Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Whether Survivors Of Domestic Violence Perceive Ifps As More Helpful Than Other Available Support Resources, Aleidys Lopez Romero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Injunctions for protection (also known as restraining orders or civil protection orders) are often used by survivors as a line of defense against continued instances of physical violence or stalking by abusers (Houseman et al., 2024). This study aims to fill these gaps by examining whether survivors of domestic violence perceive IFPs as more helpful than other available support resources. Understanding this process may offer important insights into IFP accessibility, survivor perspectives, and/or alternative resources that may be equally, if not more, helpful to survivors than IFPs. Grounded in Gondolf & Fisher’s (1988) Survivor Hypothesis and Kimberlé Crenshaw’s (1989) Structural …

Παράδοσις: A Comparative Analysis Of Paul And Oneness Pentecostals, John Calvin Carroll

Masters Theses

Tradition is an inescapable element of institutional life, including religious institutions. Traditions inevitably emerge whether in churches, corporations, families, or nations. Within the Christian faith, the critical issue is not the presence of tradition, but the authority and function ascribed to it. This study concerns itself with the role of tradition in both individual and communal expressions of Christianity. Traditions can foster cohesion and identity within Christian communities. However, their specific forms often vary across cultural contexts—for instance, between churches in North America and other continents worldwide. Traditions about men’s and women’s modesty may take on different forms between North …

Practicing Joy In A Midwest Winter, Sarah Moss

Staff Work

"There is something to be learned from inconvenient things."

Posting about finding blessings in our circumstances from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Practicing Joy in a Midwest Winter

A Collostructional Approach To The Concealed Passive Construction In English, Rok Sim, Jungsoo Kim

Faculty Publications

This study investigates the English concealed passive construction (CPC), as in the car needs washing, using authentic corpus data. While previous research has explored certain aspects of the CPC, little attention has been given to strongly associated matrix verbs (or verb types) and interactions between matrix verbs (or verb types) and other elements of the construction. To address these issues, we apply three types of collostructional analysis, and our findings indicate that no single, straightforward pattern emerges with respect to real-life grammatical properties of the CPC. We then show that the well-known distinction between raising and control constructions, formalized …

2026-03-10 Minutes, Morehead State University. Staff Congress.

Staff Congress Records

Staff Congress meeting minutes from March 10, 2026.

The Lesser-Known Choral Works Of Camille Saint-Saëns, Nicholas Newman

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

This conference-style presentation will focus on the repertoire of Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921). While his Ave Maria setting and Requiem Mass have continued to be widely performed well after his death, Saint-Saëns left behind an oeuvre of over sixty choral works. This presentation aims to highlight these works, making them applicable for choral ensembles of a variety of size, level, and voicing. Saint-Saëns’s choral output consists of triumphant, nationalistic TTBB settings, several accessible motets, SSA and SATB pieces depicting mythology, nature, and romantic heroes’ journeys, and even chansons featuring the composer’s own poetry. Score packets will be provided in advance, as …

Reform, Resistance, And Reluctant Change: The Southern Hookworm Epidemic In Progressive Era Georgia, 1909-1915, Hannah Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the early twentieth century, the campaign against hookworm disease in the American South became one of the most ambitious public health initiatives in United States history. Led by the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission for the Eradication of Hookworm Disease (1909–1915), reformers sought to diagnose, treat, and ultimately eliminate a parasitic infection believed to contribute to widespread poverty, poor health, and low educational attainment in the rural South. This dissertation examines the hookworm eradication campaign in Georgia to explore how national public health reform intersected with local culture, education, race relations, and regional identity. Drawing on Georgia newspapers, Rockefeller Sanitary Commission …

The Impact Of Transformational Leadership Theory On Leadership Opportunities For Black Women In Black Protestant Churches, Jasmine Y. Lafayette

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Due to changes within society and theological leanings, more Christian leadership opportunities are available for leaders within predominantly Black churches. Campbell-Reed (2018) found that women make up 50 to 75% of the membership in these congregations yet assumed less than 10% of church leadership and perhaps 1% of pastors (p. 2). With such a robust representation of Black women, are they equally represented in leadership roles and opportunities? While there is ample space for speculation about these low percentages, there is also space for exploring the experiences of women regarding leadership opportunities. Transformational leadership theory assumes that the relationship between …

