate. Implementing change in higher education can be unknown territory, but is a necessity due to more competitive technological and global environments as well as increased demands for accountability and productivity from external stakeholders (Fawson, 2012; Rich, 2006). Priest, St. John, and Boon (2006) note that as state and federal funding for higher education significantly declines, expectations for completion and employability of graduates rises. Yet higher education institutions continue to resist the need to change to address these external forces.