IUP Administration & Leadership Studies PhD

07/25/2024

Congratulations to ALS Ph.D. alumna, Dr. Jennifer Billman on her recent publication of the co-authored chapter "The Power and Politics of Knowledge Production in Program Evaluation: Funder, Methodological, and Pedagogical Colonialism" in the new edited volume Core Concepts in Evaluation: Classic Writings and Contemporary Commentary.


https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/core-concepts-in-evaluation/book277689

07/11/2024

The ALS-PhD program congratulates Dr. Adam Jones on the defense of his dissertation entitled “Estimating The Developmental Effect of Disciplinary Suspension on College Students Using Propensity Score Analysis.”

Dr. Jones’s research focused on the effect of disciplinary suspensions on college students who reenroll after their suspension. Using propensity score analysis, he created a post-treatment quasi-experimental design which allowed estimation of the effect of suspension, on whether students engaged in subsequent behavior that violated policy and whether their GPA improved within two years after the susoension. Dr. Jones found that students who are suspended and reenroll are 50% less likely to violate policy again than students who may have been suspended but were not. Suspension had no significant effect on GPA.

Findings sheds empirical light on informal conversations in the field of Student Conduct that like to categorize sanctions as either punitive (fines, probation, suspension, expulsion) or developmental (workshops, essays, community service) and demonstrates that there is development happening through the careful application of all sanctioning.

This study also introduces the use of propensity score analysis to the field of Student Affairs and Student Conduct as a legitimate and powerful tool for program evaluation. This tool allows the user to collect post-treatment administrative data to better understand whether their programs and services are meeting their intended outcomes. This is not only applicable to Student Affairs and Higher Education, but truly is applicable across the board.

Dr. Jones was recently promoted to Dean of Students at IUP. He attributes his career advancement is due, in part, to his PhD studies. Dr. Jones plans to present his research to various professional organizations and publishing his findings. He also plans to apply what he learned throughout the process directly to his practical work in Student Affairs to improve program evaluation in the field.

Once again, we congratulate you on your achievement! 👍💯

07/05/2024

The ALS PhD program congratulates Dr. Cory Flick on the successful defense of his dissertation.

Dr. Flick noted that he became inspired to focus on recidivism as a research topic as while in his master's program, and developed an interest in testing Ron Akers' Social Structure Social Learning theory after taking a course with his dissertation Advisor - Dr. Alex Heckert. More specifically, Dr. Flick was interested in utilizing his dissertation to test whether indicators of social learning predict recidivism in a large sample of parolees from Pennsylvania state correctional institutions. Dr. Flick found mixed support for his dissertation hypotheses but many of those supported highlight the need for greater emphasis on the use of CBT tools in the parole process.

Dr. Flick is a Criminal Justice instructor at Penn State University - Hazleton Campus. He resides in Montoursville, PA with his girlfriend, Sarah Quigley, son, Jack, and pets, Stinky, Lucy and Amigo. Dr. Flick aspires to make a positive difference in the lives of anyone who comes into contact with the criminal justice system. He is hopeful that his dissertation research can be parlayed into future policy considerations aimed at enhancing the success of re-entrants.

Dr. Flick emphasized the important role his committee played in his experience dissertating, stating that “I must send a thank you to Drs. Heckert, Vaccaro and Vick for their caring guidance and wisdom!”

Dr. Flick looks forward to working with members of his committee on publication of parts of his dissertation in the future in hopes of impacting criminal justice policy.

Congratulations and best wishes on your future endeavors, Dr. Flick! 👍💯🎉

05/27/2024

In tribute to the many, in honor of all. 🇺🇸

05/11/2024

Congratulations to Dr. Jared Dailey and Dr. Brad Keen! 🎉🙌💯

04/26/2024

The ALS PhD program is honored to share a new book coauthored by program alumna, Dr. Lisa Landram and faculty member Dr. Christian Vaccaro and entitled Exploring Humor in Child Welfare Casework: Laugh to Get Through It or Cry Forever. The book, based on Dr. Landram’s dissertation research, explores how humor is used among child welfare caseworkers and what it reveals about how social workers experience stress and manage their emotions. It’s an excellent primer for students in human services oriented fields or social work programs.

https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666904369/Exploring-Humor-in-Child-Welfare-Casework-Laugh-To-Get-Through-It-or-Cry-Forever

04/19/2024

The ALS-PhD program is proud to share a recent article coauthored with doctoral candidate Lisa McCann and program faculty Alex Heckert, Christian Vaccaro and other faculty friends and affiliates of the program Victor Garcia, Melissa Swauger, and Erick Lauber.

