PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences
Executive Director and Dean of Student Affairs at Walden University
Fulbright Scholar and Author
Personal narrative meets global impact.
Growing up in poverty, an only child in a single-parent household, Dr. Walter McCollum envisioned something greater for himself in life. He saw early on how education can uplift and empower communities. At his church, there were two people with doctoral degrees and he saw the respect they garnered and the impact they had on those around them. “It left such an impression on me that I remember dreaming at just 7 years old of walking across the stage and being called Dr. McCollum,” he recalls. That memory stayed with Dr. McCollum throughout his success in the military and corporate world. He realized that he would need to achieve his dream of one day holding a PhD in order for the nonprofit he had established to have a global reach.
“Growing up, I saw what education could do for people. It gave them mobility and opportunities. I knew a doctoral degree would provide me with a platform to impact change globally.”
—Dr. Walter McCollum
A framework for success.
Walden entered the picture during a discussion with his colonel, who was working on his own dissertation. He saw a place for Dr. McCollum’s passion at Walden. Walter researched Walden immediately. He remembers, “The mission moved me so much I contacted an enrollment specialist that day.” The conversations he had with his enrollment specialist gave him a sense of belonging and connection. “My advisor was interested in me and my success and really set me up with a framework to move forward,” Dr. McCollum recalls.
See Dr. McCollum discuss his doctoral path.
A spirit of service.
Now a Fulbright scholar, Dr. McCollum can easily demonstrate the many ways his post-doctoral career has had a global impact. And as dean of student affairs at Walden, he’s ensuring more students have that opportunity by creating a Fulbright readiness program through Walden’s Virtual Fulbright Chapter.
Learn more about Walden’s Virtual Fulbright Chapter.