Digital Commons Network^™

Data-Driven Partitioning In Distributed Optimization For Networked Systems, Prosper Azameti

Theses and Dissertations

The convergence behavior of distributed optimal power flow (OPF) depends strongly on how the power network is partitioned into regions. Classical graph-based methods such as METIS are widely used, but they rely mainly on static topological criteria and do not explicitly incorporate operating-point-dependent information that may affect distributed optimization performance. This thesis develops a data-driven partitioning framework for distributed OPF using graph neural networks (GNNs). Each OPF scenario is represented as a graph in which buses are nodes and transmission lines are edges. Node and edge features capture both structural and operational characteristics of the network. Partition prediction is formulated …

Creating "An Exemplar Of A Better World": A Dialogic Analysis Of Academic Freedom Surrounding Columbia University Activism From 2023-2025, Ellanore Foltz

Theses and Dissertations

From October of 2023 to August 2025, the community at Columbia University engaged in a series of debates regarding the meaning of academic freedom. Academic freedom, first institutionalized in the United States during the first world war, has shifted over the decades as the purpose of higher education and the threats to higher education changed. In recent years, campus protests regarding Israel and Palestine have sparked new debates about academic freedom that reflect ongoing and sometimes fundamental disagreements about higher education. This study utilizes Relational Dialectics Theory (RDT; Baxter, 2011) to explore the interplay between different discourses of academic freedom …

The Price Of Parenthood: Policy, Gender, And The Self-Perception Of Work Commitment And Career Momentum, Emily Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

Past research on parental leave has heavily focused on external backlash and the flexibility stigma, often utilizing hypothetical scenarios. The current study shifts this focus to the internal, lived experiences of returning parents, investigating how leave duration, gender, and corporate pay policies impact self-reported work commitment and subjective career success (SCS). Survey data were analyzed from a sample of employees (N = 129) who had recently returned to work following parental leave. Results show a significant negative relationship between leave duration and work commitment. However, gender did not moderate this relationship, nor did it moderate the relationship between leave duration …

Classifying Mathieu-Zhao Subspaces In Products Of Cyclic Rings, Sarah A. Huber

Theses and Dissertations

Mathieu-Zhao subspaces are a generalization of ideals in an algebra and were introduced by Wenhua Zhao in connection to the Jacobian conjecture and its variants. These subspaces have interesting properties, and often the problem of classification is hard. In this thesis, we investigate the structure of Mathieu-Zhao subspaces of the cartesian product of integers modulo powers of a prime p, Zpr × Zps . We will give a complete classification of the subgroups, maximal subgroups, Mathieu-Zhao subspaces, and maximal Mathieu-Zhao subspaces in these rings.

America The Not Yet Beautiful: Unfulfilled Promises In A Racist-Capitalist Society, Kaitlyn Tibbetts

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis draws from Langston Hughes’s poem “Let America Be America Again” to analyze four American novels that demonstrate the United States’s unfulfilled promises for lower-class individuals and minorities. The four novels examined in this thesis include: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, There There by Tommy Orange, and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Utilizing theoretical frameworks such as social reproduction theory, intersectionality, and Burden-Shelly’s theorizations on racist-capitalist oppression, this thesis argues that the policies and systems that the U.S. is founded on are designed to primarily benefit economically …

Fostering A Growth Mindset In Mathematics: Faculty And Student Experiences, Yolanda G. Rush

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Center for Community College Student Engagement (2019), many students attending two-year institutions need productive persistence strategies, including the development of a growth mindset. Although some growth mindset interventions have been effective in improving academic achievement among students (Boaler, 2016; Canning et al., 2024) and persistence (Lewis, 2019) among students, especially those with developmental needs (Suh et al., 2019) and those in mathematics, little is known about the experiences of students and teachers (i.e., students’ perceptions of teachers’ intentions and implementation) as teachers work to foster a growth mindset culture (Murphy et al., 2021). In this dissertation, I …

