Fresno State’s Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership has named Mike Snell as a 2023 Graduate Student Honoree. Each year, the Division of Research and Graduate Studies asks graduate programs to nominate an outstanding student as their program’s honoree. Graduate student honorees are those who lead in ways beyond academic and research acheivements, while displaying character, integrity, and an ability to inspire others.
Earning an Ed.D. requires completing a dissertation demonstrating a candidate’s ability to plan, write, and defend an original research study. A dissertation culminates a doctoral candidate’s scholarly work in graduate school. Mike’s dissertation is titled Prototyping expanded learning programs and youth workers to build and diversify teacher education in California. His dissertation committee comprised Dr. Rohit Mehta (Dissertation Chair), Dr. Heather Horsley, and Dr. Cecilia Mendoza from Fresno State, and Dr. Hank Gutierrez.
When asked about Mike, his dissertation chair, Dr. Rohit Mehta, said “Mike is a passionate educator, eager to roll up his sleeves and do the work required to make systemic shifts happen. [To Mike,] social justice-oriented work is more than theory. It is about changing policy and practices, redesigning status quo approaches that continue to hinder and harm our students, especially our students from historically marginalized populations.”
Mike’s dissertation addressed a key challenge that can help educators bridge K-12 and
after-school experiences by providing expanded learning opportunities to students in ways that go beyond standardized curricula and the status quo. Dr. Snell’s work is a first step in a direction that can reshape how we support our communities to reform education with justice-oriented design.
About Fresno State’s Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership
Fresno State’s doctoral program in educational leadership supports the CSU system-wide effort to offer professional practice doctoral programs in Educational Leadership. Fresno State’s
three-year program supports working professionals poised for leadership in P12 school sites and districts, as well as community colleges and universities. Upon completion, candidates will earn a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree.
Learn more about the Fresno State Ed.D. Program at fresnostate.edu/edd and on social media @EdDFresnoState
Kremen School News 