Graduate Student

 

 

 

 

 

The University of Akron

 

My second stint at The University of Akron is over - more than two decades after the first one!  It did not take me that many years to complete an advanced degree.  Instead, I waited 19 years between finishing an undergraduate program and beginning graduate school.  I can thank (and I mean that with sincerity) my previous academic advisor for the wait, although I don't think Dr. Kathleen Endres intended it to be quite so long.  I asked her about grad school just prior to graduation in 1991 and was surprised to hear the response: "Don't you think it's time you found a job?  Working in your field will help you to earn a master's degree more than a master's degree will help you find a job."  

 

She was right.

 

I knew I would be among the older students - old enough in many cases to be the father of my classmates.  Other than finding the time to do it a little sooner, I wouldn't change a thing,  Among the expected and selected learning outcomes and achievements:

 

• Exposure to & practice of quantitative and qualitatve research

• A higher level of knowledge about the history and application of theory to my field

• Critical thinking skills that elevate my ability to apply scholarly writings with newswriting and teaching

• Greater knowledge of the workings of American universities from a student affairs perspective through coursework in Higher Education Administration

 

Examples of work:
 

Facebook and the Church: Using Social Media to Communicate Traditional Messages (Top Graduate Paper - Ohio Communication Association Annual Conference, 2012)

Muslim Thoughts on Muslim Depiction: Perceptions of Social Identity on "All American Muslim" (Top Competetive Paper (1 of 4), Eastern Communication Association, Voices of Diversity Section, 2013)

 

Facebook and the Church: Gratifications Sought and Gratifications Obtained - master's thesis

 

(copies of non-linked or other works available upon request)