SC State University awards 11 Doctor of Educational Leadership degrees
SC State provides South Carolina's school systems with highly trained future principals, senior administrators and superintendents.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – After school psychologist Irene Hamilton relocated from Florida to the Orangeburg School District about 10 years ago, she learned about South Carolina State University’s Doctor of Educational Leadership program.
She initially opted to enroll in another institution’s program, but it turned out to be the wrong fit. She found a home at SC State.
“They welcomed me with open arms,” Hamilton said. “From start to finish, every class I took was practical application. All my professors had previous experience as principals or superintendents, and so it really helped me as a professional.”
Hamilton was one of 11 educators SC State awarded Doctor of Educational Leadership degrees at Fall 2024 Commencement on Dec. 12, providing the state’s school systems with highly trained future principals, senior administrators and superintendents.
The SC State College of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences (CEHSS) conducted a hooding ceremony for the graduates on Dec. 11 in conjunction with the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. The guest speaker for the occasion at the campus Fine Arts Building was Dr. Joseph Silver, president of Silver and Associates. Silver is the former president of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University and vice president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
“The hooding ceremony is the highlight of graduation and the pinnacle of our students' academic careers,” said Dr. M. Evelyn Fields, CEHSS dean. “So, we are always excited and proud to assist them in reaching this milestone.”
The graduates were:
- Dr. Claire Amaker.
- Dr. Carla Austin.
- Dr. Kenneth Austin.
- Dr. Darrell J. Cumbee.
- Dr. Tyrone Cummings.
- Dr. Marlon Javon Gilbert.
- Dr. Allyson H. Goff.
- Dr. Irene N. Hamilton.
- Dr. Cecilie Danah Price.
- Dr. Elisa M. Sanders-Pee.
- Dr. Kindra L. Smith.
Hamilton, who earned her undergraduate and Specialist in Education degrees from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, hopes to use her doctorate as a director in special education programs.
“Special education is very close to my heart. I have worked with students with special needs from pre-K all the way up through college,” she said.
The title of her dissertation was “Exploring Middle School Teacher Perception of Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education within a Metropolitan School District.” SC State’s Dr. Necati Engec was her dissertation chair.
“The premise was exploring middle school teachers’ perceptions of what trauma looks like,” Hamilton said. “We know that education has not always been equitable. I speak in terms of individuals with disabilities and in terms of multicultural circumstances. So, I was looking at those factors – looking at teachers’ perceptions of teachers of students who come in with different kinds of trauma, because you never know.
“What I want for the educational field is to start considering that when some children come in, it’s not always disabilities – they just have challenging life circumstances,” she said. “They could be dealing with a substance-abusing parent. They could be living through a natural disaster – think about the folks in Asheville from Hurricane Helene. Trauma covers a wide array of circumstances.”
For more information about SC State’s Doctor of Educational Leadership program, contact Dr. Percy Mack, chair of the Department of Educational Leadership, at Pmack1@scsu.edu or 803-516-4734. You will find information about all SC State fields of study at www.scsu.edu/academics.