Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - Students pursuing doctoral degrees at West Texas A&M University will take part in an upcoming on-campus conference highlighting rural educational leadership.

The WT Doctor of Education Summer Immersion Experience will be held July 17 and 18 on the University's Canyon campus.

"The doctoral immersion experience provides an opportunity for our Ed.D. candidates to align their research and coursework with the real-world demands of executive leadership," said Dr. Gary Bigham, dean of the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences. "By integrating sessions on building a persuasive leadership narrative, strengthening executive presence, and featuring panels of distinguished rural education leaders, we are equipping graduates to step confidently into influential leadership roles upon graduation."

The immersion experience will help Ed.D. candidates as they prepare to assume leadership roles following graduation, said Dr. Eddie Henderson, WT's Myrna Raffkind Professor of Global Education and the Ed.D. program director for early childhood through 12th grade and for business and finance.

"The Ed.D. program strives to align course content and research activity to candidates' post-graduate goals. The 2026 immersion experience emphasizes the importance of building a persuasive personal leadership narrative and strategically seeking an executive leadership role," Henderson said. "Day 2 of the immersion experience will feature two panels of experts including a strong representation of rural educational leaders who will answer questions from students, share leadership experiences/challenges, offer advice, and more."

Among the scheduled speakers are Dr. Justin Richardson of Waymaker Leadership Development, who earned his Ed.D. from WT in 2021; Dr. Mustafa Toprak, incoming WT associate professor of educational leadership with more than 20 years' experience in preparing educational leaders; and Kelby Dodson, director of people operations for The OccuNet Company.

Ed.D. cohort members also will have time for collaborative interactions with one another and faculty members.

WT's fully online Ed.D. degree program was launched in 2018, preparing educational leaders for rural schools and those in higher education and educational organizations. Students may study public education leadership, higher education leadership, or education business and finance leadership. Students also may earn a Texas superintendent certificate as part of the program.

Since the degree program was launched, 107 students have earned their doctoral degree; 85 students currently are enrolled.

The application deadline for the program's ninth cohort is Sept. 15. To apply or for more information, click here.

The Educators Excellence Initiative, which launched in June 2025, first offered half-off tuition and mandatory fees to teachers and support staff in all Region 16 Independent School District schools in the Texas Panhandle. It was expanded to include Regions 17 and 18 and all 1A and 2A schools, and finally to include all spouses and dependents of Region 16 employees. A similar initiative now offers half-off tuition and fees to eligible employees of TAMUS agencies around the state.

WT opened in 1910 as West Texas State Normal College, a school that trained teachers. Today, about 75 percent of all teachers and administrators throughout the Panhandle region have at least one degree or certificate from WT.

The immersion experience and WT's Ed.D. program in general both help the University address regional issues, the key mission of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised more than $200 million dollars, the largest such campaign in Texas Panhandle history.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

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