Digital Commons Network^™

The Benefits And Barriers To Expanding Crna Programs In Michigan, Grace Van Zweden

Honors Theses

The demand for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and their delivery of safe, high-quality anesthesia care has increased significantly due to nationwide anesthesia provider shortages and the growing reliance on CRNAs to meet healthcare system needs. This demand underscores the importance of expanding nurse anesthesia programs in Michigan and across the United States to support nurses pursuing advanced education and to improve patient access to essential care within their communities. The CRNA profession has evolved over time to meet the changing needs of the healthcare system, and current CRNA programs require applicants to satisfy rigorous and highly specific admission criteria. …

Wmu Board Of Trustee Board Meeting, Thursday, September 10, 2026, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Acceptance of the Agenda

Approval of the Minutes (June 25, 2026)

Remarks by the Chair of the Board

Remarks by the President

Updates by the Faculty Senate President

Updates by the Western Student Association President

Updates by the Graduate Student Association President

AFSCME Adopt-A-Highway Project and Food Drive

WMU Particle Accelerator Lab, Physics Department

Western Michigan University Employee Graduates

Public Comments Regarding Action Items

Action Items

American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Labor Agreement

Honorary Degree Recommendation for David Dombrowski

Consent Items

• Donation of Real Estate to the City of Kalamazoo
• Personnel Report
• Curriculum Proposals
• Annuity and Life Income Funds …

Introduction, Christopher Tremblay, Diana Camilo, Patrick J. O'Connor Phd, Laura Owen, Moya Malcolm

Journal of College Access

No abstract provided.

Complete Issue 11.3, Christopher Tremblay, Moya Malcolm, Patrick J. O'Connor Phd, Laura Owen, Diana Camilo

Journal of College Access

No abstract provided.

Applying Their Capital: Family Motivation And Tension Among Housing-Insecure Undergraduate Students, Vanessa Pena, Susan P. Farruggia, Nicole A. Perez

Journal of College Access

This study examined how housing-insecure undergraduates draw on community cultural wealth to persist in higher education. Findings show that students’ family relationships were deeply embedded in their educational experiences, functioning as a source of motivation and tension. Campus housing emerged as a critical institutional resource that alleviated financial and emotional burdens for both students and their families. Furthermore, campus housing proved to be a source of relief and an important intervention for both students and their families that led to the activation of familial, navigational, and aspirational capital. The results offer implications for supporting students facing housing insecurity and student …

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) As A Communication Pedagogy Mega-Risk, Deanna Sellnow

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

With the ever-expanding capabilities offered by artificial intelligence (AI), communication teachers, scholars, and practitioners are currently in the midst of heated debates about whether and how to use AI both in our classrooms and in our research. This essay contextualizes the debate by describing generative AI as a technological mega-risk that, if left unchecked, may manifest into a mega-crisis impacting people and planet in extraordinarily harmful ways. Consequently, I argue that it is our responsibility as instructional communication scholars, communication education teachers, and communication pedagogy experts to discover strategies for harnessing its power to manage the potential threats posed by …

How To Blow Up An Ai Data Center, Tyler Rife

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay advocates a critical pedagogical orientation to AI guided by a politics of refusal. I pursue this advocacy by, first, showing how the social and environmental harms of AI technology outweigh any promises to its social good and then, second, locating resonances between our contemporary technological situation and similar inflection points in the histories of labor organizing and environmental justice activism. Together, these material implications of the emergent technology help form a pedagogical framework for how communication educators can advance critical literacy about AI in the classroom as a constructive counterpoint to its uncritical adoption in the learning process. …

Creating Safe(R) Classrooms: Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices In Higher Education, Shannon Pappas, Nolan Bowers, Lili R. Romann

