Digital Commons Network^™

Curiosity For The Common Good: A Catholic And Marianist Approach To Artificial Intelligence, Meghan R. Henning, Lee J. Dixon, Amanda Shannon, Esther Brownsmith, Kim Conde

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

This book is not a book; it is an invitation. As many institutions of higher education have gone into panic mode about how to respond responsibly and with pedagogical grounding to the rapid technological changes of our time, members of the University of Dayton community came to the table to talk.

The writings in this volume reflect the hopes, fears, observations, and tested strategies that were shared and developed by faculty and staff addressing the challenges of our times in an atmosphere of trust and solidarity.

These short reflections are meant to continue the conversation in our community and others …

Integrating Oncology Into Entry-Level Physical Therapist Curricula, Shana Harrington, Christopher M. Wilson, Morgan Zaranec, Lori Boright

Oncology Rehabilitation in Practice

Print issue available for $25.

Background: Cancer and its treatments commonly result in adverse effects that impair function, well-being, and quality of life, necessitating access to skilled physical therapists (PTs). Although oncology is an essential component of physical therapist practice, entry-level education in cancer rehabilitation has historically been limited. In 2025, the Essential Competencies for Physical Therapy Entry-Level Education in Oncology were developed through a mixed-methods, modified Delphi process, establishing 19 competencies across six domains and defining minimum expectations for new graduates. To support translation of these competencies into academic curricula, a practical implementation resource was needed.

Purpose: To …

Imri Newsletter, June 2026, University Of Dayton. International Marian Research Institute

IMRI Newsletter

No abstract provided.

176th Commencement, Spring 2026

Commencement Programs

Commencement program (graduate and undergraduate exercises) for spring 2026

Concerned Philosophers For Peace, Vol. 34 (2026), Concerned Philosophers For Peace

Concerned Philosophers for Peace

In addition to organizational information, honors, awards, and calls for papers and abstracts, this issue contains the following articles:

• “Genocide, Evil, and The Madman's Bluff: The Moral Stain of President Trump's Shameful Threat to Annihilate Iran,” by Andrew Fiala
• “Lest We Forget,” by Anna Malavisi
• “Ancient Lessons on Peace from a Roman Dissident,” by Court Lewis

Physical Therapy Management Of An Adult Patient Diagnosed With Spindle Cell Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Case Report, Jennifer Carrano

Oncology Rehabilitation in Practice

Background: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma that primarily affects children and adolescents. Adult RMS is uncommon and associated with poorer prognosis and limited evidence to guide rehabilitation.

Case Description: A 29-year-old male presented with right facial pain, hearing loss, tinnitus, and right facial and tongue paresthesia. Imaging and biopsy revealed spindle cell RMS of the right masticator space. He had no cancer-related family history, did not smoke, and used alcohol occasionally. Treatment included neoadjuvant chemotherapy, major oncologic resection with scapular free flap reconstruction, and adjuvant radiation. He was referred to outpatient physical therapy with trismus, restricted …

Editorial Board Message: About This Issue, Bryan A. Spinelli

Oncology Rehabilitation in Practice

Bryan Spinelli provides a summary of the contents of the issue.

Why We Do This Work, Eric F. Spina

President's Blog: From the Heart

The University of Dayton and other American Talent Initiative institutions have opened the doors of education for more than 75,000 high-achieving, lower-income students. That’s an entire football stadium filled with talented young people.

Doc 2007-05 Processes And Procedures Of The Academic Senate, University Of Dayton. Academic Senate

Senate Governing Documents

These "Processes and Procedures" are intended to facilitate the smooth and transparent functioning of the Academic Senate of the University of Dayton.

A Study Exploring Negative Outcomes Associated With Adolescent Adhd And Parenting Excluding Co-Occurring Conduct Problems, Kaitlyn Lancia

Honors Theses

Previous research has suggested a link between ADHD and experiencing negative outcomes in adolescence. These include mental health issues, substance use problems, and especially social dysfunction. Additionally, prior research has discovered high comorbidity rates of certain behavioral disorders, like Conduct Disorder (CD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), with ADHD. Furthermore, other research has focused on the transactional influences between ADHD and parenting. Existing research has been limited by conduct problems being a possible confounding variable and the lack of longitudinal studies. The current study attempts to combat these limitations by separating conduct problems from ADHD symptoms and using a longitudinal …

The Effect Of The Environment On Perceived Distance, Elijah Turner

Honors Theses

Despite our certainty that we experience the world as it really is, humans' perception of the world is not accurate in its entirety. People’s biases play a significant role in their perception of their environments. Researchers have sought to determine exactly how and why human biases impact perceptions, focusing on how biases related to a target (person, animal, object, etc.) impact people’s perception of said target, more specifically, the perceived distance to that target. This is important in understanding situations where, in order to interact with (or avoid) a target person, one must perceive the physical distance between oneself and …

