Digital Commons Network^™

2026-01-12 Message From The President, Morehead State University. Office Of The Provost.

Staff Congress Records

Message sent on January 12, 2026 by the President to the campus community regarding upcoming dates of importance, congratulatory recognitions, and the New Carnegie Designation.

Models Of Care In Higher Education: Comparing Integrated And Standalone Approaches To Student Mental Health, Tevia Q. Strand

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This qualitative study examines how the organization of campus mental health services—integrated, co-located care versus standalone counseling centers—shapes college students’ awareness, access, stigma/privacy, and engagement. Semi-structured interviews with five Midwestern undergraduate women (n = 5) explored perceptions of visibility, ease of use, barriers, and improvement ideas. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Themes included confusion about entry pathways, visibility-related stigma, and the salience of faculty/peer bridges to services. Students generally preferred integrated models, citing privacy through co-location, normalization, and easier warm handoffs; some noted that standalone centers can feel more specialized yet risk heightened visibility depending on location. Findings …

Redefining Rural School Leadership In The Post-Pandemic Era: Lessons From Covid-19, Brennan Kent

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally reshaped educational leadership, especially in rural school settings where leaders confronted unique resource constraints, geographic isolation, and heightened community interdependence. This conceptual study reexamines rural educational leadership in the post-pandemic era through a synthesis of findings from Author’s (2023) dissertation, The Rural Education Leadership Experience Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, and current leadership theory. Drawing on the McREL Balanced Leadership Framework alongside adaptive and servant leadership models, the analysis identifies four interrelated dimensions that define post-pandemic rural leadership: communication as community cohesion, relationships as infrastructure, adaptive leadership as necessity, and well-being as a leadership priority. These …

Voices From The Hyflex Classroom: Understanding The Graduate Counseling Student Experience, Taryn Akgul, Jessica Brown, Aaron Suomala Folkerds

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Counselor education and counseling master’s Programs face a changing landscape in higher education. This includes balancing the demand for a high-quality HyFlex program that prepares students for the counseling field. This qualitative exploratory study utilized a phenomenological approach to understand the counseling master's student experience in a hybrid program. The research questions focused on the students' experience attending the program either strictly on zoom, in person, or a combination of both and how that impacted them and their learning. The study consisted of eight participants who were alumni from one CACREP accredited counseling masters program. The findings included themes of …

Exploring The Leadership Journeys Of Female College Presidents At Health Professions Focused Institutions: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study, Caroline S. Zeind, Bobbie Ann Adair White, Yoon Soo Park, Tewodros Eguale, Anne Thompson

Journal of Research on the College President

National data on the academic presidency reflect a long-standing gender gap with little known about the presidency at health professions focused institutions (HPFIs). This mixed methods study explored the relationships between the academic presidency and institutional characteristics of HPFIs, and the leadership journeys of female presidents at HPFIs. An analysis of institutional and leadership data for 487 HPFIs was conducted using a quantitative approach, followed by interviews of 15 female presidents at HPFIs to understand their perceptions of the barriers, and factors that helped with presidency attainment. The results of 479 HPFIs revealed that only 36.3% of women served as …

Toward Fairer And More Equitable Numeracy Measurement: Improvements To The Quantitative Reasoning For College Science Assessment, Vonna L. Hemmler, Isaac Rosenthal, Kate Follette, Catherine Sarosi, Erin Galyen, Sanlyn Buxner, Jackson Carter, Samantha Maynard, Sarah Bunnell

Numeracy

Numeracy has become an increasingly important 21st-century skill that, due to the relationship between math and science, is often formally developed at the college level in general education science courses. These courses serve a diverse group of students, many of whom have historically experienced science teaching, curriculum, and assessment on the margins. The well-documented biases of assessments in particular against Individuals of Color (IoC) have inspired us to approach numeracy for social justice in our work from this angle, and in this paper, we detail our efforts to revise our validated numeracy assessment to ensure it more fairly and equitably …

2026 Spring Convocation Program, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Communications and Marketing Publications Archive

The 2026 Morehead State University Convocation Program from January 7, 2026.

Navigating Privacy Boundaries: Communication Privacy Management And Faculty, Ashlee Ellinwood, Chloee Robison, Sarah Steimel

Speaker & Gavel

College students experience high levels of stress that impact their academic performance and persistence in higher education. While faculty support has been shown to enhance student success, little is known about the privacy management rules students use when deciding whether to disclose personal stressors to their instructors. This study uses Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory to examine how undergraduate students develop and apply privacy rules regarding stress-related disclosures to faculty. Four key factors emerged through qualitative interviews and focus groups with 40 students: cultural norms, motivation, contextual influences, and risk-benefit assessments. Findings underscore the importance of faculty-student communication in student …

