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Dissertation of the Year Award Winners

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We are delighted to share the winners of the UOP Dissertation of the Year Award program. This award program has been established to acknowledge the exceptional dissertation work among our doctoral students. At the ۴ý, doctoral students who have successfully defended their dissertation within the past year and were nominated by their chairs or committee members were eligible for this award. The nominees' dissertations were evaluated through a rigorous double-blind peer-reviewed process. Each nomination was reviewed by at least two experts in the field. In cases where there was a tied score, a third reviewer assessed the nominated dissertation to ensure fairness. As a result of applying this thorough process, winners were identified.

Congratulations to the DOY winners!

Doctor of Management and Doctor of Business Administration

Dissertation:

  • Student: Dr. Mikel Yost
  • Chair: Dr. James Ziegler; Committee members: University Research Methodologist (URM): Dr. Julie Ballaro, Panel Validator (PV): Dr. Stephen Notaro

Doctoral Degree in Education and PhD in Higher Education

Dissertation:Federal grant awards at Women’s and minority-serving institutions: A Causal Comparative Study

  • Student: Dr. Ramey Benfield - (Ph.D in Higher Education Administration)
  • Chair: Dr. Patricia Akojie; Committee members; University Research Methodologist (URM): Dr. Marie Peoples, Panel Validator (PV): Dr. Marcia Hill

Doctor of Health Administration

Dissertation:

  • Student: Dr. April LaFontaine
  • Chair: Dr. Charles Elliott; Committee members: University Research Methodologist (URM): Dr. Diane Gavin, Panel Validator (PV): Dr. James Lane

Doctor of Management and Doctor of Business Administration

Dissertation:

  • Student: Dr. Daniel Collins
  • Chair: Dr. Julie M. Ballaro; Committee members: Dr. Diane Gavin, Dr. Marcia Hill

Doctoral Degree in Education

Dissertation:

  • Student: Dr. Elif Kalemdaroglu Wheeler
  • Chair: Dr. Joshua Valk; Committee members; Dr. Maureen Marzano, Dr. Marcia Hill

Doctor of Health Administration

Dissertation:

  • Student: Dr. Eric Johansen
  • Chair: Dr. Daniel Smith; Committee members: Dr. Julie M. Ballaro, Dr. Marlene Blake

Doctor of Management

Dissertation:

  • Student: Dr. Sai Raghav
  • Chair: John Sienrukos, Ph.D.;Committee members: Mark McCaslin, Ph.D., Marcia Hill, Ph.D.

Doctoral Degree in Education

Dissertation:

  • Student: Dr. Lyn Shela Heck
  • Chair: Robert F Amason, JR, Ph.D.

Doctor of Health Administration

Dissertation:

  • Student: Dr. Lee Ann Wright Smith
  • Chair: Cheryl Anderson, Ph.D.; Committee members: Rebecca Back-Little, Ph.D., James Connelly, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Nursing

Dissertation:

  • Student: Dr. Frank Druse
  • Chair: Anne Brett, Ph.D.; Committee members: Susan Steele-Moses, DNS, Charlene Romer, Ph.D.

Doctor Degree in Education

Dissertation:

  • Graduated Student: Dr. Jenae Monique Whitfield
  • Chair: Patricia Akojie, Ph.D.; Committee members: Jason Stroman, EdD; Donald Munday, EdD

Doctor of Health Administration

Dissertation:

  • Graduated Student: Dr. Deborah Green-Gonzalez
  • Chair: Stephanie Holden, Ph.D.; Committee members: Lionel de Souza, Ph.D., Louise Underdahl, Ph.D.

Doctor of Management

Dissertation:

  • Graduated Student: Dr. Wayne L McCoy
  • Chair: Dr. Herman van Niekirk, Ph.D.; Committee members: Dr. Diane Gavin; Dr. Amy Preiss

The Dissertation of the Year Award has been developed to recognize excellence in dissertation work among our doctoral students. The ۴ý,College of Doctoral Studiesstudents who have passed their dissertation defense are eligible for this yearly award. Awardees will be invited to present their research at the annual Knowledge Without Boundaries Research Summit, where they will also be recognized. Awardees will receive a certificate commemorating their hard work. Students who graduated in the prior year may be nominated by their faculty or themselves and can only be nominated once.

Application:Dissertation Chairs may nominate their student by completingthis applicationopens in new windowand submitting it along with the student’s full dissertation to.

Deadline:Applications are due byJune 30, 2025.

If you have any questions, contact Dr. Mansureh Kebritchi at:Mansureh.Kebritchi@phoenix.edu