College of Education and Human Development

Meet Vee: K-12 Leadership

"If you're considering doing this program at Western, go ahead and do it, because you're going to get all the tools you need to be an effective leader."

With more than 26 years of experience in K–12 education and administration, Ms. Viloshinee “Vee” Murugan is a passionate advocate for equity, leadership, and lifelong learning. A resident of Saginaw County for the past three years, Vee currently serves as Secondary Curriculum and Instruction Specialist with Midland Public Schools, where she supports administrators and educators in advancing instructional excellence and student success.

A proud graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Vee holds a Bachelor of Arts in Pedagogics in Education and earned her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University. She is now pursuing her Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership at WMU, continuing her mission to create inclusive, high-performing learning environments.

Throughout her distinguished career, Vee has combined her expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with her strong foundation in leadership and instructional design. As a certified DEI instructor and trainer, she partners with districts, educators, and community organizations to facilitate professional learning, administer the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and guide schools in evaluating their systems and practices through an equity lens. Her professional journey also includes years of service as an Educational Consultant in Calhoun County, where she worked closely with teachers and principals to strengthen instructional and leadership practices.

Beyond her work in education, Vee is deeply involved in her community. She serves on the Riverfront Development Commission (City of Saginaw), the Saginaw Building Authority, and the YWCA Board of Directors. A graduate of the Henry Marsh Institute of Public Policy, Beyond Equity Cohort, Racial Equity Cohort (MDE), and Leadership Saginaw Cohort, Vee continues to be a driving force for positive change both within schools and throughout her community.

“Educational leadership is about empowering others,” Vee says. “Whether it’s students, teachers, or administrators, I believe in helping people recognize their strengths and build the confidence to lead with purpose.”

Through her work, research, and leadership, Ms. Murugan embodies the spirit of WMU’s Educational Leadership program—transforming education through reflection, inclusion, and vision.

Why did you choose Western for educational leadership?

So I chose Western for this program because I was interested in the whole research part, and I read that Western's educational leadership program feeds into a lot of the research that's out there. And when I completed my masters in educational leadership, doing my doctoral program was the next step. So that's why I chose it.

What about the program stands out to you?

What stands out is the ongoing support that we get from our professors. They make sure that we have everything that we need that we prepared. So there isn't any guessing games and what we have to do. Everything that we learn is relevant and things that we can walk away with and apply to what we're doing.

Describe a project you've worked on that has stayed with you and how it's helped you in your career.

So one of the projects that I worked on was with the High Impact Leadership Team. I was part of the research team and so qualitative research is part of my upcoming dissertation. And so through working on this program, I was able to get a lot of hands on experience on how to do the interviewing, the coding and all of that process. So there were lots of opportunities for me to learn about the research projects and research methods that I will be using when I do my dissertation.

Is there you want to say about the program that you think prospective students would want to know?

So when I did the masters, I didn't know what to expect. I had heard all of these stories about how difficult it is to do the online program. But through Western I met the faculty and everybody was so welcoming. If you have any issues, they work with you and can give you access to tutoring, They have open hours and so you fully feel supported the whole time.

And if you're unclear about something, they're just an email or a call away. So my suggestion is if you're considering doing the educational leadership program through Western, go ahead and do it, because you're going to get all the tools you need to be an effective leader.

K-12 Leadership at WMU

Students wishing to develop leadership skills and serve as a superintendent or other central office administrator within a school district serving elementary and secondary students will want to pursue this program in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology at Western Michigan University.

Students completing this concentration may also receive one or more endorsements indicating that they would have met the state requirements for various K-12 administrative certificates (e.g., superintendent; central office).

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