SU, UMES Partner for $1 Million 'Race to the Top' Grant

Dr. Douglas DeWitt	Dr. Derry Stufft

SALISBURY, MD---A $1 million federal grant to train “Great Principals for Maryland” will allow two Eastern Shore universities to offer classes at a new and collaborative Lower Eastern Shore School Leadership Institute this summer.

A four-year Race to the Top grant has been awarded to Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, sister institutions in the University System of Maryland. Planners say their institute is designed to train aspiring principals to lead schools in the 21st century. A focus of the program is reducing the achievement gap between different student groups.

The institute is partnering with Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, Dorchester and Talbot county schools to identify potential candidates.

“Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore have had a distinguished history of collaboration. Our mutual commitment to education and teacher preparation makes this leadership institute a natural and welcome partnership between our two institutions,” said SU Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Diane Allen.

The two campuses previously have been honored with the prestigious Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for collaborative programming.

“Receiving this grant is another indicator of the close cooperation between the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Salisbury University. This leadership institute will further our efforts to serve and support the public schools on the Eastern Shore,” said Dr. Charles Williams, UMES Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The institute is also partnering with New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS), a nationally recognized non-profit that has a strong track record of recruiting and training highly effective principals for challenging schools. NLNS is providing expertise and support in the selection of participants and help with their professional development.  The four pillars of the institute’s design provide participants with: one, traditional coursework leading to principal licensure and professional development; two, preparation to assume a leadership role in challenging and under performing schools; three, an intensive mentoring program with personalized guidance and coaching in the participant’s leadership development; and four, a personalized and specific action plan to implement improvement at each participant’s school.

Writing effort for the grant was led by Dr. Douglas DeWitt, director of the SU Educational Leadership Program, and Dr. Derry Stufft, coordinator of the UMES Educational Leadership Doctoral Program. The two said they view the institute as a collaboration with county school superintendents to help improve education for Lower Eastern Shore students. The writing effort was also assisted by Dr. Andrew Carrington from UMES. The institute begins operation in August 2011.

For more information contact DeWitt at 410-543-6286 or Stufft at 410-651-6216, or visit their respective campus Web sites at www.salisbury.edu or www.umes.edu.