Graduate students, alumni and faculty from Walden’s College of Health Sciences are among those presenting their research, best practices and public health experience at the American Public Health Association (APHA) 137th Annual Meeting & Exposition in Philadelphia this week. The APHA’s annual event is the oldest and largest gathering of public health professionals in the world, attracting more than 13,000 national and international physicians, administrators, nurses, educators, researchers, epidemiologists and related health specialists.
The poster and oral presentations will be part of APHA’s meeting program and will address current and emerging health science, policy and practice issues in an effort to prevent disease and promote health. Contributors will include:
Nina Bell, student in Ph.D. in Public Health program, “Adolescent Alcoholism: A Literature Review of Parental/Familial Modeling and Intervention Implications”
Tammy Chavis '09, Ph.D. in Public Health, “A Mixed-Method Study Pertaining to the Level of Knowledge about Alzheimer's Disease Among African-American Caregivers”
Dr. Talmage Holmes, School of Health Sciences faculty, “Epidemiology Instruction in the Virtual World—Opportunities and Challenges With Online Classroom Instruction”
Kirk Morehead, student in Ph.D. in Public Health program, “Primary Care Resource Gaps and Healthcare Reform” and "Using Epidemiologic Models to Quantify and Respond to Physician Resource Need”
Dr. Amany Refaat, School of Health Sciences faculty, “Effects of Education on Gender-Based Violence in Egypt”
Sarel van der Walt, student in Ph.D. in Public Health program, “Ethical Implications of Complexity Theory and Public Health Research Ethics in the 21st Century
Dr. Reza Hamzaee, a faculty member in the School of Management, co-published “Critical Thinking: A Foundation for a Better Learning and an Effective Teaching: A Systemic Approach” (Global Business & Economics Anthology, Vol. 1, 2009) and published “An Assessment of Global Economic Recession With a Focus on Iranian Economy” (Journal of Accountancy, Vol. 12, 2009).
Molly Hillig, a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) student, will be serving as a nurse at the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia. She will educate Americans coming to Bolivia about health concerns and provide education and medical care to Americans living in and near the embassy.
Joseph L. Ricca, a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) student, is now superintendent of East Hanover schools, East Hanover, N.J. He formerly served as the principal of East Hanover Middle School.
Kenneth R. Williams, a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences student, was awarded fourth place in the 2009 General William E. DePuy Writing Competition, sponsored by the United States Army Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., for his article “The Noncommissioned Officer as Moral Exemplar.” His article will appear in the September/October issue of Military Review. Williams has served as an active duty Army chaplain for 15 years and is currently assigned as the brigade chaplain, 14th Military Police Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He was recently selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel.
Erikson Daniel Conkling, a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration student, has begun a faculty professor of social and behavioral sciences position at the Logansport, Ind., campus of Ivy Tech Community College.
Todd Daniel, a Ph.D. in Psychology student, was awarded the 2009 Best Student Poster Presentation for his poster, "On Thin Ice: Listening to Methamphetamine Users in the Ozarks," at the Walden University summer residency held at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Dr. Bernice Kennedy, a faculty member in the College of Health Sciences, published “Psychosocial Model: Racism as a Predictor of Adherence and Compliance to Treatment and Health Outcomes Among African Americans” (Journal of Theory Construction & Testing, Vol. 13, No. 1, 2009).
Dr. Jason Seacat, a faculty member in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, co-published two articles: “Dental Students Treating Patients Living With HIV/AIDS: The Influence of Attitudes and HIV Knowledge” (Journal of Dental Education, Vol. 73, Issue 4, 2009) and “Stereotype Threat and the Exercise/Dietary Health Intentions of Overweight Women” (Journal of Health Psychology, May 2009).
Dr. Jeff Snodgrass, a faculty member in the College of Health Sciences, co-published “Faculty Perceptions of Occupational Therapy Program Directors' Leadership Styles and Outcomes of Leadership” in the Journal of Allied Health (Vol. 37, 2008).
John E. Cech, a Ph.D. in Education student, published “Dual Enrollment, Multiple Paths and Diverse Students: A Look at Options for Enhancing Entry Into Postsecondary Education” in the Spring 2009 issue of The Montana Professor.
Dr. Ron Hirschbein, a faculty member in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, published “Nuclear Strategists in Wonderland” in Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy (Wiley, 2010).
Dr. Ronald P. Hudak, a faculty member in the College of Health Sciences, co-published “The U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2): A Case Study in Designing a Nonmedical Case Management Program for Severely Wounded, Injured, and Ill Service Members and Their Families” in the June 2009 issue of Military Medicine.
Sonya Jackson, a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) student, was selected as interim school superintendent of Hernando County Schools, Hernando County, Fla.
Raymond Marbury, a Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) student, was hired as a management analyst in the Internal Revenue Service Chief Counsel's Office. In addition, he is serving as an adjunct professor at Shenandoah University, Winchester, Va.
