This case study report will identify modifications made to a traditional leadership program's structures and the effects of the work on faculty perceptions of non-traditional doctoral programs. Union Free School District is the only school district to ever be taken over by the state. A nearby university's research-based educational leadership department created a new doctoral cohort program for the sole purpose of preparing Union Free School District's current school leaders to reverse the district's course and restore its credibility. This case study explores the journey of an emerging relationship between the university and the school district. Through a document analysis of evidence we will determine how this innovative Union cohort leadership program is affecting institutionalized structures of the traditional cohort leadership program.