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Endicott College Will Confer First Doctoral Degrees From Van Loan School

May 5, 2016-- Endicott College will confer doctoral degrees for the first time in the institution's 77-year history as part of its 2016 Spring Commencement exercises.

Two students, Emily Clucas and Mark Carlson, will speak briefly about their experiences as the first doctoral class at Endicott College at a hooding ceremony on Tuesday, May 17. They will also participate in the college’s commencement ceremony on May 21.

The graduation of these two doctoral students marks an important advancement for the College, which is the first on the North Shore to offer a doctoral program.

“Endicott has come a long way in the last few decades,” said Endicott President Dr. Richard Wylie. “We used to be a small, two-year women’s college and now we offer distinctive degree options ranging from associate’s to the Ph.D. and Ed.D. As an entrepreneurial college, the school focuses on an individualized approach to career and life success.”

Since the launching of this first Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership in Higher Education program in 2012, the Van Loan School at Endicott College has established a new EdD concentration focusing on PreK-12, a PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis, and a PhD in Nursing.

Emilie Clucas, the first doctoral student to defend her dissertation, began the program in 2012 with the goals of building leadership skills in higher education.

“I experienced applied learning like never before,” Clucas says about the program. “The faculty helped prepare me for the issues they and their colleagues are currently facing and will continue to face in the future. I am confident in my ability to solve problems now, compared to where I was when I began the program.”

Mark Carlson also joined the EdD program as part of the founding class in 2012. Currently the president of a private school serving children with special needs, Carlson says: “The faculty supporting and teaching in the doctoral program are some of the best in higher education. Endicott’s personal approach can't be replicated in large, generic programs.”

For more information, please call 978-232-2199 or visit VanLoan.endicott.edu. Learn more about Endicott College’s Commencement exercises at Endicott.edu/commencement.