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2026 Nsu Undergraduate Commencement Program, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Commencement Programs

May 4, 2026

• Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

• College of Psychology

• H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship

• College of Computing, Al, and Cybersecurity

• Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center

• Shepard Broad College of Law

May 5, 2026

• Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine and Dr. Pallavi Patel School of Rehabilitative Sciences

• Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine and Dr. Pallavi Patel School of Health Sciences

• Ron and Kathy Assaf College of Nursing

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Sixty-Seventh Annual Commencement, May 2026, Illinois State Universtiy

Commencement Programs

Illinois State University

One Hundred and Sixty-Seventh Annual Commencement

May 2026

Exploring Culturally Responsive Practices At A Community-Based Organization Serving Incarcerated Men Of Color And Their Families: A Leadership Case Study, Franchesca M. Capellan

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of New York City community-based organization (CBO) executive leaders regarding how they support families affected by paternal incarceration through culturally responsive leadership practices and the navigation of systemic barriers. Six executive leaders from a multi-site CBO participated in virtual semi-structured interviews designed to examine leadership approaches, family engagement strategies, and organizational responses to structural inequities affecting justiceimpacted families. Using Saldaña’s hybrid deductive–inductive coding process, seven superordinate themes emerged from the data analysis. Findings revealed that the leaders supported caregivers, youth, and incarcerated fathers through trust-based, trauma-informed programming, crisis …

Exploring The Impact Of University-Recognized Spaces On Racial Battle Fatigue Among Black Faculty & Staff At Historically White Institutions, Tiffany M. Courseault

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Black Faculty and Staff (BFS) at Historically White Institutions (HWIs) navigate environments shaped by racial microaggressions, systemic inequities, and institutional marginalization. These conditions contribute to Racial Battle Fatigue (RBF), a psychological, behavioral, and physiological response to sustained exposure to racialized stress. While institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are often positioned as mechanisms for improving campus climate, existing research suggests they frequently fail to address the lived realities of BFS. This study examined how university-recognized communal spaces function as critical sites of support, resistance, and mitigation within these environments.

Using a narrative inquiry methodology, this study explored the lived …

The Impact Of Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, And Employee Engagement On The Intent To Leave The Law Enforcement Profession For Police Officers, Veronica Lynn Dougherty-Denny

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today’s dynamic organizational environment, worker factors such as job satisfaction, employee engagement, organizational commitment, and psychological contract fulfillment are vital for organizational success. This study examined their perceived relationship with police officers’ intent to leave the law enforcement profession. The problem addressed worked to understand factors influencing retention, including psychological contract breaches and workplace outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the perceived relationship between job satisfaction, employee engagement, organizational commitment, and intent to leave the law enforcement profession all housed within the psychological contract. Five research questions addressed these variables and demographic factors (gender, years …

Representative And Preferred Skin Color Rendition Of Photos And Avatars In Optical-See Through Augmented Reality, Dara Dimoff

Theses

Human skin color is embedded with information about mood, health, and age. While facial color is widely studied in dermatology and cosmetics, there is limited data available to map the subjective experience of skin color to measured data. The ability to derive the color that best represents a person’s skin would be valuable in a wide range of applications, from identifying an appropriate makeup foundation to achieving white balance in a video. When displaying skin tones, it is well-known that preferred renderings are different from accurate renderings. Rendering skin tones becomes more nuanced with complex rendering technologies such as augmented …

Assessing Programmatic Gaps In The Community Engagement To Reduce Victimization (Cerv) Program, Sam Marino

Theses

This capstone project examines and analyzes data for the Community Engagement to Reduce Victimization (CERV) program in Rochester, New York. By developing a logic model, gap analysis, and utilizing statistical models, the project not only better understands the program design, but also assesses gaps and their patterns in the data to provide structured recommendations to strengthen the data infrastructure, improving data completeness and reliability. These improvements will strengthen the program overall, helping to reduce community violence throughout Rochester. Across three working papers, the project begins by examining the current data and analyses on the program and develops a detailed logic …

The Next Generation Of Police Station Design: Integration Of Officer Wellness With Operational Demands, Kayla Zill

