Military and Veterans Studies Commons^™

Who Gets To Be Taken Seriously? Three Atypical Scholars Navigate Doctoral Education At The Intersections Of Race, Neurodivergence, And Veteran Identity, Sr. Richard De La Garza

Dissertations

As a first-generation, neurodivergent, Mexican American/Chicano veteran, I entered the University of San Diego's doctoral program having had experiences that most institutional intake processes would label as risk factors. The Findings chapter of this dissertation begins by describing those experiences—not as a confession, but as the foundation for a systematic inquiry into how doctoral legitimacy is produced, withheld, and defended. The description of my life experiences is followed by a discussion of the doctoral journeys of two other study participants who also were atypical doctoral candidates.

The central argument being advanced is this: What higher education calls "fit," "rigor," and …

The History Of Lagrange College, Robert S. Steen

Documents

This digital teaser of The History of La Grange College includes the Table of Contents, Introduction, Acknowledgements, Forward, and About the Author pages.

All Rights are Reserved by Robert S. Steen, author.

Memorial Amphitheater, No Author

Documents

Short news article about the Memorial Amphitheater

The Amphitheater Plays A Major Role At The College, Sara Spain

Documents

A feature from the editor of The Flor-Ala in 1956 about the Amphitheater

Proposed Memorial For Soldier-Students Of State Normal School, Mrs. Susan J. Price

Documents

A sketch and proposal for a memorial for soldier-students at State Normal School

Florence Gets Special Stage, Montgomery Alabama Journal And The Times

Documents

Memorial to Men Enlisted in World War Added to State Teachers College, 1930s

Learn And Serve Rotc Spring Quarter Bulletin, Florence Herald

Documents

1951 Florence State Teachers College ROTC Spring Quarter Bulletin

Una Rotc Named "Top Program" 2016, While Una Labeled Gold Level School For Military Friendliness, Military & Veteran Affairs University Of North Alabama

Documents

Spring 2017 issue of the UNA Alumni Magazine highlights the UNA ROTC program as "Top Program" in 2016

University Of North Alabama Military Patriotism, Robert S. Steen ('60), Ltc U.S. Army (Ret.)

Documents

An article published in the UNA Alumni Magazine (Summer 2004) by Florence State College Graduate and Retired LTC, U.S. Army, Robert S. Steen on the history of military service of the university (from the time of LaGrange College through 2004)

A Study Of Preferred Modality Of Education And Perceptions Of Academic Success Of Post 9/11 Student Veterans, Jason R. Wakefield

Theses and Dissertations

Veterans are pursuing higher education at increasing rates due to the benefits available upon separation or retirement from military service. Many choose online programs for flexibility, while others prefer traditional, in-person instruction. Regardless of modality, student veterans often face significant challenges completing their degrees. “When student veterans first enter college, they must transition to the overwhelming, independent, and fast-paced lifestyle of a college student” (Semer & Harmening, 2015). While online learning may contribute to these difficulties, other factors also hinder success.

Colleges and universities continue to explore why student veterans struggle to complete their programs, yet underlying issues may distort …

Culturally Aware Mindfulness Training For Army Leaders: A Scalable Solution To Strengthen Mental Readiness, Katherine Dutler (Skowronski)

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This doctoral paper examines cost-effective, easily distributed mindfulness practices as a force-multiplier for psychological readiness in the U.S. Army. Daily mindfulness reduces symptom burden, raises distress tolerance, and sharpens performance—all without added equipment, appointments, or cost. However, stigma, long waitlists, and civilian-centric messaging still deter soldiers from adapting mindfulness practices. Rather than replacing clinicians, the program functions as preventive maintenance and a bridge while soldiers await care, thereby easing load on an overtaxed system. By embedding mental fitness alongside physical PT, the Army can advance its mandate to “deploy, fight, and win” with forces that are both mentally and physically …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Conducting Effective Literature Searches And Writing Strong Abstracts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This invited presentation for students at Poland's War Studies University communicates ideas on how Ph.D. students at this institution can enhance their research quality. Specific content includes formulating your research question, determining research aims and methodology, reviewing a research question checklist, understanding the meaning of search terms you propose to utilize, devising effective search strategies, consulting multiple varieties of information resources from multiple countries, finding gaps in literature, being able to distinguish between nuances in literature and data, writing succinct abstracts, and enhancing the clarity of your prose.