Introduction: Research indicates that take-home naloxone (THN) is saving lives across rural Appalachia, but whether it also results in treatment for opioid use disorders (OUDs) remains unclear. Thi...

02/19/2024

IUP Women's & Gender Studies Program (WGS) is proud to announce AAUW Scholarship for 2024-25 AY at $1000 in Spring 2024.

This marks the 10th year that IUP Women's & Gender Studies Program (WGS) and AAUW (Association of American University Women), Indiana Branch, collaborate productively to offer AAUW Scholarship(s) to women students attending either IUP or St. Francis U, "whose career goal is to exemplify AAUW's mission to advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy" (AAUW Scholarship flyer).

Eligibility: A current IUP or SFU undergraduate or graduate student who identifies as a woman, has earned at least 24 undergraduate credits or 6 graduate credits and has a 3.0 GPA or better.

APPLY ONLINE: http://indiana-pa.aauw.net/scholarship/

Application Deadline: March 15, 2024.

Please note that IUP undergraduate seniors, or graduate students in the last year of Master's or doctoral studies this Spring 2024 are NOT eligible. AAUW Scholarship requires that every woman scholarship winner must still be enrolled in full-time undergraduate or graduate classes in 2024-25 AY.

Please encourage your outstanding women students to apply. Good luck!

02/19/2024

IUP Women's & Gender Studies Program (WGS) and Office of Social Equity & Title IX collaborate to inaugurate and offer one WGS & Office of Social Equity Scholarship at $1000 in Spring 2024 to an outstanding IUP undergraduate or graduate student to advance gender, cultural, and sexual diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at IUP and in the communities.

Eligibility:
A current full-time IUP student, who has finished at least 12 undergraduate credits or 9 graduate credits, and who has 3.0 GPA or higher.
An IUP undergraduate or graduate student, who has finished outstanding undergraduate or graduate research, extra curriculum activities, volunteering work, or student leadership to advance gender, cultural, and sexual diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at IUP or in the communities.

Apply Online: https://iup.scholarships.ngwebsolutions.com.
Deadline for Application: 4:30 pm, Fri. Mar. 8, 2024.

Please encourage your students to apply. Each student will follow the instructions on the 2nd scholarship flyer above to log on to the scholarship website, fill out the info, answer 2 scholarship questions, submit one letter of recommendation, a brief résumé, 1-2 pages, single-spaced, and one's unofficial transcript. Good luck!

02/16/2024

The ALS Ph.D. program congratulates Dr. Brad Keen on the recent defense of his dissertation entitled "Humanities Training for Law Enforcement: A Theory-Driven Evaluation."

Dr. Keen’s dissertation was a theory-driven evaluation of the Humanities Training for Law Enforcement (HTLE) training program. Developed as an alternative to traditional diversity training programs, the HTLE program separates itself from other programs by using Black detective novels and the tools of the humanities to facilitate dialogue on race and policing. The mixed methods evaluation relied on a review of the course materials, cadet debrief sessions, interviews, and a survey to identify the theory and goals of the program and to assess its impact on the cadets. The research highlighted the importance of curriculum design and classroom discussion to the success of the training and offered several recommendations to improve the program.

Dr. Keen is a budget analyst for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Democratic Appropriations Committee.

02/14/2024

We are incredibly proud to count Dr. Joseph P. Croskey among our successful program alumni.

"The Power of Community: Our Strength is in Our Unity"

02/13/2024

The IUP Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) is excited to announce a new service that will be available for students, faculty, staff, and alumni – professional headshots! Our Iris Air Professional Photo Booth uses “studio-grade lighting, cameras, and powerful editing tools to ensure a high-quality portrait, every time.” The user interface is extremely easy to navigate and produces high-quality professional headshots in minutes. The booth is located in B20 Stabley Library and will be available by appointment only – appointments can be scheduled on our CPDC bookings page starting Monday 19 February. Community members will also be able to use the booth for a nominal fee, which can be purchased on IUP Marketplace, prior to their appointment

The IUP CPDC has a professional photo booth that can be used by students, alumni, and community members.