Nazi Germany And Humanities Education As Propaganda, Sam Marie Smith

Honors Theses

One of the Third Reich’s most significant actions in their pursuit of the consolidation of power was the Gleichschaltung, in which all cultural, social, political, and economic goals were subordinated to that of the goals of the Nazi party. One of the most dramatic shifts to take place in the process of Gleichschaltung was in the realm of academia, where legitimate pedagogical and educational imperatives were overshadowed by an emphasis on perpetuating the Nazi regime’s agenda, especially racial ideology, even with the youngest students. While educators in the Third Reich carried this out in all subject areas, this project focuses …

A System Dynamics Model For Simulating Homelessness Trends In Montgomery County, Ohio, Samuel S. Conley

Honors Theses

Homelessness is a complex social issue influenced by a wide range of economic, social, and health related factors. Traditional methods for measuring homelessness, such as point-in-time counts, provide valuable snapshots of the population but do not capture the dynamic processes that lead individuals into or out of homelessness. This work presents a system dynamics model designed to simulate homelessness trends within Montgomery County, Ohio. The model represents the county population using five primary states: general population, at-risk, homeless, supportive housing, and unaccounted individuals. To better capture heterogeneity within the population, the homeless and supportive housing states are further decomposed into …

What Are Gender Differences In Risk Aversion? Examining The Role Of Gender In Final Jeopardy Wagers, Audrey Degregorio

Honors Theses

Previous research has found that women tend to be more risk-averse than men (Charness & Gneezy, 2012). In particular, women are more likely to make decisions that offer greater certainty but lower reward (Bruce & Johnson, 1994). This study examines gender differences in risk-aversion using real behavioral decision-making data from the television show Jeopardy! Data for this study was collected from a fan-made online source, J! Archive (https://j-archive.com/index.php). Using game data from regular season episodes of Jeopardy! from 2024, the association between gender and the proportion of earnings wagered during final jeopardy, and whether it was moderated by whether it …

Ud College Student Health Literacy And Well-Being, Olivia R. Upchurch

Honors Theses

In my Honors Thesis Research Project, I studied University of Dayton (UD) students' health literacy and well-being. Well-being is a state of being comfortable and happy. It includes mental well-being and physical activity. Mental well-being is a state of positive psychological, social, and emotional health. Physical activity is bodily movement that promotes physical health. Health literacy is the ability of someone to understand and effectively use health information to make well-informed decisions regarding their health. This project is important because college represents a time when young adults begin to manage their well-being and healthcare independently from their parents or guardians. …

Parental Behaviors In Response To Childhood Internalizing And Externalizing Problems, Quinn Ryan Willerton

Honors Theses

Parents and children have been shown to mutually influence parenting behaviors (Burke et al., 2008). Abnormal behaviors in children, namely externalizing and internalizing problems, offer a route of observation that can further demonstrate the bidirectionality of the parent-child relationship. Externalizing problems (i.e. Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or Conduct Disorder) are easier for parents to see because of their overt and outward nature, but they pose more difficult challenges for both parental response and treatment approaches. Internalizing problems (i.e. anxiety or depression) are more emotion-based, making them harder to recognize and diagnose. Our research is observing the presence …

Real Horror: The Supernatural And Its Connection To Abuse In Late 20th Century Horror, John Sebastian

Honors Theses

Horror authors from the late 20th century explain the turmoil of domestic and childhood abuse through supernatural elements to represent the loss of autonomy of victims. Several horror authors from the late 20th century showcase abuse through the supernatural not to exploit the experiences of victims of abuse but allow for spaces for readers to encounter truly horrifying stories and process them. Works explored include Stephen King’s The Shining and Carrie, as well as Ira Levin’s Rosemary's Baby and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist.

An Immersive Placements And Moral Growth At Barretstown: Integrating A Transformative Framework With Preservice Teachers In Marianist Teacher Education, Jeremy R. Mills, Annie Chiles, Caroline Miller, Lauren Windsor

Thomas C. Hunt Building a Research Community Day

This study examines how immersive experiential learning at Barretstown, a therapeutic camp in Ireland, nurtures intellectual, ethical, and spiritual growth in preservice teachers. Framed by William James’ four characteristics of mystical experience — ineffability, noetic quality, transiency, and passivity — and grounded in the Marianist philosophy of education, the research employs a qualitative, phenomenological design. Reflective narratives from three teacher candidates were thematically coded, revealing transformative experiences marked by ineffable joy, revelatory insight, enduring impact, and openness to grace. Findings suggest that experiential learning integrated with spiritual and communal formation cultivates educators grounded in empathy, moral awareness, and authentic presence.

Impact Networks: Leading Community Collaboration On Difficult Issues (White Paper), Raymond Fitz, Dick Ferguson

Writings on Leadership in Community

The book Impact Networks by David Erlichman, published in 2021, provides a comprehensive picture of how impact networks are working throughout the world on complex issues. Such networks move beyond hierarchical structures that are based on authority. Organizations within networks share at least one purpose and define their success as network participants based on their impact on the network issue, not on agency growth.