Navigating The Academic Terrain: Examining The Challenges And Success Factors Of Student Veterans In Higher Education Institutions, Katherine Reyes, Corey Idleburg

Education Division Scholarship

This study investigates the academic experiences of student veterans, addressing specific challenges they face in higher education. Using Schlossberg’s adult transition theory, it explores the effects of invisible barriers, enrollment trends, and institutional factors on veteran student success, leveraging the VA’s GI Bill Comparison tool to examine public versus private school support. Findings underscore the need for targeted resources, faculty training, and institutional awareness to foster a supportive and inclusive environment that enhances veteran students' academic success and sense of belonging.

Food Insecurity And Academic Self-Efficacy: Military Students And Student Veterans, Kim E. Bullington, Matthew J. Smith, William L. Nuckols, Dennis E. Gregory, Joshua L. Howell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Food insecurity (FI) affects households worldwide and is also seen on college and university campuses with adverse effects on student success. We examine FI and academic self-efficacy levels of military students and student veterans enrolled in higher education in the United States which has not been extensively studied regarding FI. Military students and student veterans may have access to G.I. Bill funds and may not be perceived as requiring additional assistance. The results reveal that military students and student veterans have some level of FI. The qualitative analysis yielded five themes that center on FI, economic vulnerability, inequities in the …

A Pathway To Completion: Student Veterans Pursuing Engineering Degrees, Kim E. Bullington, Cynthia L. Tomovic, Anthony W. Dean, Vukica Jovanovic

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This 5‐year research project was based on an NSF S‐STEM research grant (1742118) focused on student veteran education and workforce preparation. We addressed STEM workforce and defence community needs by providing targeted scholarships and support for veteran students pursuing engineering degrees. Our aim was to enhance the workforce by improving access and success rates through financial and institutional support, while developing evidence‐based practices for recruitment, retention and graduation of student veterans. Through targeted interventions, we examined obstacles student veterans face in education and in engineering programs and increased their sense of camaraderie, career awareness, engineering identity, professional development, financial security …

Career Skills Congruence: Transferring Military Talent To The Civilian Job Market: A Preregistered Study, Anna M. Amos

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The training and experience gained through U.S. military service instill a strong sense of discipline, loyalty, and duty to one's country while preparing service members for the challenges they face during their military careers. Military culture is a defining aspect of servicemembers' identities, especially for those who have spent significant time in the military. The problem is that service members often enculturate into a life where they adopt an identity incongruent with the ability to engage in a smooth transition to civilian culture. The purpose of this cross-sectional regression study is to test social identity theory and transition theory that …

Hgs-3 The Influence Of A Tandem Cycling Program In The Community On Physical And Functional Health, Therapeutic Bonds, And Quality Of Life For Individuals And Care Partners Coping With Parkinson’S Disease, Leila Djerdjour, Jennifer L. Trilk

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Purpose Statement: Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on alleviating symptoms experienced by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite this evidence, the potential benefits of exercise for both PD patients and their care partners (PD dyad) remain unexplored. This research project investigates the effectiveness, therapeutic collaborations, and physical outcomes of a virtual reality (VR) tandem cycling program specifically designed for PD dyads.

Methods: Following approval from the Prisma Health Institutional Review Board, individuals with PD were identified and screened by clinical neurologists. The pre-testing measures for PD dyads (N=9) included emotional and cognitive status …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period November 6, 2023 - January 29, 2024.

• Arnold, Emilee. WKU Memorabilia – Big Red, Hilltoppers
• Wilborn, Price. Renee Shaw Inducted into Hall of Distinguished Alumni
• Dobberstein, Molly. WKU’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni – Claude Bloch, Charles Reynolds, Amir Zaheri
• Costellow, Ali. LGBTQ+ WKU Alumni Share Stories from the Hill – Karen Stewart, Georgena Brackett, Spencer Jenkins, Seth Church
• Homecoming Hotspots – Restaurants
• Abney, Shayla. Veterans & ROTC Cadets Share Experiences on the Hill
• Edmonds, Luke & Jake McMahon. Home Field Advantage – Football Fans
• Dobberstein, Molly & Maggie Phelps. Who’s …

Ua94/6/18 Stephen Flora Student / Alumni Papers, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Stephen Flora during his years as a student at Western Kentucky University.

