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Since 1975, WISR has successfully supported the creative, community involved, educational efforts of hundreds of adult learners through its highly personalized, socially progressive and interdisciplinary BS, MS and EdD programs. WISR students and the communities with which they are involved, reflect great geographic, intellectual and cultural diversity. WISR’s extraordinary students and faculty together have created a dynamic and inquiring learning community where multiculturalism matters.

WISR (“Wiser”) is known as a premier academic institute for social change since its inception in 1975. WISR offers individualized BS, MS and Doctoral degree programs for working adults. Areas of study are: Psychology (an MS program that leads to the State’s Marriage and Family Therapy License as well as for those seeking to become a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor), BS in Community Leadership and Justice (which draws on such areas as Social Sciences, Human Services and Community Development), an MS in Education and Community Leadership, and an EdD (Doctor of Education) in Education and Social Change. Over the years, our interdisciplinary EdD program* in Higher Education and Social Change has been an exceedingly popular program for talented and highly innovative professionals and community leaders. *Since June 1, 2013, WISR has admitted all new doctoral students to an EdD program, while previously enrolled doctoral students are allowed to complete their PhDs. We made the decision to switch the designation of the PhD program to an EdD program to enable us to explore the possibility of seeking national accreditation with an accrediting agency that is approved to accredit professional doctoral degrees.

Distance Learning: WISR offers distance learning to all students, as well as the option to meet with faculty and students on site, in advising sessions, seminars, study groups and conferences. All seminars, study groups and conferences are available to students both on site and from a distance by internet and phone access to video and audio conferences with those on site. To be admitted, students must: 1) demonstrate that they are capable of successfully studying from afar, and 2) have adequate internet and telephone access, to enable them to participate in frequent telephone and/or video conferences. Students who are nearby or visiting the Bay Area are always invited to meet with faculty and other students on site, and to participate in seminars on site (that are also always accessible by phone and video conference over the internet).

At WISR, like at most colleges and universities, students use the attainment of an academic degree to give them added credibility in the pursuit of career advancement. In most academic programs, a student first gets a degree, and then uses that degree to qualify for a particular type of job. At WISR, by contrast, students are assisted and encouraged to pursue career objectives while they are enrolled, and to use their projects at WISR as part of this pursuit.

Indeed, WISR faculty make conscious and concerted efforts to help WISR students to design learning activities (action projects, writings and research) which will build bridges to each student’s desired career path and objectives. For this reason, many WISR alumni believe that it was very significant that WISR gave them the academic, social and emotional support, and impetus, to develop and embark on their own self-defined, and oftentimes, very distinctive, career paths, while they were still in the midst of their studies at WISR. They have often commented on the value they place on the personalized assistance they received from WISR faculty, to not limit their visions by the definitions of existing jobs, and to enable them to construct their studies at WISR in ways that were both visionary and realistic in pursuing the next steps of a personally meaningful life path.

Primary Staff: John Bilorusky, PhD is the President—the Chief Executive and Academic Officer. Vera Labat, MPH, is the Chief Financial Officer, Marilyn Jackson, PhD, is Executive Assistant to the President, Dalia Liang is Administrative Officer, and Mark Wilson is Learning Technologist.