Ph.D. in Strategic Leadership and Administrative Studies Student Dissertations

2022

Charles Salvo

• Dissertation Title: "Stress Levels Amongst Home Health Care Workers Following the COVID-19 Omicron Variant." 
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Abigail Davis

• Dissertation Title: "Admission Variables as Predictors of Success on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.                                                                                 

Aleni Mackarey 

• Dissertation Title:" An Exploration of the Challenges and Opportunities Faced by Recent College Graduates in the TriState Area Seeking Employment During the COVID-19 Pandemic."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine. 

Tammy McDonald

• Dissertation Title: The Impact of the Interruption in Learning Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic on English Language Arts and Mathematics Achievement of Middle School Gifted Students: A Quantitative Case Study.
• Dissertation committee Chair: Dr. Lia Richards-Palmiter.

Ann Romanosky

• Dissertation Title: "The Foundational Predictors of Loneliness in Older Adults Living in Northeastern Pennsylvania with the Added Influence of COVID-19 Pandemic."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.                                                                             

Narad Pokhrel

• Dissertation Title: "Ongoing Effects of Pre-Migration Trauma on the Mental Health of Bhutanese Refugees in the United States: A Qualitative Inquiry."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine. 

PREVIOUS DISSERTATIONS

2021         

Sneh Akruvala

• Dissertation Title: "Breastfeeding attitudes and intentions in nursing students in India and the United States: a descriptive study."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Diane DellaValle.          

Sheikh Dukuly

• Dissertation Title: "The Impact(s) of Cultural Factors on Health-Seeking Behaviors among Racial-Ethnic Minorities in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota while Controlling for Income & Health Insurance Status."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Philip Jenkins.

Kimberly Coleman

• Dissertation Title: "Nontraditional Students’ Lived Experiences and Obstacles to Persistence: A Phenomenological Investigation."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Dan Langan

• Dissertation Title: "A Query into the Motivation of senior Runners in Northeastern Pennsylvania: A Pilot Study."
• Dissertation Chair: Dr. Lori Swanchak. 

2020

Christina Brundage

• Dissertation Title: "An Examination of Racial/ Ethnic Minority Student Engagement in Career Development Activities and Barriers to the Career Development Process While Attending a Predominantly White Institution of Higher Education: A Quantitative Case Study."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Brooke Hansen

• Dissertation Title: "Examining Factors Related to Academic Achievements: Grit, Self-Efficacy, Mindset, and Socioeconomic Status." 
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Sister Kevin Karimi

• Dissertation Title: "Exploring the Impact of Nontraditional Leadership Training on Catholic Sisters' Self-Efficacy and Latent Potential for Sustainable Leadership Skills Development in Africa South of the Sahara." 
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lloyd Lyter.

Kelly Kemmerer

• Dissertation Title: "Female Leadership of Volunteers in Nonprofit Organizations: Leadership Practices that Retain Volunteers."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Renee Zehel.

Ryan Leckey

• Dissertation Title: "The Effects on Self-Esteem of Viewing Male Idealized Bodies on the Setting of Social Media: A Comparison of Gay and Straight Men."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lea Palimiter.

Janice Mecca

• Dissertation Title: "Examination of Non-Hodgkins's Lymphoma Survivor's Self-Disclosure of Cancer History in the Workplace."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lori Swanchak.

Caroline Millen 

• Dissertation Title: "The Impact of Teaching Resilience, Goal Attainment, and Other Essential Leadership Skills to Young Adults via Virtual Instruction." 
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Justine Samanas

• Dissertation Title: "Physician Assistant Education for the Opioid Epidemic." 
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

2019

Kenneth Luck

• Dissertation Title: "Emergence of Conspiratorial Ideas and Big Data: A Google N-gram Viewer Quantitative Analysis of Historical Trends from 1900 to 2008." 
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Deborah Hokien. 

Leon John

• Dissertation Title: "Self-Efficacy among Students of Color at Predominantly White Institutions of Higher Education in Northeastern Pennsylvania." 
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Maria Montoro-Edwards. 

