Digital Commons Network^™

Rule Breaking In Corporations: Does Leadership And Seriousness Make A Difference?, Marissa T. Montagna, Ellen S. Cohn

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Leadership In Higher Education Amid Demographic Shifts: Implications Of Campus Event Management, Marrissa J. Williams

M.S. in Leadership

This study focuses on how demographic shifts within higher education have influenced leadership practices, specifically within enrollment management and campus event programming. As student populations become increasingly diverse, institutions are challenged to change their recruitment, engagement, and support strategies to meet the needs of first-generation, low-income, and non-traditional learners. The research explores the role of leadership in shaping these responses, with a focus on how decisions related to admissions events, like campus visits, outreach initiatives, and multicultural programming, have contributed to student engagement and enrollment outcomes. Using a qualitative approach grounded in the analysis of peer-reviewed articles and case studies, …

The Impact Of Leadership Communication And Organizational Trust On Psychological Safety And Employee Voice In Healthcare Organizations, Crystal D. Smith

M.S. in Leadership

Healthcare organizations operate in increasingly complex environments where effective communication, employee engagement, and patient safety are essential to organizational success. Despite the importance of employee voice, many healthcare professionals hesitate to express concerns, report errors, or share ideas for improvement because of perceived interpersonal and organizational risks. This study examines how leadership communication and organizational trust influence psychological safety and employee voice within healthcare organizations. Using a qualitative literature review, the study synthesizes scholarly research from healthcare leadership, organizational behavior, organizational psychology, healthcare management, and patient safety. The review explores major themes, including psychological safety, leadership communication, organizational trust, employee …

Doing Away With The Ncaa’S Duration Of Eligibility Rules, Michael Lewis

UNH Sports Law Review

The NCAA imposes durational eligibility limits restricting a student athlete’s eligibility to compete in college sports. Under NCAA rules, an athlete is granted four-seasons of competition in any single sport and no more than five-years of eligibility commencing at matriculation. These rules have come under increasing scrutiny in federal court, as the law acknowledges commercial realities. In numerous cases, federal district courts have enjoined their enforcement against Division I football players under the Sherman Act. On the eve of the Final Four, 2026, the White House weighed in, expressing support for durational limits, and arguing (without support) that imposing limits …

Neurodiversity In The Workplace: Organizational Approaches To Supporting Neurodiverse Employees, Madison Vasquez

M.S. in Leadership

Despite growing conversation around neurodiversity in the workplace, many organizations lack clear understanding and structured strategies to support neurodivergent employees. This study examines existing research on how organizations can more effectively support neurodiverse employees across the employee lifecycle. Using a qualitative literature review, this study addresses the research question by examining literature on neurodiversity within workplace contexts. This includes investigating common representations of neurodiversity and reviewing the strengths and challenges of neurodiverse individuals, including those who have autism, ADHD, and other forms of neurodivergence. The study also reviews workplace barriers, support strategies, and organizational outcomes identified across the literature. Key …

Effective Leadership Styles For Middle Managers During Mergers And Acquisitions, Joshua Lee Lahaie

M.S. in Leadership

No abstract provided.

Biopsychosocial Mechanisms And Management Of Pain And Emotional Health In Fibrous Dysplasia/Mccune-Albright Syndrome, Camryn Berry

Doctoral Dissertations

Fibrous Dysplasia (FD) is a rare disease where healthy bone is replaced by lesions of fragile, porous tissue. FD lesions may affect a single bone or occur throughout the entire skeleton and can grow rapidly. A diagnosis of McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) is made when FD is accompanied by endocrinopathies and skin hyperpigmentation. FD/MAS can cause debilitating complications, including disabilities, deformities, fractures, and chronic pain. Pain is one of the most common symptoms of FD/MAS and can have a profound impact on patients’ quality of life. However, FD/MAS pain is complex and varies substantially between patients. This complexity and a lack …

Navigating Departure: Understanding Factors Influencing Professionals Of Color In Student Affairs, Darnelle Bosquet-Fleurival