Theses

The design of police stations has traditionally prioritized efficiency of operations and security, overlooking the wellness of officers. This research analyzes the integration of Trauma-informed Design (TiD) and WELL Building Standards into police stations design to create environments that aid officer well-being while maintaining operational functionality. Through literature review, including research of current police station design guidelines, trauma endured by officers, Trauma-Informed Design principles, WELL building standards, and understanding of the need for wellness to be incorporated into police station design. Officer interviews then further understanding of the needs of officers to create a scorecard and program guidelines to refocus …

Mapping The Global Classroom: An Innovation Spotlight On The Ngo Education Survey Directory Database, Angie Holzer, Roseanne M. Mirabella

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

This article highlights the NGO Education Survey Directory Database as a critical tool for strengthening global nonprofit infrastructure by addressing longstanding gaps in data on nonprofit education programs. It maps the global landscape of nonprofit management education with detailed, institution-level insights, enabling researchers, funders, and practitioners to better understand capacity-building efforts worldwide. By improving transparency and access to information, the directory supports more strategic philanthropy, fosters collaboration, and promotes the development of locally grounded leadership within the nonprofit sector.

Psychological Expert Witness Work In Indonesia, Nurul Arbiyah, Nathanael Sumampouw, Henry Otgaar

Psychological Research on Urban Society

In the current manuscript, we describe how forensic psychology evolved in Indonesia in research and practice settings and how psychologists work as expert witnesses in legal cases. We performed a literature search using SINTA (the portal of Indonesian accredited journals) to retrieve publications on "Forensic Psychology," "Legal Psychology," or "Law Psychology" to search for papers in Indonesian journals. We also explored relevant publications about forensic psychology in Indonesia in international journals using the Web of Science (WoS) database, which showed findings concerning the lack of publication. Additionally, a literature search using WoS resulted compared with other areas of psychology in …

Organizational Justice And Perceived Organizational Support As Predictors Of Readiness For Change: The Mediating Role Of Psychological Capital Among Correctional Center Clients In Jakarta, Agam Ramadika, Budi Widjaja Soetjipto

International Conference on Business and Management Research (ICBMR)

Reintegration of correctional clients requires both access to formal employment and psychological readiness to adapt to change. Organizational Justice and Perceived Organizational Support are key factors that may strengthen Readiness for Change through the role of Psychological Capital. A quantitative design with purposive sampling was applied to 243 correctional clients on parole and employed in the formal sector in Jakarta. Data were gathered through structured questionnaires and analyzed using SmartPLS, including reliability, validity, and structural model testing. Organizational Justice significantly influenced Psychological Capital (β = 0.537) and Readiness for Change (β = 0.328). Perceived Organizational Support also showed positive effects …

Narratives From Law Enforcement Officers Who Leave Policing, Hector Rene Matascastillo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Beginning in May 2020, a national exodus of law enforcement officers (LEOs) from the profession occurred. There has been speculation about the causes, including social unrest and trauma, while some claim that there has always been this level of attrition. The purpose of this study was to capture the narratives of LEOs regarding what motivated them to leave the profession after May 2020 and before achieving their retirement goals. The theoretical lens of general strain theory guided this study, as it posits that people under great strain resort to options that they would not usually consider, such as leaving the …

A Bridge Back To The Community, Anna Kemp, Summer Langva, Ulathi Mpofu

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The Dream Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota, supports adult men aged 18 and older who face challenges such as mental illness, chemical dependency, traumatic brain injury, learning disabilities, and physical disabilities. The center provides stable housing, three daily meals, clothing, and a range of support systems designed to promote rehabilitation and community reintegration. In addition to meeting basic needs, the Dream Center offers faith‑based programming that emphasizes restoration through Christian teachings, including the message of God’s love through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God. As part of our community service‑learning project, we conducted interviews with residents …

Children Facing The Law: Addressing Narcotics Offenses Through Restorative Justice, Nashriana Nashriana, Desia R. Banjarani

Indonesia Law Review

In recent years, the increasing number of children involved in narcotics-related crimes in Indonesia has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the current juvenile justice system. While the Juvenile Criminal Justice System Law promotes the use of diversion and restorative justice, in practice, punitive measures such as imprisonment remain the dominant approach. This gap between normative ideals and legal reality highlights the need for reform. Drawing from comparative legal frameworks in countries such as the United States, Germany, and Spain, this study explores the potential of therapeutic treatment as a more humane and effective response to juvenile narcotics offenses. Therapeutic …

