Culbertson, Jack

Jack Culbertson's contributions to the study of educational administration can be traced through his publications and presentations and his work as executive director of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) from 1959 to 1981. During this period, the UCEA was housed at The Ohio State University.

Culbertson (1918–), was born in Nickelsville, Virginia, received an AB from Emory and Henry College in education and psychology, a master of arts degree from Duke University in German and philosophy, and a PhD from the University of California in educational administration and communication. His public school teaching experiences were at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels, and he served as a teaching principal and superintendent. Prior to becoming executive director of UCEA, Culbertson was an assistant professor of education at the University of Oregon (1955–1959). Following his work as executive director, Culbertson was an adjunct professor at Ohio State University.

Culbertson's contributions to the scholarship of educational administration are found in the works he published, alone and with others, that focus on [Page 246]administrator preparation, preparation programs, theory in educational administration, computers and technology in preparation programs, planning, the professorship, and international networking. His 1995 book, Building Bridges: UCEA's First Two Decades, is both a history of UCEA and an autobiography of Culbertson.

Culbertson was involved in a diverse array of initiatives. His affinity for 5-year plans is reflected in how he describes the focus of his work: international organizations (1964–1969), large urban simulations (1969–1974), and university-school system partnerships designed to address the gap between knowledge and practice (1974–1979).

He described the international intervisitation programs that occurred every 4 years, beginning in 1966, and the corresponding publications that emerged from these visits as a significant contribution to the field of educational administration. These programs fostered the creation of international networks and facilitated the exchange of ideas about the training of educational administrators. He identified Preparing Administrators: New Perspectives (1962), coauthored with Stephen Hencley, as an important contribution to the literature of educational administration.

He coedited a series of booklets on the Monroe City Simulations and their uses. The simulations were reality oriented, shaped by facts about an urban school system, its settings, and its problems. According to Culbertson, effective training programs should not only transmit knowledge but should also provide trainees opportunities to apply it. The simulations were designed to strengthen the clinical dimensions of training programs. The development of these materials involved 182 professors from 40 different universities. More than 20,000 administrators were trained using these materials. Other UCEA simulations included Jefferson Township, Madison School District, and Adams District. Culbertson also coedited a series of UCEA-ERIC monographs.

Culbertson was an advisor to the U.S. Office on Training and Research Proposals, the Ford Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Education Commission of the States, and the Pan American Union on “Leadership Development in Latin American Countries.” He served on the executive committee of the National Conference of Professors of Educational Administration, the 1964 Yearbook Commission of the National Society for the Study of Education, the editorial board of the Educational Administration Quarterly, the editorial board of the Journal of Educational Administration, and as vice president of the American Educational Research Association.

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