Dr. Jennifer W. Purcell

Jennifer W. Purcell, Ed.D. is Professor of Public Administration and Associate Director in the School of Government and International Affairs at Kennesaw State University. Her scholarship, teaching, and leadership focus on strengthening higher education's civic mission by preparing ethical public leaders, advancing civic learning and public service, and building meaningful partnerships between universities and the communities they serve.

Academic Background
Purcell earned an Ed.D. in Adult Education with a specialization in Leadership, Learning, and Organization Development from the University of Georgia. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Organization Coaching from the University of Georgia, a Master of Public Administration from Valdosta State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Business Administration from Mercer University. Her interdisciplinary preparation informs her scholarship and leadership at the intersection of higher education, public administration, organizational leadership, and civic engagement.

Teaching, Mentoring, and Student Success
Purcell approaches teaching as leadership development. Her courses are designed to help students become thoughtful, ethical, and effective public leaders by integrating academic theory with applied practice, reflection, and community engagement. Throughout her career, Purcell has taught leadership, public administration, organizational change, program evaluation, and public policy across multiple academic disciplines and in undergraduate, graduate, co-curricular, and community settings. Within the School of Government and International Affairs, she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in public leadership, public administration, and public policy while integrating experiential learning, community partnerships, and civic engagement throughout the curriculum.

Beyond the classroom, Purcell is committed to developing others. She mentors faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers, provides coaching on scholarship and career development, supervises student research, and collaborates with colleagues to advance teaching, research, and community-engaged practice.

Research and Scholarly Activity
Purcell's scholarship examines how higher education institutions develop the leadership, partnerships, and organizational capacity needed to advance their civic mission. Her interdisciplinary research spans public administration, leadership, higher education, and community engagement.

Her current research explores civility and democratic learning in higher education, the development of institutional capacity for community engagement, and leadership development across organizational and community contexts. She collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and community partners to produce research that informs both scholarship and practice.

Purcell has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, secured more than $650,000 in external and internal funding, and presented her work at national and international conferences. Her scholarship has been recognized through numerous awards, including the 2026 KSU Faculty Award for Outstanding Professional Service and Community Engagement, the 2020 University College's Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity Award, the 2018 KSU Outstanding Early Career Faculty Award, and the 2016 AASCU John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders in Civic Engagement.

Leadership and Public Impact
Purcell's leadership extends beyond the university through strategic partnerships, professional associations, and collaborative initiatives that strengthen higher education's civic mission and expand opportunities for civic learning, public service, and community engagement. She collaborates with governmental, nonprofit, philanthropic, and higher education partners to develop initiatives that connect scholarship with practice and prepare students for careers in public service.

Her current leadership includes developing the Radow College Internship Fellows Program, Kennesaw State University's inaugural endowed internship program, designed to expand experiential learning and prepare students for careers in the nonprofit through immersive community-based internships. She also leads Kennesaw State University's partnership with the Georgia Democracy Resilience Network and The Carter Center, advancing collaborative initiatives that strengthen civic learning, public leadership, and university-community partnerships.

Purcell has held numerous leadership roles within state and national higher education organizations. Most recently, she served as Georgia State Chair of the American Council on Education (ACE) Women's Network, providing leadership for the statewide network and serving as liaison among institutions across the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and Georgia's private colleges and universities. In this role, she also served on the Executive Committee of the Georgia Association for Women in Higher Education.

Nationally, Purcell contributes to the advancement of community-engaged scholarship through editorial leadership and professional service. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, is a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, and regularly reviews manuscripts for journals in leadership, higher education, public administration, and community engagement. She is also a founding member of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium Professional Development Committee and has served as Past Chair of the Emerging Engagement Scholars Workshop and the Consortium's Marketing and Communications Committee.

In recognition of her community leadership, Purcell was selected as a 2023 Cobb Chamber Honorary Commander through a cooperative partnership with Dobbins Air Reserve Base, the Georgia National Guard, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Marine Corps.

Professional Service
Throughout her career, Purcell has served in numerous academic leadership roles that have advanced faculty success, graduate education, shared governance, strategic planning, and community engagement. In addition to her current role as Associate Director, she has served as Interim Director of the Master of Public Administration program, Interim Director of Faculty Success, Assistant Director for Engagement, Graduate Faculty Fellow, Interim Graduate Program Coordinator for the Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Ethics, and Faculty Consultant to Kennesaw State University's Office of Community Engagement.

Purcell has also held numerous elected and appointed leadership positions in university governance, including President of the Kennesaw State University Faculty Senate, member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, Vice President of AAUP@KSU, and chair of multiple college and university committees supporting academic programs, strategic planning, graduate education, and faculty affairs.

A Georgia native, Purcell resides in Kennesaw with her husband, their son, and their golden retriever, Daisy. Outside of the university, she enjoys archery, birding, kayaking, and serving her community through North Metro Church and Adopt-a-Golden Atlanta.

For additional information, Dr. Purcell may be reached via email at jwpurcell@kennesaw.edu. She can also be reached through the social media platforms linked below. Additional information is available on www.jenniferpurcell.com.