Graduate College

The Graduate College
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5242 USA
(269) 387-8212

Current Dissertation Defenses

September 2025

Candidate: Rei Gordon
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Political Science
Title: Democracy in the Afrobarometer
Committee: Dr. Emily Hauptmann, Chair, Dr. Jim Butterfield, Dr. Frederic Schaffer
Time/Place: Friday, September 19, 2025, 10 a.m. to noon, 3301 Friedmann Hall

Candidate: Oluwarotimi Popoola 
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Mallinson Institute for Science Education
Title: Development of the Hydrogeology Concept Inventory and Exploration of its Embedded Spatial Thinking Components
Committee: Dr. Heather Petcovic, Chair, Dr. Peggy McNeal, Dr. Betty Adams
Time/Place: Monday, September 29, 2025, 6 to 8 p.m., 1408 Wood Hall

October 2025

Candidate: Brittany Page Brake
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Political Science
Title: Finding Utopia: An Examination of Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching Utopianism in U.S. College Classrooms
Committee: Dr. Emily Hauptmann, Chair, Dr. John Clark, Dr. Jil Larson
Time/Place: Thursday, October 9, 2025, 10 a.m. to noon, 3301 Friedmann Hall 

Candidate: Jeffrey Stark
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Mallinson Institute for Science Education
Title: Environmental Beliefs Among Evangelical Leadership
Committee: Dr. William Cobern, Co-Chair, Dr. Betty Adams, Co-Chair, Dr. Stephen Case
Time/Place: Monday, October 13, 2025, 6 to 8 p.m., 1408 Wood Hall

Candidate: Haley Hughes
For the degree of: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Psychology
Title: Pilot Study of the Barriers to Exercise Adherence and Motivation (BEAM) Questionnaire for Adults with Osteoarthritis
Committee: Dr. Jonathan Baker, Chair, Dr. Anthony DeFulio, Dr. Stephanie Peterson, Dr. Rodney Weir
Time/Place: Monday, October 20, 2025, 1 to 3 p.m., 2734 Wood Hall

Previous dissertation defenses have been digitized and archived by the Western Michigan University Libraries ScholarWorks Dissertations page. Use the advance search located on the left side of the page to get dissertations sorted by author, subject, department, year published, and more.