This paper is focused on local use of impact networks to address difficult issues that do not have clear pathways to solutions. Our experience with a network formed more than 30 years ago in response to …

Doc 2026-13 Proposal For Pre-Licensure Bachelor Of Science In Nursing (Bsn-Nurs), University Of Dayton. School Of Education And Health Sciences

Senate Documents

The University of Dayton  Nursing Program prepares students to practice as Baccalaureate generalist  nurses through a rigorous and transformative liberal arts and sciences curriculum  in concert with nursing courses that are in alignment with the American  Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials. Upon completion,  students earn a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN), are eligible to take the  NCLEX (RN licensure exam), and are prepared to transition to practice as a  licensed registered nurse.

Five Students Win Mcgrath Awards For Research In Catholic Intellectual Traditions, Devin Chivers

College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

The McGrath Award recognizes students whose research in a Common Academic Program course demonstrates engagement with Catholic Intellectual Traditions.

Terror Then And Now: How Hannah Arendt’S Atomized Society Addresses Contemporary Immigration Politics, Zachary O'Connor

Father Jack McGrath, S.M., Research Award Presentations

Zachary O'Connor is a recipient of the 2026 Father Jack McGrath, S.M., Award for Research in Catholic Intellectual Traditions.

Doc 2010-04 (Amended) The Common Academic Program, University Of Dayton. Academic Policies Committee

Senate Documents

The University of Dayton first adopted its General Education Program for all undergraduate students in the Fall of 1983 when Senate Doc #81-2 was approved. Its stated purpose was to make “students aware of the diversity of intellectual thought and theory represented by the sciences, the humanities and the social sciences. In addition, the general education component offers the students an opportunity to synthesize and evaluate information from various disciplines and thus enhance the study of a specific profession.” In 1991 significant curricular revisions were made to the General Education Program including the introduction of the Humanities Base and Thematic …

Doc 2026-02 Proposal For New Bachelor Of Elementary And Middle Grades Education, University Of Dayton. School Of Education And Health Sciences

Senate Documents

The Elementary and Middle Grades Education major leads to a Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.E.) and offers two licensure tracks: Elementary Education (PK–5) and Middle Childhood Education (4–9). All students complete a shared core of foundational teacher education coursework. Elementary Education (PK–5) candidates may select a minor, while Middle Childhood (4–9) candidates choose two subject-area concentrations from language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies. Both tracks offer opportunities to pursue specialized professional certificates, including TESOL, Dyslexia, STEM, and the Urban Teacher Academy (UTA).

Public Policy Education: Insights From Graduate Dietetics Students, J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Lindsay Ganong, D. Coleen Kaiser, Emily Patten

Journal of Dietetic Education

Objective: To examine graduate dietetics students’ experiences completing a public policy course outside of their discipline. Methods: Participants were 40 graduate dietetics students at a university in the Western United States. At the conclusion of a public policy course offered through another department, students completed online surveys with fixed-response and open-ended items. Quantitative data were analyzed using paired t tests, and qualitative responses were examined using codebook thematic analysis. Results: Three themes included (1) Recognizing the interconnection between policy and dietetics practice, (2) From policy hesitancy to policy understanding; and (3) Humanizing policy: public policy and holistic client care. Students …

Bhc Hosts Two Events To Promote Brain Health Across The Community, University Of Dayton. School Of Education And Health Sciences

School of Education and Health Sciences Blog Archive

At its most basic, a collective is a group of individuals who work together toward a common goal. The term usuallyexplains a group that doesn’t have a strict hierarchy (more on that later), but that makes decisions, you guessed it,collectively. So, when the Brain Health Collective (BHC) gets together, that’s exactly what they do. They bring in experts (those with lived experience, professionals, families, and friends of individuals who have experienced brain injuries) who all bring their wisdom, experience, and networks to better serve our community.

2026-2029 Strategic Plan, Susan Davies

Documents of the Brain Health Collective

No abstract provided.

176th Commencement, Fall

Commencement Programs

Commencement program (graduate and undergraduate exercises) for fall 2025

Cover And Front Matter, Volume 51, Issue 1 (Fall 2025), University Of Dayton. School Of Law

University of Dayton Law Review

Cover, table of contents, masthead

Passing The Bar In And Through Community: The Science Behind Why We Truly Do Better Together, Katherine O. Armstrong

University of Dayton Law Review

Law school graduates preparing for the bar exam often face isolation, leading to mental health challenges, decreased motivation, and impaired performance. This sense of loneliness, coupled with the known mental health and substance abuse issues in the legal profession, underscores the urgent need for change. Research shows that community engagement enhances mental and physical well-being, fosters motivation, and improves educational outcomes. However, little scholarship addresses the role of community in bar exam preparation, leaving a critical gap. This Article explores the transformative power of community during bar preparation. It provides a detailed view of a law school that has successfully …