Legacy of championing students lives on through Glen Earthman Fellowship
The fellowship will help fund tuition and conference travel for select doctoral students in the educational leadership and policy studies program.
Many words could describe Glen Earthman: accomplished organist, world traveler, generous beyond measure, internationally known scholar, friend to many, and best friend to his wife, Julie.
But a common sentiment shared by those who knew him is that Earthman was a champion for his Virginia Tech students — right up until he passed away last March.
Earthman was a professor in the educational leadership and policy studies program and spent nearly five decades of his career at Virginia Tech. In the wake of his passing, his wife has established the Glen Earthman Fellowship to keep his legacy of helping students alive. The fellowship is available to doctoral candidates in the School of Education's educational leadership and policy studies program.
“Glen’s commitment to developing the next generation of school administrators is reflected in the incredibly generous gift that he and Julie have made to the School of Education,” said Gerard Lawson, interim director of the school. “It is simply poetic that the long commitment that Glen made to students and their research will continue long into the future, because he and Julie saw the value of supporting students who have committed their careers to education and development of K-12 students.”
Jodie Brinkmann, assistant professor of practice in the school's educational leadership program, was one of Earthman’s students.
“It’s because of him, his leadership, and legacy that we are still making strides,” she said. “We could not be more proud and thrilled that his wife, Julie, is helping us to carry on his legacy at Virginia Tech. Our graduate students are going to be so blessed by these gifts and contributions.”
Brinkmann isn’t the only School of Education faculty member who was one of Earthman’s students. He was the school’s chair during the time that Carol Cash, professor of practice in the educational leadership and policy studies program, was a student, and she continued to do research with him following her graduation.
“The research that students did was important to him. The students themselves and where they were in their learning process was important to him,” said Cash. “If he ever took on a student … it was his personal commitment that he was not giving up on them. If a student of his wanted to finish or get through [to graduation], he would work as long and as hard as that student would allow to help him or her.”
How the fellowship will open doors for students
The fellowship has an allocated total of $47,500 that will be used to support the academic and professional development of a select 15 doctoral student candidates. The candidates may receive $2,000 each toward their tuition.
The remaining $17,500 has been earmarked for state, national, and international conferences where doctoral candidates can present their research – an opportunity for students that was near and dear to Earthman’s heart. Thanks to his fellowship, that opportunity is now much more accessible to students.
According to Brinkmann, doctoral students in the educational leadership and policy studies program have never had such opportunities to help subsidize their attendance at conferences and share their research. With hotel expenses, registration fees, and travel, conferences may cost up to $1,000.
“Our students are accustomed to working hard,” Lawson said. “Graduate studies are challenging, and that hard work pays dividends in their personal and professional lives. But, the reality is that a gift to the School of Education, whether large like the Earthmans provided or more modest, can provide some much needed financial breathing room to students and allows them to more fully engage in the classroom and field work that is required. I hope that the Earthmans’ generosity serves as an inspiration to others, that there is so much to be gained in our communities when we take our good fortune and pay it forward.”
Applications will be emailed directly to students in the educational leadership and policy studies program by Charles Lowery, program leader and associate professor of educational leadership.
Earthman lives on beyond his namesake fellowship
Earthman had an indisputably impressive career. He served as executive director for school planning for Philadelphia Public Schools for about a decade, and he was an indispensable leader within the International Society for Educational Planning. He also was a founding father in the Virginia Educational Research Association, and he created the Commonwealth Assessment of Physical Environment along with Cash.
“Glen Earthman was a stellar faculty member throughout his long career at Virginia Tech,” Lawson said. “In fact, Glen continued to serve on dissertation committees and support students long after he concluded his 46 years working for Virginia Tech. He chaired over 80 dissertation committees, which is a reflection of both the deep admiration students had for Dr. Earthman and his passion for research and scholarship.”
Arguably, Earthman’s most important work cannot be found as a line in his curriculum vitae.
Even though he had not been teaching for the last few years, Earthman was actively chairing two dissertation committees at the time of his passing. He also served as a member on an additional dissertation committee with David Alexander, a professor in the educational leadership program, just three weeks before his passing.
Earthman and Alexander had a relationship that spanned 30 years. Alexander said he’s grateful for their friendship, and in particular, a story about the history of his cap and gown.
“My cap and gown – I was here so long that I wore it out. I wore out the elbows. And so about five years ago, I was headed to graduation and mentioned to Dr. Earthman that I ran over to the bookstore and rented one because I had to hood some students,” said Alexander. “Glen brought back his cap and gown, gave it to me, and said ‘you take it, but you have to promise you’ll pass it on to somebody else when you get rid of it.’”
Alexander has worn Earthman’s cap and gown at every commencement ceremony he has participated in since December 2022.