The Genuine Nature Of Worship In The Scriptures: Bowing Before God As An Act Of Submission, Michael Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The various translations of the Scriptures use the word worship over 250 times in both the Old and New Testaments. Unfortunately, many Christians and even scholars do not understand the meaning of worship and the purpose for doing it. It is pivotal, however, for Christians to understand the meaning and purpose for worship when directed toward God so they may live in obedience to him. The thesis of this dissertation will be that although Christians presume that worship means to praise God, the Scriptures teach that worship means to bow before God as an act of submission as he establishes …

Training The Church To Support Sufferers Of Mental Illness Through Comfort Clinics, Jonathan D. Blankenship

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem at Laurel Baptist Church (LBC) is the lack of trained members who are equipped to support those suffering from mental illness. The purpose of this DMIN action research project is to create Comfort Clinics, a structured program to train members to support sufferers of mental illness. Normative-sized churches are often uninformed on the topic of mental illness. Subsequently, in those environments, stigmas are nurtured, sufferers feel unseen, and church members lack the necessary training to provide the comfort and support that mental sufferers need. Building on the ecclesiastical call to “comfort those who are in any affliction” (2 …

From Divine Absence To Eternal Presence: Reframing The Jeremianic Temple-City Abandonment Motif From Its Ancient Near Eastern Roots To Its Fulfillment In Christ As The Ultimate Yahwistic Temple, Patrick Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation offers a canonical-theological and comparative study of temple destruction, divine absence, and the logic of return by tracing a five-stage “temple-city abandonment” motif across two corpora: the Sumerian City Laments (and related balag̃ material) and the biblical canon. The Sumerian laments depict the catastrophic loss of temple and city within a deterministic world where divine decisions often appear opaque, emotionally volatile, and only tenuously repairable through ritual lament and reconstruction. By contrast, the biblical narrative interprets the same crisis within a covenantal grammar: Jerusalem’s fall is grounded in articulated covenant breach, responsibility is named and confessed through prophetic …

Practices And Ethics In The Act Of Transmission In Social Work In A Disrupted Environment, Ana-Luana Deram, Ségolène Payan

Journal of Social Care

At the dawn of the 21st century, we are witnessing demographic, sociological, professional and institutional changes that accompany educational policies and transformations in social work training, giving rise to paradoxical demands sometimes being placed on educators. Like a beacon, adherence to an ethic of consideration in transmission through teaching, sharing and comprehension, nourish the reflection associated with the support of today's social work students.

En ce début de XXIème siècle nous sommes témoins des changements démographiques, sociologiques, professionnels et institutionnels qui accompagnent les politiques éducatives et les mutations de la formation en travail social, à l’origine des injonctions paradoxales parfois …

Predicting Income Satisfaction From Artists’ Annual Income And Collegiate Embedded Entrepreneurial Knowledge And Skills, Joy Albert Quarmout

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, predictive correlational study was to determine how accurately income satisfaction could be predicted from a linear combination of annual income and inclusion of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills curricula in liberal arts education programs among public college graduates within the past ten years. A purposive sample of 87 graduates was drawn from universities with established art programs who graduated one to ten years ago. The planned behavior theory formed the logic model that guided the thought process, attitude, and reasoning behind this study. The research instrument, The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project: Survey Questionnaire, served as …

"Hoch Der Kaiser, Der Kaiser Killed A Cat." An Examination Of Anti-German Sentiment In Print In The British Empire During The Great War: Australia And New Zealand, 1914-1918, Grace A. Bailey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The unprecedented rise in anti-German sentiment across the British Empire during World War I, 1914-1918, was intensified by an “us vs. them” mentality that was reflected daily in the newspapers of the Empire. However, the intense hatred expressed in Antipodean newspapers surpassed that of the rest of the Empire. This dissertation examines the explicit role newspapers in Australia and New Zealand played in inciting Germanophobia among the public and the societal consequences that followed. Ultimately, the hatred led to the internment of those with German heritage, despite their naturalized status. Along the way, however, German Australians changed their last names, …

Nascar's Transformation From Regional Pastime To National Spectacle, 1990 To 2004, Brett James

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, experienced a rapid rise in popularity during the 1990s and early 2000s. Although the sport originated in the postwar southeastern United States and initially drew a largely regional fan base, by the late-1990s it enjoyed a national following and expanded its race schedule across the country. During this period, NASCAR underwent significant changes that affected nearly every aspect of the sport, including its drivers, manufacturers, and the format determining the season champion. Led by the France family, the sport’s owners since its inception in 1948, the industry pursued these changes in …