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Trauma is a public health issue, with effects being increasingly harmful for adolescents. While instructors cannot control how students respond to trauma, they can work to create traumainformed teaching practices to support student learning and safety. Based on the principles of trauma-informed pedagogy, this manuscript details how safety, trustworthiness and transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment can be implemented in higher education communication courses. Additionally, a sixth principle, responding to the current climate, is introduced. Currently, instructors are grappling with supporting vulnerable students and answering to those in power. These practices offer insights into classroom adaptations to assist instructors in these …

Community Problems Need Community Solutions: Feminist Collaboration Across Campuses To Create Transformative Outcomes Through Community Engaged Learning, Elizabeth Wilhoit Larson, Jasmine R. Linabary, Ziyu Long, Kylie J. Johnson

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study presents a multi-institutional engaged pedagogy project responding to college food insecurity that involved partnerships among students, instructors, and campus food pantries from three U.S. universities. Through analysis of pre- and post-class surveys, class assignments, and instructor and community partner reflections, we argue that our feminist collaborative approach resulted in transformative outcomes in three areas: (a) heads, as the collaboration enabled critical understandings of food insecurity and how to combat it; (b) hearts, as the collaboration fostered a culture of care and (re)ignited shared passion in doing change work, and (c) hands, as the collaboration inspired actions to address …

Meeting Rhetorical And Relational Goals In Online Higher Education: Insights From A South African Case Study, Rentia Du Plessis, Diana Breshears, Luzelle Naudé Prof

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This qualitative study examines the degree to which synchronous and asynchronous online learning platforms both supported and constrained the achievement of rhetorical and relational goals in a resource-constrained South African higher education context. As online teaching practices persist in the post-COVID era, understanding how to design pedagogically sound online environments is increasingly important, particularly in the Global South where cost, access, and connectivity pose significant constraints. Drawing on the Rhetorical and Relational Goals Theory (RRGT; Mottet et al., 2006) and Kaufmann et al.’s (2016) online learning climate dimensions, the study analyzes undergraduate students’ perceptions of Blackboard Collaborate, PowerPoint voice-overs, WhatsApp, …

The Co-Educators Framework: An Illustrative Account Of Shared Pedagogical Practice And Inclusive Teaching In A Large-Enrollment Communication Course, Divya S, Man Luo, Jisha Jacob, Shahla Shahnaz Dyuti, Victoria Michelle Main

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Large-enrollment courses present structural challenges to inclusive and relational pedagogy, particularly when instructional labor is shared across teaching teams that include graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). This study examines inclusive teaching as a communicative and practical process enacted through co-education, the coordinated instructional work of faculty and GTAs. Using a diary-based reflexive design, four doctoral GTAs contributed teaching journals across one semester of an undergraduate Communication Theory course. Reflexive thematic analysis identified four themes: collaborative course design, communication as pedagogical infrastructure, equitable assessment, and reflexive care. The study offers the Co-Educators Framework as an illustrative account of how shared, communicative pedagogical …

Using Posters To Increase Vegan Entrées Chosen At Classics In Wmu’S Student Dining Center, Sarah Schneider

Honors Theses

The following experiment tested the use of specifically designed posters to see the effect on eating habits of those who ate entrées from WMU’s food counter called Classics in the Student Dining Center. The independent variable was a poster with humorous and factual elements displayed at the point of choice in the dining center. The primary dependent variable was the percentage of vegan entrees chosen out of the total number of vegan and meat entrees served. The secondary dependent variables were the number of vegan entrees prepped and served, and the percentage of each entree that was served out of …

Empowering Future Educators: How Service-Learning Shapes Teacher Candidate Self-Efficacy And Understanding Of Book Access, Nancy F. Hulan, Morgan S. Major

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Literacy rates are historically low in areas where access to books is limited. Thus, students with limited exposure to books prior to school pose a unique challenge to teachers, who often feel unprepared to teach students from underserved populations. To help remedy this, teacher candidates need preparation that builds their abilities to provide both access to books and quality literacy instruction for students who live in poverty. The study described in this article investigated the impact of literacy-related community engagement on teacher candidates’ self-efficacy, their understanding of book access, and their perceptions of teachers’ roles in providing book access. Participants …