Doctoral Dissertations

Student Affairs Professionals of Color (SAPOCs) at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) navigate complex institutional environments shaped by racialized expectations, leadership structures, and systemic inequities. While existing research documents high turnover and burnout within student affairs, less is known about how mid-level to senior SAPOCs make meaning of their decisions to stay in or leave leadership roles over time. This qualitative study examines how institutional, interpersonal, and systemic dynamics shape professional sustainability and exit among SAPOCs in the Northeastern United States.Grounded in Critical Race Theory and Black Feminist Thought and informed by narrative inquiry methodology, this study draws on in-depth interviews …

Support, Collaboration, And Trust: A Mixed Methods Social Network Perspective Of Teacher Turnover, Danielle S. Donovan

Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: Despite decades of research, teacher turnover remains a consistent challenge for schools and communities. In an effort to better understand why teachers continue to leave the classroom, this dissertation focuses on support, collaboration, and trust ties as an aspect of social working conditions through a social network lens. Methodology: Guided by critical realism as an ontological and epistemological framework, this study uses a sequential research design to implement an ego-centric mixed-methods social network perspective (MMSNP). Findings: Instrumental (pedagogical and instructional resources) and expressive social capital (emotional support and a sense of belonging) exist within teacher networks. Teachers who maintain …

How Presentation Shapes Multisensory Category Learning, Hooman Main Amiri

Master's Theses and Capstones

Category learning allows people to group complex sensory input into categories, helping them generalize knowledge from familiar exemplars to novel stimuli. In everyday life, categories are often learned from more than one sense, yet most prior work on category learning has focused on learning in a single sensory modality. Here, we asked whether the way category information is presented across modalities, simultaneously or separately, shapes multisensory category learning in adults. In Experiment 1, participants learned the categories with either simultaneous or separate presentation of auditory and visual information and then completed a test phase to assess not only whether they …

Designing Innovative Science Learning Activities: The Virtual Reality “Charge Playground” And Interdisciplinary Curriculum For Lightning Instrumentation Design, Gus Otto Eberlein

Master's Theses and Capstones

As the population of students learning introductory physics continues to grow and diversify, it becomes necessary to incorporate an equally diverse array of learning materials in these courses to suit the new dynamic of the physics classroom. In this thesis, I present my work designing, developing, evaluating, and refining instructional tools for science educators. First, I present the “Charge Playground,” an immersive Virtual Reality application for the Meta Quest VR headset. The Charge Playground abstractly visualizes the electric field, potential, and force generated by a configuration of electric charges in a novel, interactive way. I describe the motivation behind incorporating …

Have You Seen This? Impact Of Concussion And Memory On Narrative Retells Of Silent Animated Films, Lauren Kate Harrington

Master's Theses and Capstones

AbstractBackground: Concussions are mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that are often associated with short- and long-term cognitive impacts. Two specific cognitive skills people with concussion exhibit deficits in are working memory- the ability to retain and manipulate newly presented information- and episodic memory- memory of scenes that have occurred, similar to recalling a television episode. Previous studies have revealed mixed results in differences of narrative length between speakers with and without concussion; however, more information is needed on the relationship between memory and narrative production in speakers with concussion. Aims: This study compares the total number of utterances and mean …

Identifying Landscape And Behavioral Drivers Of Human-Black Bear Conflict In New Hampshire, Shea O'Connor

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abundant American black bear (Ursus americanus) populations and increasing human development in New Hampshire have led to a prevalence of human-bear conflict across the state. This conflict negatively impacts humans, bears, and even the surrounding environment as safety is put at risk and environmental roles are disrupted. This thesis aimed to address both the ecological and human dimensions of human-bear conflict by combining a quantitative spatial analysis with a qualitative thematic analysis. Chapter One examined anthropogenic and landscape factors influencing human-black bear conflict levels across New Hampshire. I utilized ordinal logistic regression to analyze how various ecologically relevant predictor variables …

A Case With Bite: Royal Canin U.S.A., Inc. V. Wullschleger And The Updated Removal Jurisdiction Landscape, Nicholas G. Glover

