Ulrich "Rick" Reitzug
Ulrich C. (Rick) Reitzug is a Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations. Dr. Reitzug first came to UNCG in 1997 and served as chair of the ELC department from 1997 – 2007, other than one year during which he served as the Eugene T. Moore Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership at Clemson University. Prior to coming to UNCG, Dr. Reitzug served as a professor at several other universities. He began his educational career as a teacher and later served as a principal and assistant to the superintendent. In 1987 he completed his Ed.D. work at Indiana University and shortly thereafter left public school administration for the professorate. As a former principal, Dr. Reitzug’s research interests have revolved around leadership in the context of the principal’s work. He has been particularly interested in how principals can serve as leaders of schools that function as democracies, while preparing students for engaged life in a democracy. This focus has often crossed over into the areas of school purpose, instructional leadership, and school-based inquiry. He is the author of over 50 publications, including 2 co-authored books, 10 book chapters, and numerous articles in refereed professional journals including the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Leadership, the Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, Urban Education, and the Journal of School Leadership. He served as Senior Associate Editor for Educational Administration Quarterly for 5 years and as Editor of the Journal of School Leadership for 6 years. However, the work he enjoys most as a professor is teaching, advising, and working with students. In recent years Dr. Reitzug has also worked with the UNCG Office of Leadership and Service Learning, helping organize and participate in week-long trips to the New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast to assist with rebuilding efforts in the wake if Hurricane Katrina. These trips have provided an opportunity for him to engage in meaningful volunteer work, to be rejuvenated by the energy and idealism of undergraduate students, and have impressed upon him the significance of creating opportunities for service-based leadership for undergraduate students.