Identifying Barriers: Analysis Of Federal Law Enforcement Social Media And Recruitment Efforts, Reena Desai, Edgar Greer, Meghan Waldron

Doctor of Education Capstones

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Richmond Field Office seeks to diversify their applicant pool. In an effort to provide information on how to meet this need, our doctoral team analyzed the social media sites of six federal law enforcement agencies to include: the Federal Bureau of Investigation- Headquarters, Federal Bureau of Investigation-Richmond Field Office, Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the United States Marshal Service. By examining a 60-day window of images and their associated text on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram accounts, we wanted to gain a stronger understanding of …

Examining Access To Decent Work Among Women Veterans: A Psychology Of Working Theory Perspective, Rebecca C. Gaines

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated predictors of decent work among a sample of women Veterans (N = 354), grounded in the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT). A structural equation model demonstrated that women Veterans’ experiences of marginalization, economic constraints, work volition, and career adaptability all directly predicted their ability to secure decent work, and economic constraints and marginalization experiences indirectly predicted decent work via work volition. Proactive personality was additionally examined as a moderator variable and did not significantly moderate any model paths; however, it was found to be a unique predictor of decent work and work volition, as well …

The West Point Talent Based Branching Program As A Predictor Of Performance At The Army’S Field Artillery Basic Officer Leadership Course: Implications For Officer Retention, Ryan Oldroyd Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Junior officer attrition has increased over the last two decades. The early departure of army officers leaves a dearth of middle- and senior-level leadership, creating risk for future military readiness. West Point leaders theorized that new officers’ poor person–job fit within their specific career fields contributed to attrition. West Point implemented a talent-based system to place new officers into branches that should offer a stronger person–job fit, hoping it would reduce officer attrition. To begin the investigation on how this talent-based system affects attrition, this study examined graduates who joined the field artillery career field to ascertain if the various …

Inaugural Defense And Security Research Symposium Of The Purdue Military Research Institute, Chad Laux, J. Eric Dietz, John Springer, Randy Rapp, Leon Robert

Purdue Military Research Institute: Inaugural Defense & Security Research Symposium “Academia as a Strategic National Asset”

This document is the full conference proceedings from June 26-27, 2023.

Historical Trauma: Literary And Testimonial Responses To Hiroshima, Mariam Ghonim

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of trauma is controversial in literature. While one may be able to come up with ways to describe trauma in fiction, representing historical trauma is a hard task for writers. Some argue that trauma can not be described through those who did not experience it, while others claim that, provided some elements are added, one can represent trauma to the reader. This thesis focuses on twentieth-century historical traumas related to a nuclear catastrophe and explores the different literary and testimonial responses to the catastrophic man-made event of Hiroshima (1945). In this thesis, Kathleen Burkinshaw’s historical fiction The Last …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

Contributing Factors To Withdrawal Decisions Of Military And Nonmilitary Nursing Students, Beth Tremblay, Janice E. Hawkins, Robert E. Hawkins, Karen Higgins, Lynn Wiles, Jamela Martin

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Retaining nursing students in courses is key to increasing the number of new nurses. This study examined factors associated with nursing course or program withdrawal among students with and without prior military experience. The purpose of this study was to uncover differences between groups of students who withdrew compared to those who did not. A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire surveyed current or recent nursing students (n = 420) using the Educational Requirement Subscale and the Student Withdrawal Questionnaire from Jeffreys’ toolkit. Uncovering differences between groups of students who did and did not withdraw from nursing courses or programs …

Active Military Student Persistence In Online Courses At California Community Colleges, Stephanie E. Gernert

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The diversity of higher education institutions is changing, and more post-traditional students, including those associated with the military, are engaging in higher education. Almost every post-secondary institution in the United States has military students. In 2020, $11.5 billion was spent on over 875,000 eligible military students. Military students often prefer online courses at community colleges due to flexibility around their military career, open-access, and affordability.

Yet, few studies examine active military servicemembers alone and, when research is performed, a lack of thorough data collection exists. Therefore, this study focused on active military students in online education in California Community Colleges. …

Present At The Creation, A Redux: The Need For Strategic Minded Joint Force Officers In A Rapidly Changing And Dynamic International Security Environment, Thomas Joseph Snukis

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The US Joint Force has an outstanding record over its history of superb performance at the tactical level of war. Inarguably, the United States is currently the best tactical Joint Force in the world a product of a world class tactical education, training, and development program generating and sustaining that tactical proficiency at the individual and organizational level. While tactical education and training programs have been extremely successful, the Professional Military Education (PME) responsible for developing strategic mastery has not been as highly rated. Over the past seventy-five years numerous indictments have been levied against the US PME enterprise, and …

Do Veterans Seek Mental Health Counseling?, Jonathan D. Williams

Journal of Graduate Education Research

The purpose of this non-experimental study was to determine if there is a difference in attitudes towards seeking mental health services between veterans and civilians. Participants were a convenience sample of 54 veterans and civilians from around the United States. The participants completed a survey, that was introduced through social media, to determine their attitude towards seeking mental health services. An analysis of the results revealed that there is not a significant difference between veterans’ and civilians’ attitudes towards seeking mental health services.