Yerodin Lucas

• Dissertation Title: "Factors Affecting Black Male Student Persistence to Earning a Baccalaureate Degree at Predominantly White Institutions in Northeastern Pennsylvania."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Adam Shiprintzen.

Cynthia LaRosa

• Dissertation Title: "Mental Health and Public Secondary School Students: Perceptions of School Administrators in a Public School Setting."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Patricia Arter. 

Kimberlee Jennings-Heckman

• Dissertation Title: "Use of Principles to Increase Preparedness of Special Education Teachers in the Education of Students Diagnosed with Emotional Disturbance Disabilities."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Tara Lopatofsky

• Dissertation Title: "The Perceived Impact of Post-Secondary Education Program on Kenyan Catholic Sisters' Understanding of their Lives as Women Religious: A Case Study."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Diane Keller.

Matthew Hill

• Dissertation Title: "Self-Regulated Learning and Ninth Grade Reading."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Jennifer Barna.

Jennifer Elizabeth Welgosh

• Dissertation Title: “Women’s Perceptions of Workplace Sexual Harassment: A Phenomenological Study”
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Joseph Polizzi.

Dorothy June Grill

• Dissertation Title: “Vanquishing the Labyrinth: Re-framing a Future with Androgynous Authentic Nonprofit Women Leaders.”
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. A. Dawody.

Linda Denz

• Dissertation Title: "Effects of Self-Care Practices and Personal and Occupational Variables on Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Compassion Fatigue in Hospice Nurses."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Sister Gail Cabral.

Diana Bixby

• Dissertation Title: "The Future of Zero Tolerance and/or Exclusionary Discipline Policies: Perceptions from the Front Line."
• Dissertation Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Kelley McConnell 

• Dissertation Title: "Teacher Attitudes and Beliefs on the Socialization of Cyber School Students."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

David Schweitzer

• Dissertation Title: "Differences in Quality of Life Among College Students in Northeastern Pennsylvania: The Role of Family Structure and Parental Conflict." 
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Tracie Pasold.

Tiffany Mulally

• Dissertation Title: "An Examination of Exposure Risk, Economic Growth, Household Responsibility, and State Parity Score to Predict Gender Equity of Bicycle Use in Active Transportation."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Nadine Urash

• Dissertation Title: "An Investigation of the Impact of Prevailing Wages on Employee Motivation on Taxpayer-Funded  Public Works Construction Projects in Merit Shops."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Amy Washo

• Dissertation Title: "Social Engineering Susceptibility: A Study on Demographics and Information Security Awareness in Small Businesses."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.  

2018

Stanley J. Kania III

• Dissertation Title: "The Use of Social Media and E-Marketing Practices in Graduate Student Recruitment: An Investigation of Graduate Enrollment Management Practices."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine. 

Joseph Cice

• Dissertation Title: "Cice Crucial Cs Assessment (CCCA): Design, Development, and Initial Validity Establishment for an Assessment of the Crucial Cs."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Deborah Hokien.

2017

Jeffrey Attick

• Dissertation Title: "The Process and Practice of Transformative Learning in an International Education Context."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Joseph Polizzi.

Tanya Carrelle

• Dissertation Title: "The Hidden Cost of Special Education Due Process."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Patricia Arter.

Erin Dunleavy

• Dissertation Title: "Empathy During the Third Year Clerkship: A Crossover Study of a Traditional Block and a Longitudinal Integrative Clerkship Experience."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Brooke Cannon.

Sandra Kerstetter

• Dissertation Title: "Healthcare Excellence and Clinician Characteristics."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alice Elaine McDonnell.

Meagan Mielczarek

• Dissertation Title: "Rape Myth Acceptance in High Education: A Quantitative Study of Faculty, Staff, and Administration at Two Religiously Affiliated Schools Located in Northeast Pennsylvania."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Deborah Hokien.