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

Subject-matter jurisdiction is critical to every case, small or large.  Establishing the court’s authority to adjudicate a present matter is tantamount to every case and for every judge.  Despite the importance of properly entering and remaining in federal courts, civil procedure cases often receive far less fanfare than most others before the Supreme Court.  Such was the case last term in Royal Canin U.S.A., Inc. v. Wullschleger, an overlooked case which silently reshaped removal jurisdiction jurisprudence. This Article details the importance of this quiet case.  Through outlining entry into federal courts, introducing and reviewing the Eighth Circuit’s outlier—but correct—opinion …

Storm Clouds, Disheveled Storks, And Dangerous Animals: The Impact Of Concussion On Narrative Production Of A Silent Animated Video, Aislyn Grace O'Connell

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is the most prevalent category of brain injury. Despite its classification as a mild injury, concussion can result in persistent symptoms that impact one’s ability to participate in everyday life. Among the challenges associated with concussion, discourse production (e.g., storytelling) has gained attention as a potential area of subtle impairment in people who have experienced a concussion, as it places high cognitive demands on the individual. Disruptions in cognitive processes may alter how individuals organize, interpret, and convey information in social contexts. However, discourse deficits are typically more apparent in severe TBI, …

Climate Vulnerability In Context: Interpretations Of Risk And Reality In Maine And New Hampshire, Sophie Hope Goodwin

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study examines the relationship between place-based climate vulnerability and belief in anthropogenic climate change in Maine and New Hampshire. While exposure-based models suggest that direct experience with environmental hazards should increase climate belief, sociological research emphasizes the role of political ideology and social context in shaping attitudes. Using county-level measures from the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index combined with individual survey data from the Pine Tree State Poll and Granite State Poll, this study evaluates whether multidimensional climate vulnerability is associated with belief that climate change is happening now and is primarily caused by human activities. Results from three-step logistic …

Do We Even Know What ‘Even’ Does? A Ca Investigation, Emily Johnson

Comm-entary

Emily is a Senior communication major with a Business Administration minor. She is originally from Merrimack, NH, and is planning on working in PR or something similar when she graduates in May.

What does “even” do in conversation? This study shows that when used mid-turn, “even” functions as a systematic device for intensifying stance. Analyzing naturally occurring interactions, I demonstrate how speakers use “even” to upgrade assessments, noticings, and complaints, making them more extreme or noteworthy. Recipients consistently orient to this intensification through agreement, accounts, or escalation. Even when the upgrade is left incomplete, others step in to realize it, …

Conventions Of Photography As Means Of Social And Technological Critiques, Ava Lannery

Comm-entary

Ava is a Communication major with a specification in Business Applications. She’s an Irish dual citizen from Newton, MA.

This piece looks  at how photography can be used as a form of Social and technological critique. Through Mark Peterson’s ICE’s Spectacle of Intimidation and Jack Latham’s Beggars Honey, this essay argues that photographers can manipulate composition, technology to create deeper meanings about power, style, social stage agency, immigration enforcement, and modern digital manipulation. Ultimately, this writing piece shows how photography depends on audience context and literacy to be fully understood. 

Trust: The Invisible Force Behind Effective Leadership During Times Of Change, Lindsay Atoro

M.S. in Leadership

Workplace change is constant, yet most change management models focus on logistical, financial, and operational factors, overlooking the human aspects. Strategies to support employees often neglect the critical role of trust in effectiveness and success. To more deeply explore the role of trust, this study combined a comprehensive literature review with leader interviews to compare theoretical findings with real-world practices. Results revealed that while leaders acknowledged the importance of trust in leading teams through change, fewer than half explicitly identified it without prompting. Trust was consistently referenced, though often implicitly, reflecting a pattern in the literature where trust was acknowledged …

Calibrating Self-Awareness: Constructive Feedback As A Foundation For Leadership Effectiveness, Kelly Schwindt Calhoun

M.S. in Leadership

No abstract provided.

Psychology Lecturer Confronts Ai, Attendance Decline, And Future Of Student Learning, Valerie Reynolds

Digital Edition

No abstract provided.