Exploring The Role Of Occupational Therapy In The Delivery Of Trauma-Informed Services To Hospital-Based Clients Ot, Frank Czuba

Journal of Applied Disciplines

Hospitalization can traumatize clients and impact overall health outcomes, leading to increased hospital readmission rates and resulting in a negative impact for both clients and providers. Limited information exists regarding how hospital-based occupational therapists evaluate and address trauma, even though incorporating trauma-informed principles into professional practice can enhance the occupational therapy process. The study explored the comprehension and perceived significance of trauma-informed tenets among occupational therapists delivering services in hospital-based settings. A quantitative research study with an exploratory design was implemented to explore how occupational therapists (OT) understand and utilize trauma-informed practices with their clients in a hospital setting. An …

Advising With Heart: How Institutional Selectivity And Size Shape Emotional Labor In Higher Education Academic Advising, Dallas W. Maddox

Theses and Dissertations

Academic advising serves as a vital bridge between students and their educational experiences and success, yet the emotional complexities of this meaningful work remain underexplored. This mixed-methods study examined how institutional selectivity and size influence emotional labor awareness and application among academic advisors, addressing a critical gap in understanding the human dimensions of advising relationships. The research explored whether advisors at smaller, selective institutions demonstrate enhanced emotional labor competencies compared to colleagues at larger, more inclusive institutions. Eleven dedicated academic advisors participated in this study, representing experienced professionals with 5-17 years of advising experience across four institutional categories defined by …

Peeking Behind The Veil Of The District-Level Literacy Leader: Does Research Match Reality?, Kristel R. Collins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate district-level literacy leadership (DLLL), focusing on the leadership behaviors enacted by district-level literacy leaders, their alignment with the International Literacy Association Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals (2017), and their use of systems thinking principles to influence literacy improvement in K–12 settings. The study addressed a critical gap in the literature regarding how DLLLs function at the district level to mediate between policy and classroom practice. Participants included six DLLLs from Central Texas public school districts. All participants held advanced degrees, had at least two years of district-level literacy leadership experience, …

Exploring Academic Librarians Self-Perceived Teaching Attitudes And Practical Culturally Responsive Teaching (Crt) Strategies In Library Instruction, Jocelyn Castillo

Theses and Dissertations

As campuses continue to see an increase in students from various backgrounds, there is an interest in academic librarianship to explore the use of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) strategies in library instruction. Guided by self-perception theory, this quantitative study examined the relationship between the teaching attitudes of academic librarians and the years of teaching experience, and identified practical CRT strategies in library instruction particularly in undergraduate minority serving institutions in the United States. The teaching attitudes of academic librarians were measured using a modified version of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) capturing specific teaching tasks relevant to teaching …

Grant-O-Thon: A Designathon-Informed Grant Writing Program To Enhance Research Grant Writing Skills In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Yusha Tao, Gifty Marley, Lauren Fidelak, Bin Yu, Yusuf Babatunde, Anita N. Walker, Anthony A. Attama, Andrea L. Conroy, Esther K. Afolabi, Dimitrios N. Vatakis, Iheanyi Omezuruike Okonko, Shyngle K. Balogun, Hongyun Fu, Xin Peng, Ijeoma M. Ifeorah, Patience Kukundakwe, Alexandra Cossio, Ifeoma M. Obionu, Ángela Patricia Beltrán López, Matthew Idowu Olatubi, Ucheoma C. Nwaozuru, Yuanyi Chen, Huachun Zou, Eneyi E. Kpokiri, Daniil Wu, Oliver Ezechi, Juliet Iwelunmor, Meredith Labarda, Jason J. Ong, Weiming Tang, Joseph D. Tucker

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Problem

Early career researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face substantial barriers when writing research grants and have limited writing support. A designathon approach was applied to organize a grant writing workshop (grant-o-thon) tailored for early-career LMIC researchers. This study describes the planning, implementation, and participant-reported outcomes of the grant-o-thon as a participatory training approach.

Approach

Grant-o-thons were organized in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Consistent with the designathon model, the grant-o-thon was structured in three stages: preparation using co-creation with end-users, intensive collaborative teamwork supported by mentor feedback and weekly writing deliverables, and structured follow-up. Each grant-o-thon consisted of …

Wellness Participation Of Student-Serving Staff: The Impact On Well-Being And Student Support, Ashley L. Oostveen

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

This study examines the relationship between student-serving staff’s wellness engagement and overall well-being, their job satisfaction, and their perceived support for students. A convergent mixed-methods approach was applied while maintaining a theoretical framework rooted in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), integrating the concepts of Hettler’s Six Dimensions of Wellness (1976). Forty-one student-serving staff across universities in a public university system in Pennsylvania participated in this study. A quantitative survey was used to measure overall well-being, wellness engagement, and support to students, while concurrent focus groups were conducted to gather insight on work-life well-being and staff’s perceived support to their …