Deferred Understandings: A Critical Content Analysis Of Representations Of War In Picturebooks, Heeyoung Kim, Jongsun Wee

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article reports on a study that examined eight picturebooks published since 2021 that portray contemporary wars, exploring picturebooks’ potential role in shaping children’s understandings of armed conflict. It investigated how these texts present historical context and construct representations of war. The authors’ analysis focuses on three key elements: the causes of war, depictions of wartime scenes, and the resolutions of war. The findings indicate that the picturebooks portray war realistically through textual and visual narratives, illustrating how war disrupts the child protagonist’s everyday life. However, the books rarely address the underlying causes of war. This study suggests that teachers …

Knowledge, Physician Communication, And Psychological Predictors Of Willingness To Engage In Dementia Risk Reduction Across The Lifespan, Thomas Fisher

Dissertations

Dementia represents a growing global public health concern, with increasing evidence suggesting that a substantial portion of dementia risk may be attributable to modifiable lifestyle and health-related factors. However, relatively little is known about public knowledge of these risk factors, willingness to engage in dementia risk reducing behaviors, and psychological factors that may be associated with willingness. The present study examines these factors among adults living in the United States across the lifespan. Participants (N = 308) completed an anonymous online survey assessing dementia risk-factor knowledge, willingness to engage in dementia risk reducing behaviors, primary care provider communication regarding dementia …

Black Adolescents' Understanding Of Racial Trauma: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Winifred Wilson

Dissertations

Over the past two decades, scholars have increasingly recognized that chronic stress from racism can cause racial trauma in Black individuals. However, research on the impact of racial trauma on Black adolescents remains limited. Understanding the language and experiences of Black adolescents is essential for identifying and addressing the biopsychosocial effects of racial trauma. This study used interpretive phenomenological analysis to examine how 12 Black adolescents (9 boys, 3 girls, aged 14-17) from the Midwest conceptualize, experience, and cope with racial trauma. Participants completed two interviews: an initial session exploring their understanding and experiences, and a member-checking interview (completed by …

Analysis Of A Process-Based Approach To Case Formulation And Treatment With Acceptance And Commitment Therapy, Callum Smith

Dissertations

Process-Based Therapy (PBT) is a novel approach to clinical research and practice. PBT is proposed as an alternative model to classic diagnostic frameworks. It emphasizes conceptualizing psychological problems through adaptive and maladaptive processes of change. The aim of current PBT research is to develop reliable methods of organizing change processes into network models. In network models, change processes are presented in nodes connected by lines and arrows to represent the interacting relationships between those processes for a given individual. The present project aims to evaluate the inter-rater reliability and predictive validity of a novel semi-structured interview method to aid in …

A Primary Care Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating The Efficacy Of A Caregiver-Focused Prevention Program For Child Sexual Abuse, Cassandra Dukes

Dissertations

Child sexual abuse (CSA) affects 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys before the age of 18, resulting in significant long-term physical, emotional, and social consequences. Caregivers play a crucial role in preventing CSA by engaging in preventative behaviors with their children. Primary care settings may be an avenue through which to educate caregivers on their role in prevention of CSA. The present study used a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design to investigate the efficacy of a caregiver-focused educational program to prevent CSA, provided via integrated behavioral health (IBH) in a pediatric primary care setting. Participants (n=56) were …

Establishing And Validating Foundational Competencies In The Application Of Behavioral Gerontology Through Expert Consensus, Alexandra Doran

Dissertations

Behavioral gerontology continues to evolve and grow as an application of behavior analysis, but there remains a critical need to define competencies necessary for behavior analysts to provide ethical, effective care within their scope of competence. This study sought to establish and validate foundational competencies for Board Certified Behavior Analyst s® (BCBA s® ) working in this area. A mixed-methods design using three experiments was used. In Experiment 1, a review of discipline-specific competency frameworks and a job mapping process yielded a preliminary set of behavior-analytic competencies for behavioral gerontology. This produced a preliminary framework consisting of 142 competencies. Experiment …