Mark Shaffer

• Dissertation Title: "The Experiences of African American Studies at Predominantly White Institutions."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Kerri Tobin.

Amanda Silva

• Dissertation Title: "Women Living History: A Case Study Exploring Persona, Transformative Learning, and Social Identity in Group Participation."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Joseph Polizzi.

Katherine Stefanelli

• Dissertation Title:The Effect of Guided Meditation on Chronic Stress and Health-Related Quality of Life in Millennial Generation Students
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Tonya Saddler.

Teresa Tulaney

• Dissertation Title: "The Life of a Nurse: An Instrumental Case Study on Lateral Violence in Nursing."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Marie Bonavoglia

2016 

Joanne Bohrman

• Dissertation Title: "Transcending Minority Trust Boundaries in a Multicultural School Community: An AutoEthnography."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Joseph Polizzi.

Kelly Carroll

• Dissertation Title: "Self-Efficacy in Behavior Management and Discipline and Psychological Type Among Secondary Education Teachers and Alternative Education Teachers."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine

Kimberly Fetter

• Dissertation Title: "The Relationship Between Professional Development and Perceived Teacher Efficacy in Practicing School Teachers in Grades Kindergarten Through Twelve."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Gail Cabral.

James Feuerstein

• Dissertation Title: "Predicting Underachievement in Middle School Gifted Students Utilizing the SAAS-R."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Kerri Tobin.

Lisa Imbriaco

• Dissertation Title ":Factors Impacting College Students in Managing Credit Card Debt."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Arthur Comstock.

Margaret Ptakowski

• Dissertation Title: "The Significance of Professional Development as Perceived, Accessed, and Used by Early Childhood Teachers in Nine Northeastern Pennsylvania Early Childhood Centers."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Christine Fryer.

Melissa Heinlein Storti

• Dissertation Title: "Are Volunteer Resource Managers Experiencing Dimensions of Burnout? An Exploratory Study."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Diane Keller

Helene Strutko

• Dissertation Title: "General Education and Special Education Teachers' Perceptions of the Co-Teaching Experience in a Career and Technology High School in Northeast Pennsylvania."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Tammy Brown.

Mark Wade

• Dissertation Title: "How Well Do Emotional Intelligence, Discipline, Gender, Race and Socioeconomic Status Predict Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students in Northeast Pennsylvania?"
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Maria Montoro Edwards.

David Wright

• Dissertation Title:  "Predictors of Performance on Fourth Grade State Science Assessments in Eastern Pennsylvania: Guided Inquiry-Based Science Instruction and Direct Textbook-Based Science Instruction."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Christine Fryer.

2015 

Christina Bracey

• Dissertation Title: "How Practicing Teachers Identify and Address Ethical Dilemmas."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Joseph Polizzi.

Matthew Caputo

• Dissertation Title: "Factors Influencing Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Uptake Rate Among Undergraduate College Students in Scranton."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Deborah Hokien.

April Hortman

• Dissertation Title: "Self-Identified Multi-Racial Individuals: A Quantitative Exploration of the Effects of Racial Category Choices on Collective Self-Esteem and Perceived Discrimination."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lloyd Lyter.

Elizabeth McGill

• Dissertation Title: "Predictors of Bullying Victimization on a College Campus."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Francis DeMatteo.

Rachel Francis

• Dissertation Title: "The Effect of a Yoga Therapy Program Among Cancer Patients: An Analysis of Personal, Psychological, and Economic Impacts."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lori Swanchak.

Ronald Hollm

• Dissertation Title: "Predictors of Tobacco Reduction With Non-Treatment Seeking 18 to 24 Year Old Tobacco Users."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lloyd Lyter.

April Hortman

• Dissertation Title: "Self-Identified Multi-Racial Individuals: A Quantitative Exploration of the Effects of Racial Category Choices on Collective Self-Esteem and Perceived Discrimination."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lloyd Lyter.

Heather LaBarre

• Dissertation Title: "Understanding the Development of Cultural Competence for BSW Students: An Examination of Social Construction and Classroom Experience."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lloyd Lyter.