Deuteronomy As A Meta-Hermeneutic To Understand The Land Promise In The Abrahamic Covenant, Alan Leonard Schafer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One component of the Abrahamic Covenant in Gen 12:1–3 is the promise of land. This promise is reiterated to Abraham in Gen 12:7; 13:14–17; 15:7; 15:18–19, and 17:8, then to Isaac in Gen 26:3–5, and finally to Jacob in Gen 28:4 and 28:13–15. Numerous references in the Pentateuch refer to this promise, often using the phrases “the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” and “the land He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Although reading the Pentateuch would lead one to believe the Abrahamic land promise refers to an actual piece of real estate with boundaries, many today question …

Doctor Of Ministry Final Portfolio: Developing A Diverse Educational Curriculum For Truthwins.Com Supporting Its Global Prospective On Individual’S Spiritual Formation, Gaelyn Whitley Keith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This portfolio presents the development of a diverse educational curriculum for Truthwins.com designed to support its global mission of fostering individual spiritual formation across cultural, social, and theological boundaries. The project integrates biblical principles, intercultural competency, and contemporary educational practices to cultivate rounded spiritual growth among learners worldwide. Drawing on theological reflection, qualitative research, and practical ministry applications, the study outlines a framework that embraces inclusivity, promotes critical engagement with spiritual formation, and equips participants to embody authentic discipleship in diverse contexts. The resulting curriculum aims to inspire transformative learning experiences that unify spiritual development with Truthwins.com’s commitment to truth, …

Rivalry, Risk, And Ruin: The Economic Politics Of Antebellum Florida, Tyler Mudd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation investigates the interplay of land speculation, legal authority, and political governance in the Florida Territory from 1821 to 1845. Centered around the extensive Forbes and Innerarity land claims carried over from the Spanish period, the litigation and politics are demonstrative of the territorial administration and was profoundly shaped by a concentrated cohort. This faction of legally trained officeholders and investors, figures such as Joseph M. White, Richard K. Call, James, Gadsden, and William P. DuVal, operated as governing nucleus. Their ability and command of statutes, access to federal patronage, and strategic involvement allowed them to use land speculation, …

Paul’S Use Of Μυστηριον In His Epistles To New Testament Churches, Daniel G. Hutchins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The world in which the apostle Paul ministered was not one where the religious landscape was blank and there was no competition for worldviews. Indeed, the cultural forces of Judaism, Hellenism, and Roman imperialism produced an environment where numerous religious belief systems were present including Jewish apocalypticism and mysticism, Greco–Roman mystery religions, and imperial worship. Paul found himself preaching a message that had to stand on its own merits in an environment that had been religiously conditioned for centuries. Typical of their parent culture, competing religious systems of Paul’s day took different views of Christianity. For Judaism, Christianity represented a …

Florida’S Impact On The War Of 1812, Corey M. Booth

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation challenges the traditional historiography of the War of 1812, which favors maritime disputes and northern campaigns, by demonstrating that Florida constituted a central theater whose strategic significance has been systematically understudied. Drawing upon multi-archival research in Spanish, British, and American sources and employing a borderlands analytical framework, this study argues that three interconnected imperatives, not discrete motivations, shaped American policy toward Florida during the conflict. First, Florida represented a critical national security vulnerability: British forces exploited Spanish colonial weakness to establish military footholds, armed Creek and Seminole allies, and thereby threatened the entire southern frontier with coordinated indigenous-imperial …

A Descriptive Phenomenological Study Of South Texas Non-Denominational Hispanic Ministry Leaders' Spiritual Formation Through Total Worship, Wendy Méndez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Spiritual formation transforms a believer’s relationship with Christ. For ministry leaders, especially volunteers, this process may be enhanced through worship practices. Understanding worship as a holistic lifestyle—beyond just musical or liturgical expression—had a profound influence on participants’ personal and spiritual development in this study. Despite the abundance of literature on worship and spiritual formation, a gap existed in understanding how total worship influenced the spiritual lives of volunteer leaders, particularly in culturally diverse communities. This study addressed the lack of research on the role of total worship in the spiritual formation of volunteer leaders in predominantly Hispanic, English-speaking, non-denominational, charismatic …