The Rodrigo Duterte Case At The International Criminal Court: Towards The Erosion Of States’ Right To Withdraw From The Rome Statute?, Giovanni Chiarini Dr

Indonesia Law Review

The Rodrigo Duterte case raises complex questions concerning the interpretation of Article 127 of the Rome Statute (RS), particularly regarding its statutory limits relating to the one-year window governing the effects of withdrawal, as well as the interpretation of the procedural identity of the preliminary examination. This paper is divided into two parts: the first briefly outlines the procedural history of the war on drugs case from 2016 to 2024; the second analyses the dissenting opinion concerning the interpretation of Article 127 RS and explores the key developments from 2025 to 2026, focusing on the main issues raised by the …

Virtual Rape In Indonesian Criminal Law: Legal Reality Or Conceptual Challenge?, Moh. Raihan Rizaldi Sutran

Indonesia Law Review

Current technological developments have brought humanity into a new era called the metaverse, a virtual world that allows people to interact through digital avatars. However, this progress has also presented new problems, one of which is virtual rape – rape committed by players through their avatars. Even though there is no direct physical contact, victims can still experience real psychological effects such as trauma, anxiety, and fear. The main problem is there are no regulations in Indonesia that can address this phenomenon yet. Therefore, this article examines the extent to which the phenomenon of “virtual rape” can be considered equivalent …

From Dissent To Terrorism: The Formation Of A Security Grammar In Malaysia, Haezreena Begum Binti Abdul Hamid Dr

Indonesia Law Review

The absence of a universally accepted definition of terrorism has enabled states to exercise wide discretion in naming, governing, and exceptionalising violence. This article argues that, in Malaysia, “terrorism” did not emerge as a neutral legal category but as the product of a historically evolving security grammar, a patterned way of interpreting ideology, dissent, and conflict through the lens of existential threat. Employing a qualitative doctrinal socio-legal methodology, the study integrates analysis of international and Malaysian legal frameworks with case-based examination of key episodes, including Memali, Al-Arqam, Al-Ma’unah, Lahad Datu, and ISIS-linked incidents. Statutes, judicial decisions, policy materials, and regional …

April 30, 2026, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Service Through Empowerment, Samantha Oritz, Emma Schuele, Faith Robak

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This community-engaged learning project explored the impact of community support on the reintegration of previously incarcerated men through our volunteer work at the Overcomers International Fellowship (OIF) Dream Center. The Dream Center is a nonprofit organization that provides residents with housing, mental health support, education, and employment resources to help them transition back into society. As volunteers, we conducted empowerment interviews, reviewed case studies, and supported daily operations while building meaningful relationships with residents. Through these interactions, we not only learned about their individual experiences but also saw how having a strong support system can influence personal growth and overall …

The Hollywood Rap And Trap Culture Industry And Its Portrayal Of Crime, Youth Socialization, And Anti-Social Behavioral Norms, Ishika Sen

Honors Theses

This thesis synthesizes and reflects on media effects and hip-hop studies to examine how the Hollywood rap/trap industry participates in the influence of normalization of crime and anti-social behaviors, substance use, and the sexualization of women among youth (ages 13–21). I integrate analytic evidence on media violence with lyric/content analyses of rap and critiques of the criminal justice system in hip-hop. Specific subtopics from my outline include: theoretical frameworks (media-violence, social learning, cultivation, cultural criminology); corporate marketing and social-media amplification; youth vulnerability; and three patterned domains which include substance abuse, gun violence, and the sexualization of women, often leading to …

Therapists’ Perspectives On Female Patients’ Recovery From Sexual Violent Trauma Committed By Familiar Offenders, Lauren S. Doran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A mental health therapist is a licensed professional who is trained to identify any barriers or regression during the recovery process with their female patients’ psychological experiences from sexual violent trauma (SVT) perpetrated by a degree of familiar offenders. In this study, the therapists’ perceptions identified the impact of the SVT committed by a familiar offender toward the female victim’s recovery process. The theoretical foundation included betrayal trauma theory, moral injury, and victimology. The research question addressed how therapists described the psychological recovery of female patients who experienced sexual violence by a familiar offender. The research design was data collection …

The Association Between Racial Discrimination And Pregnancy-Related Hypertension Among Department Of Health And Human Services Regions Between 2016 And 2022, Emily Chew

