Viterbo faculty member Shannon McManimon knows the potential of the Viterbo ethical leadership doctorate program.
“We’re empowering our students to be the kind of change our world needs,” said McManimon, the director.
The 40 students in the program come from a wide variety of backgrounds and professions, including health care, business, education, and the non-profit sector.
“Often people only discuss issues with others in the same field, but our doctorate brings together people with different perspectives who learn from and with each other,” McManimon said.
The ethical leadership program is offered as a Doctor of Education (EdD) degree by itself or with a Wisconsin superintendent license. It is designed to enhance such skills as change management, collaboration, decision making, analysis, and self-reflection.
McManimon, who earned undergraduate degrees in history and sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University and a PhD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Minnesota, was hired as the founding director of Viterbo’s newest doctorate in August of 2023. She said both Viterbo and the position are great fits for her.
“I went to a small liberal arts school, so I understand the value of close relationships and an emphasis on teaching,” McManimon said. “I also really enjoy working with adults as learners. They work full-time, are active in their professions, and don’t want to just learn about ethical leadership, but rather implement it out in the world.”
In her spare time, McManimon likes knitting (especially baby items for friends and colleagues), hiking, and gardening. She is working to become a certified master gardener through the University of Minnesota extension office.
As the ethical leadership doctorate program nears the end of its third year, feedback from the students has been very positive. McManimon and other faculty will continue to evaluate it and make adjustments to best meet their needs.
“I’m excited because I get to learn all the time,” she said. “That’s the reason I’m in higher education—the opportunity to learn from and with students.”