Nh Ece Data Collection Efforts Running Inventory, Jess Carson, Evan England, Tyrus Parker

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

Updated April 2026!

The NH ECE Research Consortium maintains an inventory of current and complete NH ECE-relevant data collection efforts. Included are surveys, interviews, focus groups, needs assessments, and other ways people in the field collect information. The inventory strengthens public access for data users, improves awareness and coordination among researchers, and minimizes duplication.

Beyond A Protagonist Bias In Narrative Identity Research: Methods For Identifying Master Narratives In Interview Data, Andrew D. Coppens, Jayson Seaman, Cindy Hartman

Faculty Publications

This article advances a methodological shift in narrative identity research by addressing the field’s protagonist bias – the tendency to rely on first-person autobiographical accounts as the primary evidence for identifying cultural master narratives. We integrate Erikson’s psychosocial identity framework, Vygotsky’s “tool and result” methodological insight, and sociolinguistic approaches to narrative to develop a three-stage analytic logic: (1) identifying small-n narratives through scenes conveyed in discourse; (2) grouping these into Big-N narratives that cohere thematically across scenes (Tannen, 2007, 2008); and (3) assessing candidate master narratives using McLean and Syed’s (2016) five criteria. We demonstrate this approach through a case …

Chapter 2. Music Education And How To Save The American Orchestra, Robert S. Freeman

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Chapter 1. A Brief History Of The American Symphony Orchestra And Its Future, Robert S. Freeman

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Contributors To Issue 7

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Coda: On My Six Experiments In Conjoining (And Contrasting) Two Composers, James Porter

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

The author has previously published six essays, each based on a novel technique: pairing one piece each from two different composers, in an attempt at teasing out important implications of these (mostly little-known) works. These implications would have been harder to glean if one focused instead, as is normally done, on a small number of oft-performed canonical works by a few great masters.

The present “Coda” offers reflections on the implications of those six essays for a continuing exploration of important themes in the history of Western art music, including romanticism, modernism, “progress,” tonality, text-music relations, and nationalism (including the …

How About Some Borsch With Cherries? Musorgsky’S The Marriage And The Wagnerian Leitmotif, Martin Nedbal

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

This article explores the treatment of recurring motives in Modest Musorgsky’s experimental operatic fragment, The Marriage (1868). Previous commentators (Richard Taruskin and Márta Papp) have understated the significance of these motives. However, a closer examination at the musical score shows that they provide the opera with a certain degree of dramaturgical and musical coherence. Musorgsky’s motives also frequently comment on the dramatic procedures onstage. Furthermore, Musorgsky’s motivic work in this opera prefigures what he will do in the two versions of Boris Godunov. Therefore, The Marriage can be compared to the work of other opera composers of the time who …

Richard Taruskin And His Russian Music, Marina Ritzarev

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

Richard Taruskin’s contribution to Russian-music studies can profitably be viewed through a historiographic lens. A comparison of the Russian-Soviet and American schools of musicology shows that both were strongly influenced by the same source – the German fin-de-siècle tradition shaped by Hugo Riemann, Hermann Abert, Hermann Kretzschmar, and others. Brought to the United States by German scholars who fled the Nazis, this tradition was transmitted by Paul Henry Lang in his seminal book Music in Western Civilization (1941). On the Russian side, distorted by the ideologized and emphatically nationalistic doctrine of socialist imperialism, it was carefully preserved by those who …

Mozart’S Jewish Librettist: A Brief History Of A Poorly Kept Secret, Robert L. Marshall

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

Lorenzo da Ponte, the librettist of Mozart’s three greatest Italian operas, was born a Jew, a fact rumored about during his lifetime but not definitively established until 1900. The treatment (or not) of Da Ponte’s Jewish origins as documented from his time to the present constitutes a history of concealment, rumor, discovery, denigration, and exploitation. Its nadir was reached during the Nazi period, its zenith most recently, as the poet, hitherto a secondary player in the Mozart biographies, has emerged as the colorful protagonist in substantial biographies of his own.