Purpose & Vision | Staff | Testimonials

Purpose and Vision
The Educational Symposium for Research and Innovations (ESRI) provides strategic and significant support for the advancement of academic excellence and professional development for students and alumni of The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

The mission of the ESRI is to foster scholarly and professional development of students and alumni of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Through an annual conference ESRI accomplishes this mission by providing:

• A safe and nurturing environment wherein GSEHD students and alumni can present and receive feedback on their scholarly work for eventual submission to national conferences and refereed journals.
• Support for the advancement of academic excellence in dissertation research among doctoral candidates.
• An academic homecoming in which students and alumni can learn from each other, and where alumni can reconnect with their scholarly interests and rekindle friendships with faculty and colleagues.
• An opportunity for prospective students to engage with faculty, students, and alumni; to learn about the GSEHD community and our scholarly endeavors; and to discover why they should join us for fulfillment of their educational goals.

Staff

ESRI Student Chair

Brittany Maschal

Faculty Advisor

Rick C. Jakeman, Ed.D. - Assistant Professor and Cohort Coordinator, Higher Education Administration Program, Department of Educational Leadership

Testimonials

"I cannot tell you how much I appreciate ESRI. As a Chief Strategy Officer for a Department of Defense Regional Center, I do not have the time to research, write, publish and present like I
want to, but this venue is providing a unique opportunity for all of hat to take place and I am grateful. Thanks again for all that your team is doing."

Richard Berry, Ed.D
Dissertation Showcase presenter, ESRI 2008
Graduate School of Education and Human Development
The George Washington University

"ESRI provides students in the Department of Educational Leadership with a tremendous opportunity to try their wings at presenting and answering questions about their scholarly work to a tough, but friendly and fair audience made up of peers, faculty, and alumni. Experiences such as this, together with the feedback provided and lessons learned, might be invaluable when preparing for job interviews or presentations at national conferences.”

Ralph Mueller, Ph.D.
Professor of Educational Research and of
Public Policy and Public Administration
The George Washington University

“ESRI participation for Masters, EdS and doctoral students serves an important role in the development of leadership. It provides a valuable experience in the passage of socialization of students to the research culture at GWU, whether they are in the fledgling stages or close to finishing. It helps students build confidence in their ability to communicate about their research and helps them shift their view of self as individual learner to that of participant in a professional community of learners.”

Carol Kochhar-Bryant, Ed.D.
Professor, Special Education
The George Washington University

“ESRI has provided me with a forum to present scholarly work and to engage in wonderful discussions with students and faculty. The presentations I have made have been related to my dissertation research. The excellent feedback I have received from students and faculty has helped me in the development of my literature review and research design. Also, the ESRI is a great opportunity to meet students from other campuses and develop collegial relationships.”

Ray Francis, Ed.D.
Alumnus, Higher Education Administration
The George Washington University