The Impact Of Using History On Learning In Physics Laboratory Settings, Patrick W. Clouse

Dissertations

Integrating History of Science (HOS) into science courses has many benefits. Students demonstrate improved scientific content knowledge, develop their understanding of Nature of Science (NOS), and improve their attitudes towards science. However, barriers prevent instructors from effectively incorporating history into their teaching. The traditions and culture of science instruction, individual teacher attitudes and skills, existing institutional frameworks, and prevailing curricular materials all prevent HOS integration. Preservice teachers may never be exposed to HOS in their science or education courses, meaning they lack experience and knowledge surrounding the benefits of HOS. Therefore, alternative avenues for effective integration should be considered to …

Bridging The Gap: Action-Oriented Vs. Community-Minded Mentalities And Behaviors In Cold Case Investigation Units, Samantha Strine

Dissertations

One key group in policing that has seen an increase in public and media attention but not research is the cold case investigation unit. These units tend to be more “bureaucratic”, focusing on communication, community-engagement skills, and “desk work”. Thus, this is a potential area for learning techniques and policies that shift the mentalities within police culture to be more accepting of new community focused policies. This study also seeks to address a gap in current research related to studying specialized police units.

The purpose of this study is to describe the organizational dynamics and officers’ tactics, perceptions, and interactions …

Masculinity, Psychological Flexibility, And Machismo: An Initial Examination Of Relationships To Interpersonal Violence, Geraldine Granados Todd

Dissertations

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a grave problem in many areas of the world. Latin American countries have some of the highest rates of IPV in the world. One factor potentially impacting these rates has been hypothesized to be traditional machismo. Machismo is a complex construct that has proven difficult to define. A substantial challenge lies in distinguishing the characteristics that are unique to machismo from broader masculine gender role norms. Additionally, machismo seems to have a more “positive” side to it, encompassing loyalty to family, honor, and responsibility. This has been coined caballerismo. Studies looking at the impact of …

Severity-Informed Analysis Of Staff-Worn Personal Protective Equipment Use In An Applied Behavior Analysis Clinical Setting, Trey Ximenez

Dissertations

Staff who provide care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability experience high workplace injury rates, particularly in applied behavior analysis settings (Hardesty 2020; Hardesty et al., 2025; Romani et al., 2020). Despite these elevated risks, organizations lack evidence-based criteria for determining what protection to recommend to staff based on documented injury outcomes (Irwin Helvey et al. 2024). This study examined how staff injury characteristics are associated with staff-worn personal protective equipment (PPE) use in an inpatient neurobehavioral unit. A retrospective analysis of 1,998 staff injury incidents from 105 patients (2020-2024) tested whether injury severity, injury type relevance, …

A Pedagogical “Eras” Tour: Thirteen Years Of Evolving As A Writing Methods Instructor [Special Issue], Susanna Benko

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

ABSTRACT: This reflective essay uses Taylor Swift's Eras Tour as a conceptual framework for examining thirteen years of teaching a writing methods course for preservice teachers. Drawing on longitudinal reflection, I identify four distinct pedagogical eras in my practice, each representing shifts in how I conceptualize what preservice teachers need to learn about teaching writing and how clinical experiences shape that learning. Through this extended reflection, I argue that meaningful pedagogical change becomes visible only across time, not semester-to-semester. Key insights include the sustained centrality of writing practice in methods courses and the influence of institutional changes on course design. …

What Are You Writing? The Hopes And Hurdles Of Transitioning From Writing Methods To Teaching Writing, Rebekah Buchanan, Darrin G. Ross

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This co-authored piece examines how the writing methods course impacts teaching and thinking about writing through the lenses of a writing methods professor and a former student/current teacher. In writing and thinking together we found that a mutual grounding in liberatory education, using writing as a tool for social action and critical thinking, and teaching writing as a political act we see how the writing methods course and the relationships built through writing create a basis for future decision making and inspiration in the high school classroom.