Sacred Space, Divine Presence, And Covenant: A Theological Trajectory From Eden To The Indwelling Spirit Across The Pentateuch And The Book Of Joshua, William C. Merry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation thesis is that sacred space, divine presence, and covenant are a theological triad that gives form to the canonical progression from Eden through the Pentateuch into Joshua and finds its eschatological orientation in the indwelling Spirit. The project as a whole, and its treatment of Genesis–Deuteronomy and Joshua in particular, maintains that the presence of God is never conceived independently of a covenantal relationship and is thereby always concretized, i.e., spatialized in and through the site or locale of the sacred space: Eden, the tabernacle, the land, and the sanctuary at Shiloh. Each of these stages in the …

Book Review Of, Invading The American Canon: Translators Of Russian Literary Fiction, 1863-1984, Cassio De Oliveira

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Book Review of, Invading the American Canon: Translators of Russian Literary Fiction, 1863-1984

Comfort Beyond Grief: The Influence Of Brazilian Spiritism On Grief, Maria Luiza D. Reynaud

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the transformative influence of Brazilian Spiritism on the experience of grief, utilizing a qualitative framework of autoethnography and ethnography. The research begins with the author’s personal account of transitioning from paralyzing existential anxiety and a childhood fear of hell and death to a state of spiritual peace fostered by the study of the Spiritist Doctrine. Historically perceived as an unbearable mystery, Spiritism posits life as a continuous continuum where the immortal soul merely sheds the physical body like a cocoon to return to its true home.

Rooted in the 19th-century codification by Allan Kardec, the doctrine is …

Redesigning Online Graduate Orientation To Foster Academic Resilience And Prevent Underperformance, Stella Michael-Makri, David E. Rodriguez

Journal of Academic Underperformance

Graduate students in fully online programs often begin their academic journey without adequate preparation for the emotional, structural, and cultural challenges of graduate-level work. For students who are first-generation, racially marginalized, international, or returning to education after time away, this lack of scaffolding can lead to early disengagement, underperformance, or attrition. Orientation, often treated as a checklist of logistical tasks, represents a missed opportunity for meaningful academic intervention. This manuscript proposes a five-module conceptual model for online graduate orientation designed to proactively support online graduate students in the domains of emotional regulation and academic identity, time management and executive functioning, …

Full Issue

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

No abstract provided.

Bass Mark Elyn Lived Well, And Remembered Jussi Well, Dan Shea

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

How many people are there who still can testify that they heard Jussi Björling on many occasions? Mark Elyn was one who heard Jussi in rehearsal and on stage with him, in three major Verdi operas, in rooms large and small, up close and personal. As a young singer himself, fresh from Seattle’s Cornish School of Music, he was eager to learn useful vocal technique and found inspiration from Jussi’s example.

Jussi-Fest In Voxnabruk July 3rd And 4th, Sue Flaster

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The 21st Annual Jussi-Fest in Voxnabruk went off successfully July 3 and 4 despite challenges: Norwegian tenor Bror Magnus Tödenes, who had been scheduled to appear, was forced to cancel due to a death in the family. As arranger Stefan Olmårs noted, you can’t have a Jussi event without a tenor, so he brought along veteran Swedish tenor Sonny Wallentin and his accompanist wife. They both performed valiantly.

Words Of Remembrance Of Jacob Forsell 1942-2023, Janel E. Lundgren

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The eminent photographer and writer Jacob Forsell has died at the age of 81. He has been of great importance both to Jussi Björling’s cause as well as to the Jussi Björling Society. He had a strong connection to Jussi via his close kinship with John Forsell: he was the grandson of the renowned singer and opera director, who meant so much to Björling’s early career. Therefore, he seemed specially sent to be the editor of a luxurious gift and anniversary book with the name: Jussi: the Song, the Man, the Pictures, together with Harald Henrysson and Björn Ranelid. This …

Jussi Björling Societies Planning To Sponsor New Release Of The 1952 Classic Rca Recording Of Il Trovatore In Outstanding Sound, John H. Haley

Newsletter of the Jussi Björling Societies of the USA & UK

The Jussi Björling Societies and I are pleased to announce plans for an upcoming new sponsored release that will be available by November 2023 exclusively through the Societies (ordering details to be provided soon). This release is being prepared through High Definition Tape Transfers (HDTT), a Canadian label, sourced on a very rare reel-to-reel tape release of this recording, which I am restoring. The tape source appears to be much closer to the master tape than all other releases through the years, and it has extraordinary sound quality, such that this new release will sound substantially better than any prior …