PhD in Leadership and Change Candidacy

The culmination of the student’s doctoral journey in the PhD Program is a dissertation. There are lots of horror stories about dissertations gone awry, but not in our program.   To date, every student who has begun his/her dissertation has completed it.

Reflections from Alumni

“The best advice I received about writing my dissertation was to “care about the question.”    In a way, it is not too dissimilar from childbirth. You remember that there was pain but as you gaze upon the miracle of birth, you know that it was worth it.    Because I cared so deeply about the question, writing the dissertation was a labor of love.    It was painful at times (endless hours, countless rewrites, and self-questioning), but worth every second of a learning journey that resulted in work that I am proud of having produced.”

Dr. Karen Gilliam (Cohort 1)

“I recall in my application essay stating my area of interest was human behavior in a technical organization that also considered diversity in the work place.   Through the course of this program that interest turned into a passion and my voice emerged in an intellectual and scholarly way.   This experience stretched and challenged me beyond what I ever could have imagined, and the experience has been intense at times; I have felt exhilaration and defeat.   I times it felt like two steps forward and three steps back. If anyone were to ask me what it takes to complete a PhD dissertation, I would share with them my five “P’s”: Passion, Process, Patience, Perseverance and People.”

Dr. Howard Kea (Cohort 1)

“In my life, the intensity and focus of the dissertation process has only been duplicated in childbirth.    And I feel similarly proud of the little miracle that came of the labor.”

Dr. Dee Giffin-Flaherty (Cohort 2)

“Although the dissertation process was immense, it really helped having a support group from my cohort friends. We had an e-mail dialogue group that included each person from our cohort as they advanced to candidacy.   We laughed, complained and offered support as we worked on our dissertations. It was tremendously helpful knowing I wasn’t alone!”

Dr. Lynn Johnson Langer   (Cohort 4)

“A dissertation is a rare opportunity in that it is a chance to dive very deeply into one particular subject, issue, question or phenomenon.    In this way the dissertation process is different than nearly any other academic experience, and is generally different than the way we tend to live our lives (personal and professional) where, by necessity, we often become “generalists”.  So the dissertation can be viewed not as “work”, but as an incredible opportunity to experience the richness and the joy of fully immersing one’s self deeply into a subject that matters to them. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the entire process- from the coursework, to the proposal development, through collecting data, and presenting the findings.    It was a magical experience that I was fortunate to share with a wonderful committee and a great community.  ”

Dr. Simon Rakoff (Cohort 5)

“The dissertation experience has a bad rep, but for me, it was truly a gift. The opportunity to immerse myself so deeply in a topic that I care about profoundly was a wonderfully intense and exhilarating experience! Advice… make room in your life for lengthy work sessions, much of the dissertation is work that can’t be done in short sittings, but requires longer blocks of time… find a dissertation buddy, someone you can trust to be with you emotionally throughout the roller coaster ride…select a chair who understands you, your process, and your timeline, someone you trust… plan a celebratory vacation for after you defend… and finally…. enjoy!”

Dr. Harriet Schwartz (Cohort 5)

Completed Dissertations

To date, we have close to 100 dissertations completed, and a access to the complete list and downloadable dissertations can be found right here:
View all Program Alumni dissertations.

Awards

In addition to the personal gratification and the satisfaction of knowing one has completed an original piece of research that makes a contribution to leading change in ones field of practice, many of dissertations have won awards.

2011

Innovative ETD Award from The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD): Program alumnae, Dr. Wendy Stack.

2010

Innovative ETD Award from The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD): Program alumnae, Dr. Guylaine Vaillancourt.

2009

Innovative ETD Award from The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD): Program alumnae, Dr. Raquel Gutierrez.

Ohio Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Association’s Outstanding Scholarship Award: Program alumnae, Dr. Raquel Gutierrez.

2008

Innovative ETD Award from The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD): Program alumnae, Dr. Heather Forest.

Experience Dr. Forest’s dissertation.

2007

Innovative ETD Award from The Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD): Program alumnae, Dr. Luane Davis Haggerty

Experience Dr. Davis Haggerty’s dissertation.