From Corrector To Reader: Pre-Service Teachers’ Writing Values And Feedback, Amanda Brewer

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This study investigates the written feedback practices of secondary English Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) to understand how their values regarding "good" writing influence their comments on student work. Through analysis of feedback on 10th-grade writing samples and value-sorting surveys, the study examines their feedback tendencies and the links with their values. Findings indicate a significant shift over the semester from a directive, deficit-based "corrector" stance to a facilitative, asset-based "reader" stance. The data suggests that when PSTs lack specific metalinguistic language, they default to generic advice or mechanical correction. However, when instructed to align their feedback with their core writing values, …

Bridging The Gap: Critical Resources For Grandparent Caregivers And Their Grandchildren, Kathy Dial, Cara Tonn, Omotomilola Jegede, Cindy Kekeh, Loriena Yancura, Michele Kekeh

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

US population estimates indicate that approximately 2.5 million children live apart from both parents. Family relatives, often called kinship caregivers, care for 70% to 90% of these children, with grandparents making up the largest category (Radel et al., 2016). This study aimed to identify the most helpful resources and sources for grandparent caregivers to support the overall well-being of their families. Phone or Zoom interviews were conducted among a purposive sample of 24 grandparent caregivers from February to March 2022 to examine their initial experiences as caregivers, the current support services and resources they received, and other resources and services …

Kinship Caregivers Feel More Satisfied With Services And Better Supported With A Kinship Navigator, Berenice R. Rushovich, Kristin Sepulveda Muñoz, Brittany Mihalec-Adkins, Brooke Derrick, Karin Malm

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Kinship caregivers caring for children often lack access to services and supports they need to stabilize their families. Other kinship navigator programs have been shown to improve child permanency, child safety, child wellbeing, and adult wellbeing. This study evaluated Kinnections, a kinship navigator program provided by Wayfinder Family Services, operating since 2007 in seven counties in Northern California. Using propensity score matching, 116 kinship caregivers receiving Kinnections services were matched with 116 kinship caregivers in neighboring counties with no kinship navigator services available. The matched sample showed strong baseline equivalence on key caregiver, child, and household factors. Findings showed …

Montana Kinship Navigator Program: A Statewide Frontier Initiative Promoting Kinship Family Health And Wellness, Daniel J. Koltz Dr., Peyton Vining, Yu Jiang

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

This practice brief report describes the development, implementation, and new updates of the Montana Kinship Navigator Program (MTKNP), a statewide initiative designed to support kinship caregivers in a large, rural frontier context. Montana’s geographic isolation, limited infrastructure, and sparse population create significant barriers for kinship families, including restricted access to healthcare, transportation, childcare, and social services. These challenges are compounded when caregivers unexpectedly assume responsibility for children, often with limited resources and support. MTKNP addresses these gaps through a comprehensive, evidence-informed model that integrates information and referral services with individualized case management. The program serves both formal and informal kinship …

Vietnamese Grandparents' Caregiving Experiences For Grandchildren Impacted By Hiv/Aids: An Ethnographic Study, Lesley M. Harris, Nguyen D. Thang, Linh Thuy Nguyen

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

This ethnographic study explores the caregiving experiences of grandparents in northern Vietnam who are raising grandchildren impacted by HIV/AIDS. Specifically, what is the process of skipped-generation caregiving in families affected by HIV/AIDS in Vietnam? Data were collected between 2009 and 2011 through participant observation and in-depth interviews with 26 grandparent caregivers and eight key informants. Informed by the Caregiving Career framework as a sensitizing concept and using constructivist grounded theory analytic strategies, the study identifies four interconnected caregiving phases shaped by cultural expectations, stigma, and intergenerational disruption. Through fieldwork and analysis, we found that grandparents drew from previous and current …