The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in higher education and leadership practice program at the University of North Georgia (UNG) is contributing to scholarly research at a rapid clip for a program of its size.  

The achievement was best illustrated by the level of dissertation research presented by four UNG Ed.D. students at the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) annual meeting held in Miami, Florida.

"I don't think it's hyperbole to say that UNG had the largest contingent of Ed.D. students of any institution presenting at CIES. Almost all of the doctoral students presenting at CIES are Ph.D. candidates who attend their programs full time, receive significant funding for their research and take anywhere from five to seven years to complete their doctoral coursework and their dissertations," Dr. Michael Lanford, an associate professor of higher education and dissertation adviser for some of UNG's Ed.D. students, said. "Our Ed.D. students work full time and complete their dissertations in three to four years. Despite these differences, I am exceptionally proud that our students presented research as methodologically and theoretically robust as any other work presented by professors and Ph.D. students at CIES." 

Iyonka Strawn-Valcy, who is scheduled to graduate this fall, works as the associate vice provost for international operations at Georgia Tech and serves as director of Georgia Tech-Europe, Atlanta.  

She presented at CIES on how senior international officers at U.S. research institutions perceive their leadership roles when leading internationalization efforts. Since then, she has been accepted to present at the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) 26th annual conference, which has the theme of "Navigating internationalization in challenging times." 

Strawn-Valcy said almost any conversation with Lanford, her dissertation adviser, or other faculty members ends up leading to some ideas of places to publish or present. She appreciates the encouraging, validating mindset of the faculty. 

"The program is intentionally focused on developing cohorts of students to be intellectually curious and to use their research experiences in the program to make an impact in the scholarly community, to make the best use of their doctoral experiences in their respective fields of study," Strawn-Valcy said. "There's a huge focus on research and research integrity." 

Katie Fisher, a third-year Ed.D. student from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, presented the results of a comprehensive student support program in Pennsylvania. She appreciated the welcoming, friendly tone of CIES compared with other conferences that feel more competitive.  

Strawn-Valcy and Fisher had a chance to spend a few hours at CIES with Dr. Maia Chankseliani from the University of Oxford to get feedback on their dissertation research. 

"She was so incredibly supportive of our research and helpful," Fisher said.  

Strawn-Valcy and Fisher both noted the way UNG faculty have pointed them to scholarships, travel grants and other methods of support for their research endeavors.

"They want us to get the most out of this experience and have confidence with publications," Fisher said. "It's been really nice to have faculty who genuinely care about me. As long as it fits within the program, they are happy to support you." 

UNG also had eight students participate in the Georgia Association of Women in Higher Education (GAWHE) conference, along with program coordinator Dr. Katherine Rose Adams. Two of the five Louise McBee Scholars for 2024 were from UNG's Ed.D. program: Strawn-Valcy and Laurely Caycho Mantilla. One student, Emily Crider, was accepted into the 2024-25 GAWHE Fellows Program.

All of these opportunities come as part of an Ed.D. program that recently ranked No. 2 on eddprograms.org's "25 Most Affordable Online Ed.D. Programs." In addition to the UNG program's affordability, the rankings list also highlights the quality and convenience of the fully-online Ed.D.