Rural Initiative for Training Administrators with Special Education Expertise Scholarship

We are honored to announce that we were awarded the Rural Initiative for Training Administrators with Special Education Expertise Grant (RITASEE) funded through the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs. This award allows us to provide scholarships through a competitive application process to a minimum of 18 RITASEE Scholars over the next five years. This is an exciting season for our region and future Scholars. RITASEE will benefit from national experts with backgrounds in SPED administration, professional development activities, designing and implementing quality educational programs for diverse learners, and policy development.

The purpose of the RITASEE leadership project is to enhance services for all students in the rural school setting. This grant will prepare 18 Ed.D. scholars in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (Administrative Endorsement or School Leadership Concentration) with an emphasis in SPED administration and research. Team Members Include: Ginger Christian, Project Director, Dawn Rowe, Co-Director, Pam Mims, Cindy Chambers, Virginia Foley, Pam Scott, Jill Channing, and John Boyd.

Our goal is to admit a minimum of 18 individuals as scholars across project years. Recruitment will emphasize the quality of the ETSU faculty, research opportunities, advanced coursework, student support, and internships focused on leadership development. We are fully committed to identifying, recruiting, and supporting individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups.

There are two programs of study for applicants to consider. We would like to invite applicants who are interested in pursuing their doctorate in education (Ed.D.) to apply. Criteria for application include a minimum of 3 years of teaching experience for the Administrative Endorsement concentration or a valid administrator license for School Leadership concentration. Interested applicants for the Administrative Endorsement Concentration are eligible for in-state tuition only. 

Prior to application for RITASEE, applicants are required to begin the application process for Administrative Endorsement or School Leadership concentration, contact the program coordinator to ensure program requirements are met, and follow the graduate school guidance for admittance into each program. Applicants are not eligible for the award unless they have met the admission requirements for the program concentration.  

Applications for RITASEE Cohort 3 will open in 2025. We encourage interested applicants to check the website for schedule updates.

The application for the RITASEE Scholarship is in addition to the doctorate program. For more information about the scholarship email Dr. Ginger Christian at christiang@etsu.edu.  For more information about program concentrations email Dr. Virginia Foley (Administrative Endorsement foleyv@etsu.edu)  and/or Dr. Pamela Scott (School Leadership scottp@etsu.edu). 

The selection process for stage one involves a formal review of each applicant’s materials by multiple reviewers. Identified applicants for stage two are advanced to a zoom interview and a campus visit when appropriate. A group consensus approach is used for making final admissions decisions. All scholars initially recruited will enter with the express intention of graduating within the program performance period.

Selection criteria for stage two interviews are guided by the candidate's alignment to the goals for the grant and responses to the writing prompt. Applicants should refer to APA 7th Ed. to cite any work in the response section of the application. 

Thank you for your interest in RITASEE. To be eligible for this opportunity, potential scholars are required to meet the criteria defined in the FAQ found here: https://pdp.ed.gov/OSEP/Home/faq2006.