Reawakening Waⁿdat: Community Research & Reclamation, Darcy Allred

Theses and Dissertations

The Wyandot(te) have undergone language dormancy due to settler colonial impacts of warfare, refugee relocation, forced removals, and U.S. assimilation projects. One of the most pressing priorities among our people today is reawakening our ancestral language, Waⁿdat. The common follow-up question is: how? Through the conduit of Waⁿdat language reclamation, this project grapples with the above question in collaboration with the Wyandot(te) community, and in adherence to the tribal sovereignty of the Wyandotte Nation. The project engages with diasporic perspectives, community-based pedagogy design, and tribally specific research protocols and policies. The living collective knowledgebase with which I engage in this …

"Aren't You Old Enough To Know Better?": Judgments Surrounding Infidelity As A Function Of Age And Gender, Josephine Kirby

Theses and Dissertations

Relationships are often deeply affected by infidelity on several indicators such as marital satisfaction, forgiveness, and relationship longevity. With older adults often stereotyped as being asexual and women often being judged more harshly due to a sexual double standard, how do people perceive these groups in the context of infidelity? The purpose of my study was to investigate whether perceptions and judgments surrounding infidelity are affected by the age and gender of the person who committed infidelity. Using an experimental vignette method, participants were randomly assigned one version of a hypothetical couples’ counseling intake assessment form that, in part, described …

Pathways Through Barriers: A Qualitative Study Of Career Advancement Among International Graduates Of Illinois Public Higher Education Institutions, Tieola Lambey Requena

Theses and Dissertations

International students represented an important sector of the United States higher education and labor force ecosystem, contributing significantly to academic innovation, institutional diversity, and economic growth. Illinois, which is a major educational and industrial hub, attracted thousands of international students annually and played a critical role in the development of global talent essential to both the state and the national economy. Despite these contributions, international students faced persistent challenges when navigating career advancement in the United States. Recent immigration policy shifts intensified national security concerns and employer reluctance to sponsor visas, reframing international students from valued contributors to perceived labor …

Examining Explicit Professional Development As A Means To Change Inclusive Mindsets, Mitchell E. Elatkin

Theses and Dissertations

Inclusive education requires educators to hold beliefs that support the participation and success of students with disabilities in general education settings. Although federal policy mandates access to the least restrictive environment, educator attitudes toward inclusion continue to influence the implementation of inclusive practices. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine whether explicit professional development (PD) focused on inclusive mindsets influenced school stakeholders’ attitudes toward inclusion across a school year. Participants included representatives from various roles within a charter school organization in the Midwest. The researcher collected data through two administrations of the Adapted Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion Survey …

Rhetoric Of Realignment: An Analysis Of Trump's 2024 Campaign Rhetoric, David Valadez

Theses and Dissertations

When political coalitions include groups with opposing policy goals, leaders face a challenge: satisfying all constituencies without making commitments that alienate essential supporters. The present study examines strategic ambiguity in the form of deliberately vague political messaging as a tool for managing this challenge. Combining rhetorical analysis with selectorate theory, which explains how leaders achieve and maintain power through reward distribution, the research analyzes Donald Trump’s 2024 Republican National Convention acceptance speech, focusing on immigration rhetoric.

The analysis reveals that Trump’s ambiguity was selective rather than habitual. On immigration, where tech/corporate interests wanting skilled workers clashed with nationalist groups demanding …

The Role Of Non-Academic Staff In First-Year Retention At Regional, Comprehensive Universities, Marco A. Krcatovich Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Regional comprehensive universities (RCUs) serve a large share of U.S. undergraduates, yet the role of non‑academic staff in shaping first‑year retention remains understudied. This dissertation examines how staff diversity and staffing structures relate to student persistence using seven years of IPEDS panel data and Linear Mixed‑Effects Models. Analyses were conducted separately for residential and commuter RCUs to reflect their distinct engagement environments. Findings show that staff diversity is significantly associated with retention, though the direction and magnitude vary by campus type and staff role. Staffing structure also matters as higher proportions of full‑time staff are positively associated with retention at …

Staff Attitudes Toward Ai Adoption At A Private Research University, Ashley C. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the limited research on university staff attitudes toward artificial intelligence use and adoption. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) research framework, the General Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS), and quantitative survey methodology, the study examines the attitudes of higher education staff toward AI, specifically examining whether demographic or professional characteristics are factors. The findings indicate that staff had moderately negative attitudes toward AI while also expressing some concerns. The results suggest that more resources and support for AI are needed for staff to address concerns. It also suggests that construct-level analysis …

The Perceived Leadership Attributes Of Chief Academic Officers, Lowa Mwilambwe

Theses and Dissertations

Using Moss’s Leadership Attributes Inventory (LAI), which contains 37 attributes categorized under 6 core leadership roles (inspire a shared vision and establish standards; foster unity, collaboration, and ownership; exercise power effectively and empower others to act; exert external influence to set the right context, establish an environment conducive to learning; and satisfy the job-related needs of individuals in the organization), and descriptive and inferential statistics, this study examined the perceptions of Chief Academic Officers (CAOs) leadership at four-year public colleges and universities from the perspectives of the CAOs who self-evaluated themselves, and their colleagues (presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other …

Understanding Faculty Perceptions Of Shared Governance At A Four-Year Public University: A Case Study Of The University Of Ghana, Patrick Amponsah

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore how faculty at the University of Ghana perceive and experience shared governance, how it is practiced institutionally, and what outcomes they associate with it. Although shared governance is widely promoted as a democratic and collegial model of decision-making in higher education, its implementation remains underexamined. The study interviewed twelve (12) full-time faculty members who worked at the University of Ghana. Thematic analysis revealed ten interrelated themes, including structured participation with limited influence, shared governance as an opportunity for faculty input, and the presence of both collaborative attitudes and formal committee …

Refusing To Die On The Vine: Black Women's Survival, Resistance, And Dei Labor In Historically White Institutions, Senesta D. Howard

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the lived experiences of Black women in non-diversity, non-faculty roles at historically White institutions (HWIs) who engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) advocacy beyond their formal job responsibilities. Grounded in Black Feminist Thought and guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the study explores how race and gender shape invisible labor expectations, emotional and psychological burdens, and strategies for safety and meaning-making. Semi-structured interviews with 12 Black women staff members yielded seven interrelated themes, including invisible DEI labor, hypervisibility, emotional exhaustion, sisterhood as a form of resistance, respectability politics, self-constructed safety, and purpose rooted in legacy and spirituality. …

Constructing And Deconstructing Homelessness: Challenging The Stigmatization Of The Unhoused Through Lived Experience, Brenna Jones

Theses and Dissertations

As homelessness rises across the United States, public discourse plays an important role in shaping how the housing crisis is understood and addressed. This study examines how homelessness is constructed through local media narratives and how these constructions shape the experiences of unhoused individuals. Using a case study of Greater Bangor, Maine, this research combines a critical content analysis of 315 news articles from the Bangor Daily News (2020-2025) with in-depth interviews with 18 unhoused and precariously housed individuals. The findings demonstrate how media portrayals construct homelessness as a stigmatized identity associated with disorder, addiction, and danger. These narratives contribute …

Middle School Students' Initial Ideas And Their Connections In Proportion Word Problems, Carrie Ann Lawton

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation study, I sought to identify the initial ideas that middle school students had when approaching Multiple Batches and Variable Parts proportion word problems, as well as the connections they made among those initial ideas. I conducted semi-structured individual and paired interviews with 13 sixth- and seventh-grade students at the end of their school year. I then used the Knowledge-in-Pieces theoretical perspective to identify knowledge resources that the participants accessed when approaching the tasks, prior to any intervention on my part.

Through my analysis, I identified 18 initial ideas that the middle school students employed when solving the …

Performance-Based Funding’S Influence On Higher Education Through The Eyes Of Department Chairs, Jonathan W. Lackland

Theses and Dissertations

Performance-based funding (PBF) has become a widely adopted policy in higher education, linking state appropriations to measurable outcomes such as graduation rates, degree completions, and workforce alignment. While PBF aims to enhance institutional accountability and efficiency, its implementation has raised significant concerns about equity and political influence. This dissertation examines the political equity and implications of PBF policies through a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, interviews with department chairs, and critical discourse analysis of state statutes and legislative debates. The findings reveal that PBF often exacerbates inequities, particularly for non-flagship universities serving diverse and under-resourced student populations. Department chairs expressed concerns …

Exploring Culturally Responsive Faculty Practices That Support Student Success In Community College Classrooms, Mary Catherine Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the culturally responsive teaching practices used by six community college faculty and instructors in their in-person courses. Faculty and instructors taught courses included in certificate and degree programs related to early childhood education, human services, and criminal justice at one midwestern community college. Specific content areas included sociology, political science, and child development. Data collection for this study included comprehensive interviews with each instructor, an analysis of documents including syllabi, student assignments, and assessments, and multiple classroom observations. This study was anchored in a theoretical framework based on the constructs of culturally responsive teaching practices. Each …

Raised On Ritalin - A Work For Concert Band Based On My Personal Experiences With Adhd Alongside A Graphic Novel By Tyler Page, Ethan Prado

Theses and Dissertations

During my time as an undergrad at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, I loved to read graphic novels, and their library had quite the collection. I lost track of how many times I made my way down to the third sub-level of the Undergraduate Library to go to the graphic novel section. In my last year at UIUC (2021-2), preparations were made to close the UGL in order for it to be renovated for their Special Collections. Essentially, they would be swapping the contents of the UGL and the Main Stacks. One time, while looking for graphic novels in …

From Global Norms To Local Implementation: The Sendai Framework, Disaster Risk Reduction, And Human Rights In The United States, Madelyn Schutte

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the extent to which the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and a human rights-based approach (HRBA) are reflected in local level hazard mitigation plans in the United States. This study utilizes a directed qualitative content analysis of a local hazard mitigation plan, using McLean County, Illinois, as a single case study. The Sendai Framework and a HRBA are moderately reflected in McLean County’s hazard mitigation plan, with the most significant omission being a comprehensive discussion of the disproportionate risks faced by vulnerable populations. The results indicate that FEMA guidelines for hazard mitigation plans likely do not …

Dining Experiences Across Hearing Profiles: The Influence Of Noise And Environmental Factors In Restaurants, Lorin M. Kmieciak

Theses and Dissertations

Dining out is a popular activity worldwide that is rooted in sensory and emotional engagement. How an individual experiences the sensory conditions in restaurants varies widely, highlighting the importance of designing dining environments that accommodate diverse perceptual needs and abilities. The purpose of this study is to address how existing dining environments overlook inclusive and accessibility-centered design by examining how hearing loss intersects with the acoustic, sensory, and social dimensions of dining environments. This study employed a mixed method, exploratory approach by gathering quantitative data through a survey and qualitative data through follow-up interviews to generate a holistic and data-driven …

Emotion Regulation Difficulties And Substance Use: The Role Of Conscientiousness, Caitlyn M. Donnelly

Theses and Dissertations

Difficulties in emotion regulation have been consistently linked to substance use among college students. However, individual differences may influence this relationship. Conscientiousness, a personality trait characterized by self-control, planning, and goal-directed behavior, has been proposed as a potential protective factor. The present study examined associations among difficulties in emotion regulation, conscientiousness, and substance use behaviors, as well as whether conscientiousness moderates the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and substance use. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational design, data was collected from college students recruited through a university participant pool. Participants completed self-report measures of emotion regulation difficulties, conscientiousness, and substance use …

Reconciliation, Draper Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis exhibition, Reconciliation, examines how memory, loss, and lived experience shape personal identity over time. Through sculptural works composed of cast, blown, and hot-sculpted glass combined with mixed media, the exhibition explores the pressures that life events place upon individuals and the ways those pressures persist, transform, and become integrated into the self. The work considers identity not as a fixed state but as a continual process of negotiation between past experiences, present circumstances, and future possibilities.