Beyond Compliance: Creating A Disability Self-Advocacy Summit For Higher Education Using Critical Disability Pedagogy, Katie Manwiller

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been in place for over 35 years, yet the systems it created to ensure equity are riddled with inherent barriers and often fail to provide equal access because of the ableism baked into American society. Institutions of higher education exemplify this failure as they largely treat disability as a compliance-issue, not as a marginalized identity that deserved dedicated inclusion efforts. Most institutions provide disability inclusion solely through the ADA-mandated accommodation process for students and employees, which falls far short of creating fully accessibility cultures. Crucially, these case-by-case processes isolate disabled people and do …

The Ai Study Partner: Medical Students, Self-Directed Learning, And Individual Learning Plans, Paula Ann Hawks

Dissertations and Theses

Self-directed learning (SDL) was well-documented in many educational settings, including medical schools. However, how students incorporated SDL and independent learning plans (ILPs) in undergraduate medical education received little attention. Generative AI (GenAI) encompassed a rapidly expanding field, but medical student use was underexplored. This present study examines student perceptions of SDL, ILPs, and the use of GenAI in undergraduate medical education, particularly in preparation for the USMLE Step 1. Using an action research design, qualitative data were collected via semi-structured focus groups, individual interviews, and ILP document review. Fifteen participants were in focus groups, 13 of whom then completed individual …

Rural Black Church Leadership And Community Development In Midwest Illinois, Derrick Smith

Dissertations of Practice

This qualitative study examines the role of a rural Black church in leadership development and community sustainability within a Midwestern Illinois town. While extensive scholarship documents the historical significance of the Black church in civil rights, political mobilization, and social advocacy, limited research explores the founding of contemporary Black churches and the intentional processes through which they develop leaders and support community sustainability in rural or small-town settings. This study addresses that gap by investigating the establishment and evolution of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church (NHMBC) in DeKalb, Illinois, and its impact on leadership development and Black community development.

Guided …

The Veteran-Student Experience: Exploring Transition Dynamics, Brian A. Berchtold

Dissertations of Practice

Military veteran college students face unique challenges in and outside of the classroom. Few studies have examined how the transitions from military to civilian and higher education affects miliary veteran college students. Using an interpretivist qualitative study design, this study explored how military veteran college students experience their transition to civilian life and to higher education. Data was collected from 9 military veterans using interviews that were coded using thematic analysis. Themes were then reviewed by participants using a focus group. The member checked themes revolved around issues with reframing their military mindset and reacclimating to civilian life, fitting in …

Preparing Students For What Comes Next: A Qualitative Study Of District Approaches To Postsecondary And Career Readiness, Amanda C. Pelsor

Dissertations of Practice

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR WHAT COMES NEXT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF DISTRICT APPROACHES TO POSTSECONDARY AND CAREER READINESS

This qualitative study examines how Illinois school districts support students’ readiness for postsecondary success and career planning and exploration. Despite longstanding state and federal efforts to improve college and career readiness, many students continue to face challenges after high school, including lack of workforce readiness, underpreparedness for postsecondary education, unclear career pathways, and difficulty navigating complex transitions. Using semi-structured interviews, this study explores how districts conceptualize and implement career readiness frameworks, the ways readiness work is embedded within district systems, and the barriers …

Etsu At-A-Glance - 2024-2025, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU At-a-Glance

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Care: A Mixed Methods Study Of Social Work Student Well-Being, Practicum Pay, And The Future Of Feminized Care In The Health Workforce, Christian Adeleke

Social Work Dissertations

Social work field education, commonly enacted as the practicum, is widely regarded as the profession’s signature pedagogy, yet its material conditions—particularly the prevalence of unpaid or minimally compensated placements—are rarely problematized. This dissertation examined the financial, academic, and well-being consequences of practicum participation among social work students and the mechanisms through which these consequences arise. Using an embedded mixed methods design, the study analyzed secondary data from the Payment for Placements (P4P) survey (N = 618), combining a moderated-mediation structural equation model with a reflexive thematic analysis of open-ended narrative responses. Drawing on feminist political economy and social reproduction …

Spirituality And Psychological Well-Being In College Students: Does Resilience Mediate This Relationship, Kevin C. Snow, Jessica Starken, Lindsay A. Phillips

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Given continued challenges of college transition and recent changes (e.g., COVID) leading to increased use of college counseling services and past studies exploring spiritualty/religion and resilience pertaining to psychological well-being (PWB), this study explored the relationship between spirituality, resilience, and PWB in college students. Three scales, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, and the Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale, were used to measure the relationship between spirituality, resilience, and PWB. Results of this study showed support for the relationship between spirituality, resilience, and PWB in college students. Results also lend support for future research exploring therapeutic incorporation of spirituality …

Nsu Business Graduate Student Catalog 2025-2026 Winter 2026 Edition, Nova Southeastern University

Huizenga Postgraduate Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

From Silos To Systems: A Conceptual Framework For Workforce Aligned Oral Health Education, Meghan Bastin

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Poster Session Papers

In the current U.S. educational system, becoming a dentist follows a few prescriptive pathways.  Learners typically complete an undergraduate degree before entering time-intensive doctoral training.  This results in only 3-4 years of direct professional education embedded within an eight -year process, while learners accumulate significant financial investment in their education.  With the average cost of graduate-level dental education alone exceeding $300,000 and new federal borrowing limits likely to further constrain access, there is an opportunity to explore alternative ways of structuring oral health education.

