The Department of Policy, Organizational & Leadership Studies (POLS) aims to prepare our graduates for roles as school and community leaders, scholars, researchers and advocates. We strive to create a caring, committed community of scholars and practitioners who work collaboratively and link scholarship to practice. Further, we believe that learning and education can be enhanced through the application of organizational knowledge to teaching, curriculum development, and learning in the service of groups and organizations.
Our faculty is committed to furthering theoretical understanding, but in such a way that new knowledge can be used. The true measure of scholarly work is its impact on the lives of those who are not scholars, in its applicability to situations, difficulties, and opportunities encountered by teachers, students, and families every day. POLS is concerned with teacher education and educational leadership, as well as with the training of professionals who develop and disseminate knowledge – educational researchers, consultants, and practitioners, and those who teach in higher education. We also prepare professional psychologists for work in prevention, teaching, research, remediation, counseling and consulting.

Department Mission

Our department, as a learning community, is composed of faculty with diverse perspectives who are mutually supportive scholars and practitioners with a range of areas of scholarly expertise and experiences working in and with organizations, schools, nonprofit organizations, and government entities.

POLS recognizes the complexity of schools and communities and seeks to cultivate leaders and researchers to:

•   analyze, develop, and sustain equitable policies and practices in schools and organizations;
•   understand and value the strengths of urban communities, the importance of applied research, and the multiple contexts of schools, education, and learners;
•   understand how to engage communities and demonstrate appreciation for and integration of diverse perspectives;
•   focus on equity and to lead and manage organizational change.

Programs and Curriculum

The POLS Department supports an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and scholarship. Program areas include:

• Adult Learning, Training and Organizational Development
• Higher Education
• Educational Leadership
• Policy and Organizational Studies
• Urban Education

Contact Information

If you have additional questions about programs or curriculum in the Department of Policy, Organizational, and Leadership Studies, please contact: