Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Parental Involvement In Student Academic Achievement In Lutheran Schools, Andrew Strickland

Graduate Teacher Education

Parental involvement in academic achievement and faith formation are often studied, yet they are still necessary topics to understand the methods and means to involve parents. Shifts in social dynamics have led to a decline in parental involvement in schools, including declines in involvement in Lutheran schools. This research focused on examining the impact of parent involvement on academic achievement and explored the connection between parent involvement and faith formation in Lutheran schools. Parents' and educators' perceptions of involvement formed the first aspect of the review. Studies on school and parental perceptions examined differing views in preschool and adolescence. Research …

The Built Environment And Adverse Cardiovascular Events In Us Veterans With Cardiovascular Disease, Skanda Moorthy, Zhuo Chen, Tong Zhang, Sai Rahul Ponnana, Santosh Kumar Sirasapalli, Kanimozhi Shivanantham, Haitham Khraishah, Jean Eudes Dazard, Sadeer G. Al-Kindi, Salil V. Deo, Sanjay Rajagopalan

Faculty Scholarship

Question: Can AI-extracted interpretable built environment features predict major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in a national veteran population? Findings: In this cohort study of 770,990 U.S. veterans, seven built environment features were significantly associated with an increased risk of MACE. Two features, old/dilapidated buildings and visible wire, were associated with a decreased risk. Greenery was only linked to increased risk in higher social deprivation index quartiles. Meaning: Built environment features can serve as predictors of MACE, highlighting the potential role of neighborhood characteristics in cardiovascular risk stratification beyond traditional factors. Importance: The relationship between built environment features and major adverse …

Assessing Implications Through General Strain Theory: Comparative Analysis Of Crime Rates In Flint And Pontiac Michigan, Jennifer Harrison

Honors Projects

Flint, Michigan suffered a city water change from the Great Lake’s Lake Huron water pipeline to an old system using the Flint River as the main source of water (Reuben, et al., 2022). The change took place in an effort to make budget cuts (Denchak, 2024). The switch occurred before checking the safety of the pipes, which were severely corroded (Reuben, et al., 2022). Lead poisoning and Legionnaires disease spread through the Flint community and the water was visibly not safe for use (Reuben, et al., 2022). The people of Flint experienced stress that they could not control. They feared …

Composition Honors Recital And Lecture, Hannah Simmers

Honors Projects

This project demonstrates compositional techniques and development. It provides a view on the writing process of musical compositions and an analysis on the different components of the pieces. The project included public speaking, where I spoke about each piece and different aspects of the pieces to listen for. A large portion of my role before the recital consisted of organizing musicians, creating a program, and writing my essay.

Shepherds Of Loss: Religion And Grief In The Shenandoah Valley, Ewan Benjamin

Honors Projects

This study explores the relationship between faith leaders and religious communities with the human experience of grief, death, and loss. Inspired by the researcher's own experience, this paper argues that the United States has a generally uncomfortable relationship with death and hypothesizes that religious traditions can serve to assist with grief in a positive way. After interviewing six religious leaders in the Shenandoah Valley, two themes arose: the mystery of death and the concept of "making space" for the grieving, dying, and dead. In the paper's conclusion, the faith leaders make known their own concerns with death in the United …

Revolutions In July: A Decade Of Unrest 1958-1968, Eric Wilbur

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Jtc 25: Drum Major With A Mission, Andrea Drummond

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2025 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

Doctor Of Medicine Commencement: May 3, 2025, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Doctor of Medicine Commencement program from May 3, 2025.

Public And Private Police And Their Impact On Crime: Evidence From American Universities, Cruz K. Marquis

Honors Capstones

This study quantitatively assesses the effect of fully deputized private police (FDPP) on nine measures of crime on 770 American university campuses over thirteen years. Building on the analysis of FDPP found in Stringham (2015), this study offers a public choice analysis of the incentives resulting from private ownership, positing that officers serving in such systems face systemically different incentives than their public counterparts, leading to a more vigilant and consumer-focused security posture. This increases the likelihood that criminals will be apprehended, which thereby reduces the expected utility of criminality, leading to fewer such instances. By building a unique dataset …

Jtc 25: Writing Her Own Path, Harrison Holley

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2025 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

Make Some Noise: The Intersection Of Music Therapy And Classroom Management, Erica Ewell

Expressive Therapies Theses

This literature review defines and explores the themes at the intersection of music therapy and mental health counseling techniques and general education practices for classroom management. This work explores how general education teachers, who are not therapists or musicians, might use music to engage students so that their classrooms feel safe (physically and emotionally), productive, and ideally, fun. From recent and relevant literature in music therapy, psychology, and education journals as well as classroom management guidebooks grounded in trauma-informed theory, five major themes emerged: (1) Student Intrinsic/Extrinsic Motivation, (2) Student-Teacher Relationships (3) Social/Emotional Learning, (4) Psychological Safety/Well-Being in School, and …

The Interlace: Creating Suburban Connections, Annikka Fairfield

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Many cities in the United States are designed based on suburban sprawl, which contributes to excessive automobile-dependency and unwelcoming streets for pedestrians, and metro Atlanta is no exception. Alpharetta, Georgia is a growing city with the potential to become a more walkable suburban city. Alpharetta can be invigorated along specific corridors at the human scale to increase both walkability and connectivity by focusing on pedestrian wellbeing. Research shows that Biophilia's various facets have the power to improve human wellbeing. Prospect, refuge, and presence of water were selected to guide the thesis design. Urban-scale precedents like the Beltline in Atlanta, Georgia …

Secondary Principals’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Role Of Principals In Supporting Teacher Engagement In Professional Development, E. Rachel Evans

Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative research study explored the perspectives of secondary principals and teachers in an East Tennessee School District regarding the influence of secondary principals’ instructional leadership behaviors on active teacher engagement in professional development. I used questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to collect data from 8 secondary principals and 30 secondary teachers at the top five performing schools based on the average professional development hours earned per teacher. In the study, I examined the instructional leadership behaviors of framing the school goals, communicating the school goals, incentivizing teachers and learning, and promoting professional development. Findings revealed an apparent disconnect between the …

Frank O'Hara: The Figure That Remains, Madeline T. Zafon-Whalen

The Criterion

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Parental Mental Health On Children’S Mental Health In Childhood And Later Adulthood: A Systematic Literature Review, Chloe Steffel, Yujun Liu

Honors Capstones

Through reviewing and examining existing literature on parental mental health and children’s mental health in childhood and adulthood this paper aims to examine two areas (1) the various ways that parental mental health affects an offspring’s mental health, and (2) factors that are associated with the relationships between parental mental health and children’s mental health in adulthood. In terms of the scope, both the biological/genetic and environmental/social influences were included in the review to detect factors that play vital roles in contributing to the development of certain mental health disorders among children. These adverse exposures and mental health were further …

Genome Wide Association Study Of Fusarium Wilt Resistance In Spinacia Turkestanica, Sanjaya Gyawali, Gehendra Bhattarai, James C. Correll, Ainong Shi, Lindsey J. Du Troit

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fusarium wilt of spinach, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae (Fos), leads to substantial losses in spinach (Spinacia oleracea) seed production in the only region of the USA suitable for growing spinach seed crops, the maritime Pacific Northwest. Accessions of wild spinach, S. turkestanica, serve as a major source of resistance to multiple spinach diseases. In this study, 84 Spinacia genotypes (all 68 S. turkestanica accessions available publicly and 16 S. oleracea) were evaluated for reactions to Fos at medium and high densities of inoculum comprising a mix of isolates of races 1 and 2, using a factorial experimental …

Variant Minds: Designing For Neurodiversity In Office Spaces, Maya Schiltz

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

By recognizing and accommodating the natural diversity in human cognition, neurodiversity, Variant Minds proposes an inclusive office design strategy that supports both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals alike.

Originally used in reference to Autism, the term “neurodiversity” now encompasses a broader range of conditions, including ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Alzheimer’s, depression, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and Tourette’s syndrome. With an estimated 1 in 5 of the global population being neurodivergent, designing for inclusivity is both a moral imperative and a strategic advantage. Neurodiverse individuals bring unique strengths to the workplace, such as innovative thinking, strong pattern recognition, and heightened attention to detail. Studies …

A Multi-Modal Intervention To Improve Identification, Management, And Prevention Of Early Childhood Caries In The Primary Care Setting, Rieley M. Hull

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Early childhood caries (ECC) is the most prevalent chronic childhood disease and, if untreated, can lead to significant long-term health and social consequences, posing a substantial healthcare burden (AAPD, 2023; ADA, 2023; USPSTF, 2021; WHO, 2022). This evidence-based practice (EBP) project aimed to implement a multi-modal intervention to reduce ECC risk factors, prevent new dental caries, and halt the progression of existing dental caries. Conducted in a pediatric primary care setting in West Michigan, the project included patients five and under who received an oral examination and dental caries risk assessment following the AAP’s guidelines. Based on their oral health …

School Of Education Honors Late Educator's Legacy Of Service, Don Feitel

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Education has posthumously inducted Jeanne Carter Luckey, a champion for accessible education and community service across the state, into its Hall of Fame.

Jtc 25: Double Doctor, Marisa C. Atkinson

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2025 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

The Model Minority Victim, Chiu, Elaine M.

Santa Clara Law Review

The rise in xenophobia, hate and violence against AAPI Americans inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic was an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the criminal legal system as a tool of anti-racism. This Article traces the legal aftermath when Asian New Yorkers reported 276 possible hate crimes to the police in 2021. The analysis takes an empirical approach and a narrative approach. It relies on a unique database that followed what happened to civilian complaints of anti- Asian crimes from beginning to end. Using metrics such as arrest rates and conviction rates, the Article draws initial conclusions about the systemic …

Leading Elca Lutheran Colleges And Universities: Lutheranism, Purpose, And Alignment, Ian K. Mcmichael

Doctorate in Education

The colleges and universities affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) occupy a unique space within the higher education market. To varying degrees, each school currently professes to be a school of the “third path” between sectarian dogmatism and secular relativism. However, the mission of these schools has shifted dramatically since their founding and whether there is anything markedly different between them and secular liberal arts schools remains an open question. While research has addressed mission, values, and purpose in this context, what has not been extensively explored previously is the role the leaders of these institutions play …

High School Students Experiences With Competency-Based Education: A Study In Student-Centered Learning, Sarah Stout

Doctorate in Education

In this dissertation, I examined how high school students experienced the phenomenon of competency-based education (CBE) and how that impacted their overall view of high school educational systems. Rooted in personalized learning, CBE focuses on mastery of learning versus time spent, performance-based assessments, and rigorous competencies made up of educational standards. While most notably utilized in higher education and trade schools, CBE is making its way in public school systems in the U.S. Current literature looks at the adult perspective of CBE, but the student perspective is missing. This study was guided by a conceptual framework that first acknowledges education …

Assessing Leadership In Business: A Critical Investigation Of Ray Dalio, Johan Gomez Hernandez

Honors Scholar Theses

Understanding what makes an effective leader remains a key point in the study of business leadership and company success. This paper offers a critical assessment of Ray Dalio's leadership at Bridgewater Associates, diving into both his strengths and shortcomings of his unconventional approach. Examining his leadership through established frameworks, Dalio’s success can be attributed to his clear vision-setting, culture of intellectual rigor, and rooted transparency. At the same time, it highlights points where his leadership style can be improved, especially in aspects such as employee recognition and the balance between high performance expectations and emotional intelligence.

Perception Of Filipino Cisgender Women On Transgender Women Involvement Based On Their Lived Experience As Combat Sports Athletes, Eirenne Aleeseeyah A. Lumasang, Josua Reili Kemuel C. Castillo, Marc Eljohn B. Lim, Jozon A. Lorenzana

Department of Communication Faculty Publications

The research focuses on the stances of actively competing Filipino Cisgender Women Athletes (CWA) in combat sports regarding the inclusion of Transgender Women Athletes (TWA). Adopting a qualitative research design to uncover the discourse around the participation of TWA in combat sports, the researchers interviewed ten (N=10) actively competing CWAs. The researchers integrated the arenas where discourse occurs—sporting experiences, media interactions, and social relationships—in the questions in order to understand how the stance of CWA is constructed. Results showed emerging themes namely Sense of Fairness (SF) between CWA and TWA, Invasion of Women’s Spaces (IWS) in combat sports, Kind of …

Improving Communication And Job Satisfaction: Utilizing Team Strategies And Tools To Enhance Performance And Patient Safety (Teamstepps) For Interventional Service Areas, Sukhbinder Kaur Sangha

Doctoral Projects

Purpose: Improved communication and job satisfaction among staff are essential for those working in high-stress critical care environments like the cardiac catheterization laboratory (Cath Lab). The purpose of this investigation was to utilize the quality improvement initiative Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) to improve attitudes and job satisfaction in the Cath Lab. Method: A total of 30 subjects participated in a TeamSTEPPS educational intervention. After obtaining informed consent, a demographic survey, a pre- and post-test TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (T-TAQ) and Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) were administered. The post-test included open-ended questions for feedback …

Prognostic Value Of Serum And Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Galactomannan Levels In Invasive Aspergillosis: An 8-Year Experience At A Tertiary Cancer Center, Saliba Wehbe, Anne-Marie Chaftari, Ray Hachem, Hiba Dagher, Andrea Haddad, Ann Philip, Ying Jiang, Ramia Zakhour, Peter Bakht, Jishna Shrestha, Peter Lamie, Robin Sherchan, Jennifer Makhoul, Patrick Chaftari, Issam I Raad

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a life-threatening fungal infection that primarily affects immunocompromised individuals and has high morbidity and mortality rates, necessitating timely diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic utility of serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid galactomannan levels, as well as galactomannan kinetics, in patients with IA.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were diagnosed with proven or probable IA from March 2016 to April 2024 at a tertiary cancer center. The collected data included patient characteristics, baseline and peak galactomannan levels in serum and BAL fluid, galactomannan trends, and …

Your Data, Modern Times, And The Fourth Amendment: What Would Jefferson And Orwell Do?, Sterling, Ken

Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal

The ongoing challenge of balancing individual data privacy with the government's need for user data through national security efforts has long plagued courts and policymakers. This tension intensifies as technology advances, permeating daily life, and global uncertainty fuels government demand for additional data. This study explores this tension by examining the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures in the context of user data obtained by the government through third-party providers. I argue that the Fourth Amendment provides a sufficient framework to balance these competing interests. While acknowledging the government's responsibility for national security, we contend that this does …

Using Generative Ai To Enrich Instructional Videos With Embedded Quizzes, Efren De La Mora Velasco, Shaurya Agarwal

Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository

This entry describes a strategy to enhance student engagement in asynchronous online courses by embedding AI-generated quizzes into instructional videos. Using ChatGPT and video transcripts, the instructor created targeted multiple-choice questions that aligned with key video topics and improved interactivity. Results from the CGN5341 course showed increased video view duration, higher engagement, and positive student feedback on the usefulness of short, segmented videos with embedded quizzes.

To Trade Or Not To Trade, Joseph Mizrahi

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review (CICLR) Blog

A free trade policy is one in which there is minimal or no government influence on the import and export of goods and services. Free trade agreements are deals entered into between multiple nations to reduce impediments and barriers on imports and exports between them. Under these agreements commerce in goods and services can occur with reduced or no tariffs, quotas, or other inhibitions. The concept of free trade which these agreements is the opposite of trade protectionism, under which countries work to protect their interests with tariffs.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo International & Comparative Law …