The Thomas A. Mulkeen Dissertation Award
Thomas A. Mulkeen was a professor at Fordham University who was hired as a consultant and shared his expertise with faculty at UNF as they designed and developed the EdD doctoral program in Educational Leadership. Tom was a leader within the Danforth Foundation initiative that sought to redesign and improve graduate programs in Educational Leadership. It was Tom who encouraged the doctoral program to focus the dissertation on practice-centered inquiry. Unfortunately, Tom passed away around the time that the UNF EdD program graduated the first students in 1994. In honor of his work, the EdD program faculty established this award in his honor. This award is given to the dissertation that best exemplifies practice-centered inquiry.
Criteria:
The College of Education and Human Services, Department of Leadership, School Counseling, and Sport Leadership will celebrate its Educational Leadership doctorate recipients with an annual presentation of the prestigious Thomas Mulkeen Award, tentatively scheduled to take place during the COEHS Convocation. The Award is given to the graduate whose doctoral dissertation best exemplifies practice-centered inquiry. An ad-hoc group of the doctoral teaching faculty will evaluate the submitted dissertations based on the following criteria:
- Conceptually clear and important problem or hypotheses;
- Comprehensive review of applicable literature;
- Utilization of appropriate and methodologically sound approach;
- Cogent analysis of data;
- Clear discussion of the importance and relevance of the study;
- Scholarly writing style and appropriate documentation (citations and references in APA style);
- Potential of the inquiry to influence education practice.
Information about the next nomination window is shared here when it is available.
2024 Recipients of the Thomas Mulkeen Award for the Doctoral Dissertation that Best Exemplifies Practice-Centered Inquiry
Dr. Shaneka Ferrell
Dr. Shaneka Ferrell serves as the Director of Programs at Cathedral Arts Project, overseeing performing and visual arts programs, where her role involves supporting teaching artists, facilitating professional development, and analyzing data to enhance program effectiveness. With a background in counselor education, she prioritizes ensuring students' voices are heard and any barriers to their holistic growth are addressed. She believes in empowering students to be active partners in shaping educational policies. Dr. Ferrell’s dissertation, How performing arts high school students experienced involvement in a Black, student-created and student-led organization focused on uplifting Black art and artists: A critical phenomenological study with implications for culturally responsive and sustaining educational practices. How participants made meaning of their experiences, she developed recommendations for schools serving racially and ethnically diverse students to implement culturally responsive and sustaining practices. Dr. Ferrell is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where students can thrive creatively and academically.
Dr. Laura Mayberry
Dr. Laura Mayberry serves as an Assistant Principal for Clay County District Schools. Prior to becoming an Assistant Principal, she spent 14 years in the classroom as an Economics teacher. The focus of her research grew out of her own experiences as a classroom teacher implementing a standard-based grading system. After leading professional development sessions and book studies on the topic, she entered UNF’s doctoral program in order to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of grading on student outcomes. Under the guidance of her advisor, Dr. Daniel Dinsmore, she completed her dissertation, Making the grade: Do teacher-created grading systems result in disparate outcomes for high school students? Her quantitative study found that students’ assigned teacher was a significant factor in determining their course grade after controlling for their standardized test scores and demographic factors, pointing to the need for more professional development around teacher grading practices.
Past Recipients of the Thomas Mulkeen Award for the Doctoral Dissertation that Best Exemplifies Practice-Centered Inquiry
2022
Dr. Laurie Hoppock
Chair: Dr. David Hoppey
Dr. Jennifer Shepard
Chair: Dr. Diane Yendol-Hoppey
Principal Professional Learning: Exploring Personal and Contextual Barriers and Facilitators of Change
2021
Dr. Lee Anderson Louy
Chair: Dr. David Hoppey
The Role Academic Deans Play in Public Higher Education Fundraising
Dr. Jennifer Perkins
Chair: Dr. Amanda Blakewood Pascale
2020
Cheryl Mobley Gonzalez
Chair: Dr. Anne Swanson
Megan McMillan
Chair: Dr. David Hoppey
Leading Effective Inclusive Schools: How Principals Make the Difference
Kristen Duffney
Chair: Dr. Daniel Dinsmore, Ph. D
Effects of Online ABA Training on Stress Levels of Parents with a Child with Autism
Raine Osborne Jr.
