Seton Hall Magazine, Summer 2001 - TLTC Blogs - Seton Hall ...

Charles P. Mitchel ’66/M.A. ’70, Ed.D. (left), credits his mentor, John
Murphy ’64/M.A.E. ’67, (right), with much of his success. “He was my
closest friend and the single most influential person in my life,” Mitchel says.
Murphy, a former assistant men’s basketball coach, who joined Seton Hall
in 1960, passed away in May. He is fondly remembered by the University
community. “He was the heart and soul of Seton Hall,” Mitchel says.
Fleming [’40]; and mentors
such as Coach Richie Regan
[’53] and a very special man,
John Murphy [’64/M.A.E.’67,
the former assistant basketball
coach who passed away
in May], made me realize that
a teaching career is a way to
give back to the community.”
Not long after he began
teaching, Mitchel was
appointed principal of
Franklin School in Newark.
The New York Times in 1984
acknowledged his leadership
role in creating one of the
nation’s 10 best schools serving
urban youngsters. His
effective school leadership
also made news on CNN,
NBC and CBS.
“My decision to teach
and, ultimately, my choice of
Newark, was a ‘thank you’ to
some great people at Seton
Hall. They planted a seed that
had a great impact on my life,”
Mitchel says.
Over the years, Mitchel
has continued to enjoy a successful
career in education.
He has won many awards,
including the Educational
Leadership Award from the
Organization of African-
American Administrators
Association. His appointments
to distinguished boards and
committees include Phi Delta
Kappa and the National
Commission on Developing
Public Confidence in Schools.
In 1991, he was inducted into
Seton Hall’s Athletic Hall
of Fame for his outstanding
career as a Pirate, and in 1993
he received the coveted John
“Honey” Russell Award.
Since becoming chair of
Seton Hall’s Department of
Educational Administration
and Supervision, Mitchel
has influenced, created and
supported an aggressive,
proactive and forward-looking
agenda that has included the
following new programs:
■ the Executive Ed.D., a
cohort doctoral program for
practicing administrators;
■ the M.A in Human
Resources Training and
Development, which provides
training in designing
corporate education models
and continuing education
for the 21st century;
■ the Ph.D. in Higher Education
Administration, a highly
competitive doctoral program
designed to prepare students
for senior administrative
and policy roles in colleges
and universities;
■ the M.A. in Catholic School
Leadership, a cohort master’s
degree program for
current and future Catholic
school administrators
(the program is co-sponsored
with the Immaculate
Conception Seminary
School of Theology);
■ an innovative, online
master’s program with
a specialization in
“I began to realize early
on in my academic
career that the beauty
of the University was
not only in its majestic
campus, but resides
in the hearts and
minds of its people.”
educational administration
and supervision; and
■ The Center for Urban
Leadership, Renewal and
Research, which was established
to serve and develop
leadership capacity in
urban schools through the
application of theory to
inform practice within the
context of ethical principles
and spirituality. The
Center currently works
with Newark Public School
principals and other highlevel
administrators.
When asked about his goals
for the future, Mitchel says,
“I hope to be an example to
my students of the character,
values and spiritual ideals
that were present in the men
and women who guided and
influenced my life while a
student at Seton Hall.”
SUMMER 2001 11