Visiting Scholar Pierre Tulowitzki
By Julia Straka, ’21
With support from the University of Richmond offices of the Provost and International Education, the School of Professional & Continuing Studies was honored to host Dr. Pierre Tulowitzki as a Visiting Scholar from the Ludwigsburg University of Education (LUE) from June 21 to July 2, 2019.
Dr. Tulowitzki is an assistant professor at the Ludwigsburg University of Education (LUE) in Germany. He serves as the Director of the Department of International Educational Leadership and Management as well as the German Director of the International Education Management Program (INEMA), an international master’s program that is offered in collaboration with the Helwan University, Egypt.
Tulowitzki has conducted, published and presented research on a vast array of topics from the realm of educational leadership and school improvement. Through workshops and conferences, he works together with schools to navigate educational change. He serves as a board member of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) and as the Link Convenor of the Educational Leadership Network of the European Educational Research Association (EERA).
Tulowitzki’s visit to Richmond built on the foundation of a summer study abroad course, “Comparative Leadership in a Global Context,” which he co-taught during his visit and when the students travelled to Germany. During the course, SPCS graduate students studied human migration and leadership in Richmond, and then travelled to Germany to interact with Tulowitzki and other faculty from LUE and other German institutions.
Eleven SPCS graduate students in Nonprofit Studies, Education Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction, Teacher Education, and Human Resource Management travelled to LUE with Dr. Kate Cassada, Associate Professor of Education and Assistant Chair of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, at the end of July for the second iteration of this course.
As a Visiting Scholar, Tulowitzki had a busy agenda of engaging with the Richmond community.
June 24
In the morning, Adjunct Assistant Professor Dr. Harold Fitrer of Communities in Schools (CIS) hosted Tulowitzki to tour the CIS facility in Scott’s Addition, meet with CIS staff and families, and explore the role of CIS as a community support organization.
In the afternoon, Pierre engaged with the school leadership of Binford Middle School in the Fan.
June 25
In the morning, Tulowitzki gave an Osher Institute-sponsored lecture titled “A Comparative Look at Schools in the US and Germany and Their Systems of Accountability.”
In the afternoon, in collaboration with the Community Foundation, Dr. Andrew Scheoneman moderated an interactive discussion with Tulowitzki and local community leaders titled “What Does a School Look Like in the Context of a Community?” Tulowitzki also met with various local non-profits at Community Foundation’s offices in Scott’s Addition.
June 26
Tulowitzki and several members of the University of Richmond faculty met with Dr. Amy Cashwell, Superintendent of Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS), and other Henrico leaders to tour Henrico schools and discuss how schools serve our regional students, particularly focusing on Career and Technical Education and services for immigrant children and their families. Tulowitzki was also featured as a guest on the HCPS Career & Technical Education podcast, Henrico CTE Now.
Tulowitzki made a few more stops in Henrico County: he visited the Advanced Career Education Center at Hermitage High School and the ESL Welcome Center at Tucker High School.
He also visited an HCPS building site in the county’s East End with school board member Beverly Cocke, Superintendent Amy Cashwell, and a few faculty members from UR’s Department of Education.
June 28
Tulowitzki and Dr. Tom Shields, SPCS Associate Dean and Chair of Graduate Education, led a discussion with faculty in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies titled “The Study of Leadership with Global Students: The International Education Management (INEMA) Program at Ludwigsburg University of Education.”
Tulowitzki also taught a campus-based session of the Germany study abroad course, “Comparative Leadership in a Global Context,” to students who would later visit his home institution, Ludwigsburg Education University, later in the summer.
July 1
Tulowitzki traveled with Shields and Cassada to Washington, D.C., where he met with Jacque Moseley, Director of Educational Policy for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor, and lobbyist Carl Thorsen, who represents advocacy and education organizations with Thorsen French Advocacy.
