Education leader found value in MSU Texas doctorate program
In 2021, Midwestern State University was accepted as one of 10 new members of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate.
The first class of Ed.D. students graduated in August 2024, less than four years after the acceptance of MSU Texas into the program. Those 11 graduates were honored at the Fall 2024 commencement ceremony in December. David Andrew Warren, who spoke at the graduation, was proud to be one of them.
Warren is the Farmersville High School principal and the president of the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals.
Warren learned about the MSU Texas program from an assistant principal at Farmersville Junior High School, Dean Johnson, a former MSU Mustangs football player and alum. They applied together to the new program and graduated together in December. Johnson is currently the head principal at Farmersville Junior High School.
The other graduates who participated in the Fall 2024 graduation from the new program were: Greta Maria Adame, Brittany Baggett Bailey, Charles Gregory Bradberry, Summer Renee Bynum, Jeffrey Scott Davis, Kory Dawn Fancher Dorman, Jackie Vern McCartney III, Alexandra Sascha Phoenix McClung, and Cooper-Scott Lowe McClung.
“Not only did this program help me academically by developing my understanding and abilities in the area of scholarly research, but I have also learned how to apply my education in a real-world setting to help make informed decisions when approaching actual problems,” Warren said. “Additionally, my education coincided with a career promotion and my election as president of the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals, the largest professional organization for middle school and high school administrators in the United States. This year I have enjoyed leading my school in Farmersville, Texas, while representing over 6,000 Texas principals and school administrators and speaking across our state. If other education professionals are interested in maximizing their skills
to benefit their academic abilities and professional opportunities, then I highly recommend the MSU doctoral program.”
He found the program very practical, and it was a great chance for networking with peers and professors with convenience for working professionals.
“With the amount of financial support offered by MSU, this opportunity is one of the most affordable doctoral experiences in the nation,” Warrren said.
The program featured hybrid learning, which was great for busy professionals like Warren. “It made the experience accessible even to those working full time in the school system,” Warren said. “Additionally, the learning worked in conjunction with the situations I experienced in public school districts.”
He enjoyed the various relevant topics of discussion that might come straight from a school board meeting, a situation in an administration office, or a classroom. As a group, they could all learn from each other.
“Furthermore, the coursework helped with the research and dissertation writing process; the assignments and projects completed in each course were designed to help with each step of the dissertation process,” Warren said.
Warren was told there is now a dissertation-free option for this program, but he was glad to have completed the research and dissertation process.