This poster presents a conceptual, system-level framework that explores a perspective in which oral health education …

Noncognitive Predictors Of Academic Performance In Undergraduate Allied Health Professionals Students, Keleigh Pershina, Michael Mehall, Alexandra Hollo

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Poster Session Papers

Undergraduate students in allied health professions face substantial academic, clinical, and personal demands that may affect academic performance and attainment of professional goals. Noncognitive factors such as stress, coping, and burnout have been identified as important contributors to academic outcomes in health professions education; however, empirical work examining these variables has yielded conflicting results. To identify potential student supports specific to undergraduate students within a land grant, rural serving institution in Appalachia, we conducted a survey to ask how personal factors such as burnout, stress, depression, and coping skills would predict academic success. A sample of 19 students complete a …

Developing And Proposing A Passion Project Course With Institutional Backing, Ron Reaser

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Poster Session Papers

Developing and proposing a new course based on your passion project is achievable and rewarding for faculty of any rank, including teaching-track faculty and adjuncts, but it may feel confusing or daunting to glean the course design principles and institutional knowledge necessary to succeed. This presentation recommends a successful and replicable approach based on proactive communication with stakeholders in your unit and across the broader university system. The approach is tailored to faculty members of West Virginia University, Potomac State College, and WVU Institute of Technology.

Investigating The Viability Of Fully Online Asynchronous Physics Instruction In Formal Education, Clifton W. Massey-Noel

Physics Dissertations

In this dissertation we present results from two consecutive investigations into the fully online asynchronous modality in Physics Education. We first discuss the efficacy of a fully online asynchronous section of Modern Physics held in Fall 2024. The asynchronous section is compared with four prior partially-flipped sections of the same class, two of which were held in-person, and two of which were held synchronously online. Results suggest that all three modalities can be made to be about equally as effective. We also discuss the efficacy of a fully online asynchronous section of Calculus-Based Introductory Mechanics held in Fall 2025. The …

Navigating Yellow Zone Sexual Misconduct Cases: Exploring Title Ix Administrators’ Discretion, Angela E. Hobbs

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations

This study examines how Title IX administrators exercise discretion when responding to ambiguous sexual misconduct reports referred to as yellow zone. The 2020 Title IX Rules and Regulations introduced a more restrictive definition of sexual misconduct, requiring behavior to be severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive (SPOO) to meet the threshold for formal institutional response. Despite the practical challenges these cases present for institutions, there is limited scholarly understanding of how Title IX administrators make decisions when responding to them. Guided by street-level bureaucracy theory (Lipsky, 1969, 1980, 2010), the study explored how institutional actors exercise discretion in response to regulatory …

Tracing The Evolution Of Signature Technologies In Health Professions Education: Developments, Challenges, And Possibilities, Jacob Kelley, Kimberly B. Garza, Kelley Noll, Allison Chung

Health Professions Education

Purpose. This integrative literature review traces the evolution of signature technologies in health professions education and their impact on teaching and learning. By exploring these technologies, it highlights the ways these advancements shape learning experiences and the preparation of future healthcare professionals. While these technologies present opportunities for enhanced learning, they also introduce challenges related to accessibility, cost, and effectiveness.

Method. Using Torraco’s framework for integrative literature reviews, this article synthesizes existing scholarship to trace the historical development of signature technologies in health professions education. The authors conducted searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar for literature published primarily between …

Students’ Views On Professionalism As A Window Into Their Professional Identity Formation, Jennifer H. Kwon, Charles F. Shuler, Judith Walker, Hsingchi Von Bergmann

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Professional identity formation (PIF) provides a process-based framework for understanding professionalism, focusing on how individuals integrate professional values and roles into their broader sense of self. Limited research has examined how dental students perceive professionalism and how these perceptions shape their developing professional identities. Understanding these perspectives may provide insight into their PIF journey and help inform the design of educational strategies to address their need.

Method: An online survey, consisting of both open-ended and close-ended questions, was emailed to undergraduate students in the Faculty of Dentistry at one Canadian university. Descriptive statistics were conducted using JASP (Version 0.16.1; …