Central to the project is the material analogy between glass and human experience. Glass, a material formed under extreme heat and pressure …

Examination Of The Effects Aesthetic Enrichment And Music Have On Well-Being And Task Performance In A Workplace Simulation, Emily Budik

Theses and Dissertations

Workplace environments are often designed with a focus on efficiency, yet emerging research suggests that environmental features such as aesthetic enrichment and music may influence employee well-being and performance. The present study examined whether visual aesthetic enrichment and auditory stimulation through music could improve well-being, reduce stress, and enhance task performance within a simulated workplace task. Participants completed a 30-minute in-basket task under one of four conditions: a control environment, music only, aesthetic enrichment only, or a combined aesthetic enrichment and music condition. Measures of stress, well-being, and task performance were collected following task completion. Results indicated that neither aesthetic …

Institutional Retention And Graduation Outcomes Before And During Covid-19: A Comparison Of Online-Experienced And Online-Inexperienced Four-Year Institutions, Nicholas J. Finnessey

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether student success outcomes and their trajectories over time differed across higher education institutions before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic based on prior experience with online education. Guided by Astin’s (1993) Input-Environment-Output (I-E-O) framework, pre-pandemic participation in online coursework was conceptualized as an institutional-level environmental condition. A quantitative, causal-comparative research design was employed, using secondary data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), to examine longitudinal differences in institutional retention and graduation rates across institutions classified by their pre-pandemic participation in online education. The sample included 528 Title IV-eligible, degree-granting, four-year institutions observed across five …

Data Utilization In Facilities’ Performance Management Decision- Making At U.S. Four-Year Public Institutions: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study, Tanaporn Supanichrattana

Theses and Dissertations

The growing complexity of higher education finance, aging infrastructure, and rising accountability expectations has intensified demands on facilities organizations to manage institutional assets strategically. As colleges and universities face sustained fiscal constraints and expanding operational pressures, the ability of facilities leaders to use data to inform performance management has become increasingly critical. Despite this importance, limited empirical research has examined how facilities leaders integrate data into decision-making within public higher education contexts.

The quantitative study employed a cross-sectional, exploratory survey design to investigate data utilization practices among facilities leaders at U.S. public four-year institutions. Guided by the Data–Information–Knowledge–Wisdom hierarchy and …

The Acculturation Of International-Born Student Affairs Administrators In The United States, Amber Joy Webb

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative study explored how international student affairs administrators in the United States experience acculturation. Guided by Berry’s (1997) fourfold model of acculturation, the study examined how participants experienced assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization as they navigated their professional roles, institutional expectations, and cultural identities. Eight participants, representing diverse countries of origin, institutional types, and professional roles, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) framework. Findings indicated participants employed multiple, context-dependent acculturation strategies rather than adhering to a single strategy. Assimilation emerged as a strategic process for establishing professional legitimacy, navigating …

Meet Me In The Middle: Transformational Coaching As A Strategy To Disrupt Middle School Teacher Attrition, Aimee J. Pettit

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition among early-career educators remains a persistent challenge in middle school settings, particularly in schools serving historically marginalized student populations. At Nevermore Academy Middle School, newly hired teachers continue to leave the profession despite the implementation of traditional onboarding and mentoring programs, citing challenges with classroom management, limited societal respect for the profession, emotional exhaustion, and inadequate compensation. High rates of teacher turnover disrupt instructional continuity and disproportionately affect students from low-income households, many of whom are students of color. This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of new teachers at Nevermore Academy and explored how participation in transformational …