Rodeen Lechleitner

• Dissertation Title: "A Cross-Sectional Study Assessing Home Health Nurses' Communication From a Therapeutic and Caring Perspective."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alice McDonnell.

John Lichtenwalner

• Dissertation Title: "Factors That Influence Web 2.0 Usage Among Social Work Faculty: A Quantitative Study."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Diane Keller.

Elizabeth McGill

• Dissertation Title: "Predictors of Bullying Victimization on a College Campus."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Francis DeMatteo.

Judith Rex

• Dissertation Title: "Exploring the Factors of Resilience, Health-Promoting Behaviors and Job Satisfaction Predicting Retention Among Pennsylvania Primary Nurse Aide Instructors."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lee Harrison.

Sara Beth Rothenberger

• Dissertation Title: "The Relationships Between Perceptions of Feedback Utility, Procedural Justice and Quality of Teacher and Supervisor Interpersonal Interactions in Teacher Evaluations."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Jennifer Barna.

Arianne Scheller

• Dissertation Title: "Perceived Parenting, Self-Efficacy, and Parental Smoking: Effects on Adolescent Smoking Initiation."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Shamshad Ahmed.

Elizabeth Sechler

• Dissertation Title: "Social Entrepreneurship in Housing and Residence Life Organizations."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Robert Shaw.

Craig Robert Skaluba

• Dissertation Title: "Transition Into School Leadership: The Influence of Perceived Interpersonal Communication Competence on Perceived Stress, Perceived Coping Abilities, and Beginning Experiences of the Principalship."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Gail Cabral.

Renee Gregori Zehel

• Dissertation Title: "The Influence of Financial Aid and Student Engagement on Young Alumni Giving."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

2014 

Mark Choman

• Dissertation Title: "A Grounded Theory Study to Explore Virtual World Adoption Concerns and Experiences at Institutions of Higher Education."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Susan Elczyna

• Dissertation Title: "The Incidence of Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in the Elderly Population Receiving General Anesthesia For Short Stay Surgery."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alice Elaine McDonnell.

Meaghan Ruddy Godwin

• Dissertation Title: "Transformative Learning in Graduate Medical Education."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Joseph Polizzi.

Heather Renee Hall

• Dissertation Title: "Spiritual Growth of Students at Baptist Bible Colleges."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Sr. Mary Salvaterra.

Jennifer Hertwig

• Dissertation Title: "Psychological Type & Multiple Intelligence Profiles of Secondary Students in Pennsylvania Approved Alternative Schools."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alan Levine.

Benjamin David Ivey

• Dissertation Title: "Priming for Improved Attention to Auditory Social Stimuli in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Vijay Ramachandra

Eugene R. Kelly

• Dissertation Title: "Conformity to Masculine Gender Norms as Predictors of Subtle Rape Myth Belief."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. C. Estelle Campenni.

Rodeen Leichleitner

• Dissertation Title: "A Cross-Sectional Study Assessing Home Health Nurses' Communication from a Therapeutic and Caring Perspective."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alice Elaine McDonnell.

Beth Taylor Mack

• Dissertation Title: "Health Behaviors of Extreme Commuters: A Phenomenological Study."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lloyd Lyter.

Beverly M. McNamara

• Dissertation Title: "High Risk Students: Why Do They Persist in Completing Their High School Education?"
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Sr. Kathryn Clauss.

William Fred Miller

• Dissertation Title: "An Exploration of the Impact of Barriers to Nurse Practitioners Working in Primary Care: A Descriptive Study."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Alice Elaine McDonnell.

Erin A. Murray

• Dissertation Title: "The Perceptions of Behavioral Health Workers on Co-Occurring Disorders: A Quantitative Analysis."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Lloyd Lyter.

Jamie Lynn Valis

• Dissertation Title:  "Physical Activity Differences for Individuals With Disabilities in a National Sample of U.S. College Students."
• Dissertation Committee Chair: Dr. Michelle Gonzalez.