This paper reports the work of a spring 1999 class of beginning-level students in educational administration who were challenged by their professor either to define the term "professionalism" for the field or to cease using the term. In accepting the challenge to find meaning in the term, the students researched the literature, talked with other aspiring leaders, and interviewed practitioners. Working in cooperative-learning groups of four or five members, they determined four areas of study for their work: (1) factors impacting the field currently and in the future; (2) attitudes and behavior; (3) skills, abilities, and knowledge; and (4) personal management, for example, dealing with stress, managing time, and finding balance between personal and professional lives. This paper reports findings in the four areas and suggests what specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes professional educational administrators need to succeed in practice, such as a high degree of self-knowledge, the ability to lead by example and model behavior they wish others to demonstrate, the ability to see themselves as vision-builders, and the ability to strive to nurture a healthy emotional intelligence. (Contains 27 references.) (DFR)