Mary Louise Durkin of North Plainfield, N.J., Earns Doctorate in Educational Leadership at College of Saint

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Mary Louise Durkin has successfully defended her dissertation at the College of Saint Elizabeth.

MORRISTOWN, NJ (05/08/2013)(readMedia)-- Mary Louise Durkin of North Plainfield, N.J., has successfully defended her dissertation at the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE), 2 Convent Road, Morristown, N.J., to earn her doctorate in educational leadership. Durkin's dissertation is entitled, "Information and Feedback: Parent Involvement in K-2 Reading Achievement." She is currently teaching a kindergarten class in North Plainfield.

"When my grandparents came through Ellis Island, they must have dreamed that their children and their children's children would have the opportunities that I have been afforded through my association with The North Plainfield School District and the College of Saint Elizabeth," said Durkin. "I hope to use the philosophy of servant leadership throughout my work with children, parents, colleagues, and my community."

Durkin has taught every grade level from pre-K through 12th grade. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, N.M., and her Master of Arts in Education/Supervision from the University of Phoenix. She has been married to her husband, Jim, for 40 years. They raised two sons, J.P. and Spencer, and a daughter, Erin.

The doctoral program at CSE, which is dedicated to preparing leaders who are committed to social justice and ethical practice, began in August 2007. "Integrated into all course work and learning activities are the central values and beliefs necessary for school leaders to function as morally purposeful stewards for their school communities," states Msgr. Thomas J. McDade, Ed.D., course of study coordinator for the CSE doctoral program in educational leadership. "This philosophy of servant leadership represents a major shift from the traditional paradigm of school leaders as managers of resources which is so prevalent in today's practices."

Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, N.J., the College of Saint Elizabeth enrolls more than 1,700 full- and part-time students in more than 25 undergraduate, 10 graduate and two doctoral degree programs; an Ed.D.in educational leadership and a Psy.D. in counseling psychology. For information on other activities or programs, visit the College of Saint Elizabeth web site at www.cse.edu.