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative study examined the association between racial discrimination and pregnancy-related hypertension among women age 18–40 in the United States, and how this relationship is modified by age and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions (states). Guided by the social ecological model, this research measured whether race, place, and lived experiences of discrimination contributed to disparities in maternal health outcomes. The study utilized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data set (2016–2022) which represented 81% of United States live births (n=249,970). The independent variable was self-reported racial discrimination during pregnancy, delivery, …

From Chains To Handcuffs: Confronting The Racial Legacy Of Prison Labor And The Urgency Of Reform, Hibah Hasan

Criminal Law Society Blog

This article examines prison labor in the United States as a system rooted in the 13th Amendment’s exception clause and shaped by post–Civil War practices such as Black Codes and convict leasing. It argues that, although formally abolished, the racialized logic of forced labor persists through modern mass incarceration, where incarcerated individuals—disproportionately Black men—perform essential work for little to no pay and without basic labor protections. The article analyzes how this system reflects a continuation of historical exploitation and proposes reforms, including fair compensation, voluntary participation, and expanded labor protections, to align prison labor with principles of rehabilitation and justice.

Elijah Northcutt Named 2026 Sibley Award Recipient, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2026-04-29

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Bearing The Burden: The Emotional And Psychological Impact Of Racial Stress On Black Women In Missouri, Ivy Smith

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the emotional and psychological impact of racial stress on Black women in Missouri using a multi-method, longitudinal approach grounded in Racial Trauma Theory. Racial stress is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct that includes racial trauma, racial violence exposure through social media, and racial discrimination distress. This study addresses gaps in the literature by examining the prevalence of mental health outcomes, emotional responses to these experiences, and the role of racial stressors over time. Using three waves of data, this study assesses the proportion of participants meeting clinical cutoff scores for depression and anxiety using the Multiple Affect …

Capitalizing On Crisis: A Statistical Analysis Of Federal Funding And The Surge In White-Collar Criminal Activity During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lee R. Gibson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era that has forever changed how people work, communicate, and socialize. The pandemic also brought one of the most significant influxes of financial assistance to individuals, businesses, educational institutions, and state and local governments that has ever been seen. This massive infusion of cash, which was orchestrated and managed by the federal government, was instituted in a manner that provided quick relief with little ability for oversight, resulting in every assistance program experiencing high rates of fraudulent activity. This project aims to understand if the levels of white-collar crime increase during a disaster, …

Determining Effective Community Policing Programs Within Law Enforcement Agencies, Paul L. Alexander

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to identify effective community policing programs in law enforcement and among political leaders by designing a structural equation model that incorporates specific variables to address the issue. It employed a proposed conceptual model to illustrate the analysis process and a structural equation conceptual model (SECM) to perform the analysis using specific variables. The reason this research was necessary was to determine whether it is possible to overcome the lack of a universally accepted definition of community policing. The data collection methods in this study included interviews, document reviews, surveys, and analyses of federal …

How Rural Veterans Enrolled In Veteran’S Treatment Courts Describe Their Experiences With Having Their Health Care Needs Adequately Met By The Court, Armando B. Dela Rosa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigates the experiences of rural veterans enrolled in Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) with a focus on their access to healthcare services. The purpose of this research is to understand how these veterans' healthcare needs are being met and the barriers they face, contributing to the academic discourse on veteran healthcare accessibility. The central research questions address the adequacy of healthcare provision for rural veterans and how they navigate court-ordered care. The study employs a qualitative research design, utilizing in-depth interviews with a sample of 15 veterans from various rural locations in Nevada. Data was collected through structured Zoom …

Barriers And Bridges To Mental Health: A Quantitative Study Of Religious Commitment, Mental Health Stigma, And Help-Seeking Attitudes In The Black Community, Catisha Tillman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mental health is a silent killer in the Black community. The Black community prefers to seek mental health support from their pastors, friends, families, and church members rather than from a professional counselor. This mistrust is seated in a deeply rooted history of transgenerational trauma towards the medical and mental health care system. Stemming from the enslavement of the Black community to the present day, with systemic racism, disparities in mental health care, limited educational resources, and socioeconomic disadvantages. The following research examined how religious commitment affects mental health stigma, help-seeking attitudes, church-based relational support, and perceived barriers to mental …