December doctoral recipients announced
Jan. 12, 2001
KALAMAZOO -- Twenty-one students (see below) received doctoral degrees from Western Michigan University at the end of fall session in December.
Thirteen students received doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, seven earned doctor of education (Ed.D.) degrees, and one earned a doctor of public administration (D.P.A.) degree. The degrees were awarded in 12 fields: counseling psychology; counselor education; educational leadership; English; history; physics; political science; public administration; psychology; science studies; sociology; and special education.
Media contact: Jessica English, 616 387-8400, jessica.english@wmich.edu
December 2000 doctoral recipients
Mayda Alejandra Bahamonde-Gunnell of Rockford, Mich., received an Ed.D. degree in educational leadership. The title of her dissertation was "Teachers' Perceptions of School Culture in Relation to Job Satisfaction and Commitment."
Augustine E. Bessong of Port Valley, Ga., received a Ph.D. degree in counseling psychology. The title of his dissertation was "The Effects of Colonization on the Career Development and Occupational Choices of African Students Studying in the United States."
Terrance Edwin Brisbin of Wyoming, Mich., earned his Ph.D. degree in science studies. The title of his dissertation was "An Account of Novice Phylogenetic Tree Construction from the Problem-Solving Research Tradition." The son of the late Rev. Lawrence and Mildred Brisbin of Grand Rapids, Mich., he earned his bachelor's degree from Aquinas College and master's degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Notre Dame. A teacher at Lee High School in Wyoming, the 61-year-old Brisbin completed his doctoral degree over a period of 17 years.
Jeffrey T. Conklin of Leesburg, Ga., earned his Ed.D. degree in special education. The title of his dissertation was "The Effect of Presentation Media on Student Reading Comprehension." The son of Lloyd T. and Joyce Conklin of Sun City Center, Fla., Conklin earned his bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University and a master's degree from Aquinas College. He is an assistant professor and special education program coordinator at Albany State University.
Bruce Allan Evans of New Lathrop, Mich., received his Ed.D. degree in educational leadership. The title of his dissertation was "Can Principals' Personality Traits Predict Their Risk-Taking: Uncertainty and Success Orientation as They Relate to Risk Propensity."
Robert W. Galler Jr. of Kalamazoo, received a Ph.D. in history. The title of his dissertation, which was inspired by four years of secondary teaching experience on American Indian reservations, was "Environment, Cultures, and Social Change on the Great Plains: A History of Crow Creek Tribal School." The son of Marianne and Robert W. Galler of Huntington, N.Y., he earned a bachelor's degree at the State University of New York at Albany and master's degrees at Yale Divinity School and the University of South Dakota. Galler is currently a visiting assistant professor of history at WMU.
Mattie P. Hampton of Grand Rapids, Mich., earned her Ed.D. degree in educational leadership. The title of her dissertation was "Public School Principals' Perceptions in Accredited and Non-Accredited Elementary Schools Regarding Strategies to Improve Student Performance on the Michigan Education Assessment Program." The daughter of Emma Huff, Hampton is the principal of Lincoln School in the Grand Rapids Public Schools system. She earned her bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University and her master's degree from the University of Detroit.
Lisa R. Wyatt Knowlton of Battle Creek, Mich., earned her Ed.D. degree in educational leadership. The title of her dissertation was "An Exploratory Study of Michigan Grantmaker Attributes and Competencies." The daughter of Meg and Les Walton of Traverse City, Mich., Wyatt Knowlton earned her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and her master's degree from WMU. A Kellogg National Leadership Fellow and an Aspen Institute Doctoral Dissertation Fellow, she is president of Third/Sector/Strategies.
Cynthia L. Kujawski of Granger, Ind., received her Ed.D. degree in educational leadership. The title of her dissertation was "Teacher Perceptions of Collaborations and Engagement in Five Twenty-First Century Restructuring Schools in Indiana." The daughter of Lorraine Dobrzykowski of Mishawaka, Ind., and the late Ed Dobrzykowski, she is a speech pathologist with the South Bend Community School Corp. Kujawski earned bachelor's and master's degrees in speech pathology from Purdue University and Michigan State University, respectively, and an Ed.S. degree from Indiana University.
Cheryl Anne Lauber of East Lansing, Mich., received her D.P.A. degree in public administration. The title of her dissertation was "Developmental, Psychosocial, and Economic Predictors of Healthy Newborns in Michigan's Teenage Pregnancies."
Carin M. Ness of Normal, Ill., earned her Ph.D. degree in counseling psychology. The title of her dissertation was "Emotional Expressiveness and Problematic Behaviors Among Male Juvenile Sexual Offenders, General Offenders, and Nonoffenders." The daughter of Arlin and Barbara Ness of Albion, Mich., she is a staff counselor with Illinois State University Student Counseling Services.
Nadine Joy Pelling, formerly of Kalamazoo, received a Ph.D. degree in counseling psychology. The title of her dissertation was "Supervisory Identity Development and Its Relationship to Supervisory Experience, Counseling Experience, and Training in Supervision." Pelling is currently with the School of Health at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW, Australia.
Andra Mihaela Petrean of Irving, Texas, earned her Ph.D. in physics. The title of her dissertation was "The Effects of Radiation Damage on the Vortex Dynamics of High Temperature Superconductors."
Cynthia C. Phillips of Battle Creek, Mich., received her Ph.D. degree in educational leadership. The title of her dissertation was "Issues of Factoral Invariance Inherent in Conceptual Change: Teachers' Evolving Perceptions of Classroom Practice." Phillips owns her own consulting firm, Decision Catalyst Inc. She earned her bachelor's degree from Indiana University and a master's degree from WMU.
Jeffrey Fitzpatrick Porter of Flushing, Mich., earned a Ph.D. degree in psychology. The title of his dissertation was "Venture Behavioral Health Southwestern Michigan Treatment of Depression Collaborative Study: The Effectiveness of Behavioral Activation Group Therapy: An Initial Investigation."
John C. Rasmussen of Battle Creek, Mich., received an Ed.D. degree in educational leadership. The title of his dissertation was "Teachers' Use of Instructional Alignment in Michigan Fifth Grade Classrooms and the Relationship of Use to Student MEAP Scores in Writing." The son of Virginia Rasmussen of Marshall, Mich., he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Iowa.
Nancy A. Rosenau of Livonia, Mich., earned her Ph.D. degree in counselor education. The title of her dissertation was "Membership at Risk: Representation of Disability in Popular Counselor Education Textbooks."
Candace W. Ross of Kalamazoo received a Ph.D. degree in counselor education. The title of her dissertation was "Journey to Self: The Experience of Inner Life of Helping Professionals." A counselor at Paw Paw High School, Ross also holds a bachelor's degree and two master's degrees.
Maurice Cortez Sheppard of Alma, Mich., received a Ph.D. degree in political science. The title of his dissertation was "The Federal Election Commission: An Analysis of Administrative Behavior."
Greg R. Smith, formerly of Farmington, Mich. received his Ph.D. degree in English. The title of his dissertation was "Dark Side of the Dream: The Social Gothic in Vietnam Era America." The son of Richard and Linda Smith of Ann Arbor, Mich., and a 1988 graduate of Farmington High School, Smith earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from WMU. Currently living in Kalamazoo, he is an assistant professor at WMU.