Chair: Dr. Daniel Dinsmore, Ph. D
2018
Sarah Friswold-Atwood
Chair: Dr. Daniel Dinsmore, Ph. D
Anthony Mortimer
Co-Chairs: Dr. Carolyn Ali-Khan, Ph. D. and Dr. Daniel Dinsmore, Ph. D
2017
Travis Henderson
Chair: Anne K. Swanson, Ph. D
2016
Shawn Brayton
Chair: Elinor A. Scheirer, Ph.D.
Participant Perceptions of Knowledge Sharing in a Higher Education Community of Practice
2015
Mai Keisling
Chair: Christopher Janson, Ph. D.
2014
Tavy Wells
Chair: Larry G. Daniel, Ph. D.
2013
William Ganza
Chair: Katherine Kasten Ph.D.
The Impact of Online Professional Development on Online Teaching in Higher Education
Jevetta Stanford
Chair: Katherine Kasten Ph.D.
2012
Janie Smalley
Chair: Katherine Kasten, Ph.D.
2010
Jeane Richards
Chair: Larry G. Daniel, Ph.D.
Teaching for Cultural Competence: Preferred Strategies of Baccalaureate Nursing Faculty
2009
Robert Todd Parrish
Chair: Katherine Kasten, Ph.D.
The Teach for Florida Project: A Case Study of Alternative Route Certification Policy
2008
Angela Garcia Falconetti
Chair: Joyce T. Jones, Ph.D.
James Young
Chair: Cheryl Fountain, Ph.D.
Assessing the Impact of Family Coaching on Parental Attitudes and Behaviors
2007
Gigi M. David
Chair, Katherine M. Kasten, Ph.D.
Assessing the Impact of a Visual Arts Family-Focused Pre-Kindergarten Intervention
2006
Cynthia S. Jacobs
Chair -- Katherine M. Kasten, Ph.D.
2005
LaDonna K. Morris
Chair – Larry G. Daniel, Ph.D.
Perceptions of a Chilly Climate: Differences in Traditional and Non-traditional Majors for Women
2004
Claribel Torres-Lugo
Co-Chairs: Warren A. Hodge, Ph.D. and Larry G. Daniel, Ph.D.
Principal’s Assessment of Florida’s Accountability Model: A Descriptive Overview of School Factors Associated with High-Stakes Accountability
2003
John A . Frank
Chair: Charles M. Galloway, Ed.D.
Transformational Leadership and Moral Discourse in the Workplace and Civil Society
2002
Joel Whitt Beam
Chair: Thomas S. Serwatka, Ph.D.
Preferred Leadership of NCAA Division I and II Intercollegiate Student-Athletes
2001
Margo L. Martin
Chair: Thomas S. Serwatka, Ph.D.
The Connection Among Computer-Mediated Communication, Course Completion Rate, and Achievement in Relation to Distance Education and the English Composition Student
2000
Kathryn M. Krudwig
Chair: Robert J. Drummond, Ed.D.
Learner Centeredness as a Predictor of Teachers' Role Stress and Career Commitment
1999
Judith B. Poppell
Chair: Katherine M. Kasten, Ph.D.
The Effect of School Desegregation on an Historically Black High School
1998
Madelaine M. Cosgrove
Chair: Katherine M. Kasten, Ph.D.
The Impact of Professional Development School Activities on Classroom Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy and Classroom Practice
1996
Linda Rhea Hunter
Chair: Robert J. Drummond, Ed.D.
1995
Jeanne E. Borstein
Chair: Elinor A. Scheirer, Ph.D.
The Effects of Cooperative Learning on the Attitudes and Achievement of Academically Talented Secondary Students
1994
Paige V. French
Co-chairs: Charles M. Galloway, Ed.D., Katherine M. Kasten, Ph.D.
The Roles of School and Advisory Councils in School Improvement: A Case Study in Policy Interpretation