Dr. Darlington Mgbeke, a faculty member in the Center for Undergraduate Studies, published “The Dynamics of Inept Administrative Leadership In Nigeria Public Sector: A Guide To Civic Engagement” (International Culture Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 2, 2009).
Dr. Cheryl Parker, a faculty member in the College of Health Sciences, co-published “Moving Along: Using Mobility Technology to Improve Pharmacist Workflow in the PICU Rounding Process” in the fall 2008 issue of The Journal of Healthcare Information Managementand “Mobile Device Improves Documentation Workflow and Nurse Satisfaction” in the summer 2008 issue of CARING Newsletter.
“While a number of accounting programs delve immediately into creating and manipulating accounting tools, we wanted to give our students a broader business perspective,” said William Schulz, Ph.D., interim associate dean of the School of Management. “Our learning approach gives students a stronger foundation in understanding the many issues facing professionals in accounting, including the ethical implications of decision-making.”
Through the B.S. in Accounting, students can:
Gain a deeper understanding of the role of accounting and the importance of learning how to influence financial strategy, as well as the context behind the use of accounting tools such as financial statements
Strengthen their decision-making and problem-solving skills as they relate to interpreting business and accounting information
Become proficient in many of today’s most popular accounting software programs through hands-on case studies and team projects
Build on previous business and accounting experience with best practices in accounting functions, based on the most recent publication and codification of standards by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)
In a climate of economic entropy, many corporate pundits view outsourcing and globalization as necessary evils. They are seen as the alternative strategies that can rescue the bottom line by cutting operating costs, yet at the same time, they often coldly ax once-stable American jobs.
How are corporate honchos grappling with this catch-22? With caution, says Atul Vashishta, the CEO of neoIT, a leading global outsourcing advisory and management consultancy, based in San Ramon, California.
“The reason businesses are outsourcing now is because they’re competing with other companies that have a lower cost base elsewhere,” says Vashishta, who co-authored The Offshore Nation: Strategies for Success in Global Outsourcing and Offshoring (McGraw-Hill, 2006). “When the economy is not growing, the human impact is tremendous. People are being laid off, and there is significantly lowered compensation for them.”
Within the past three years, offshore outsourcing has become a catalyst for the productivity and growth of some struggling corporations, Vashishta says. CEOs are hiring service and technical professionals to take advantage of the low wages paid in some developing nations, while simultaneously slashing jobs on the home front. Recent college graduates from China, India, and the Philippines are being recruited to do the twice the amount of work as American employees, for about one-fifth the pay.
“The downturn has put higher pressure on lowering costs, and companies are desperately outsourcing because their volume is falling,” Vashishta says. “On the flipside, in an economic environment like this, these decisions become more difficult for companies, because workers that are laid off have a much harder time finding something else afterwards.”
Globalization and Greed at a Glance In January, BDO Seidman, one of the nation’s most renowned consulting and accounting organizations, conducted its annual “Technology Outlook Survey: Economic Climate Affects International Growth Plans.” The aim: to evaluate America’s current demand for outsourcing and to gain insight into how intelligently businesses are handling it.
Researchers tapped 100 chief financial officers (CFOs) at technology companies throughout the U.S. and found that nearly two-thirds of them were outsourcing services or manufacturing. The companies in the random sample all had revenues of up to $30 billion, according to Doug Sirotta, the head of BDO Seidman’s West Region tax practice and an advisor to companies in the technology and manufacturing sectors.
One-third of survey respondents said their primary concern about international growth was the shaky business and political atmosphere. Because of this collective hesitancy to globalize, international outsourcing could be on the downswing this year as CFOs push for more in-country options, Sirotta says.
Less than half of the CFOs in the survey claimed they held operations outside U.S. boundaries, compared to nearly double that amount the previous year. Twenty-two percent said they were inclined to seek outsourcing avenues inside American territory, as opposed to combing China and India for workers.
“We are seeing global factors that are causing U.S. technology companies to pull back from traditional outsourcing locations,” Sirotta says. “These range from terrorist attacks in India to shipping cost issues in China.”
Seeking an in-country approach Of late, the most common non-U.S. locations for outsourcing are India (50%); Southeast Asia, including the Philippines (31%, down from 50% in 2008); China (19%, down from 46% in 2008); and Western Europe (19%), the BDO Seidman report states.
If American companies can afford to keep outsourcing within country lines, the U.S. economy will enjoy greater buoyancy and fewer jobs will be lost, Sirotta says. While global outsourcing can result in greater labor savings for some companies, the long-term cons may actually outweigh the pros, Vashishta says.
Executives are looking deeper at the potential effects offshore outsourcing could have on their corporate reputations. In the short-run, CEOs may earn more money by taking advantage of cheap wages overseas, but they may also be scrimping on their quality of staff and, ultimately, losing worldwide prestige.
Still, Procter & Gamble, Cisco Systems, DuPont, and Marriott have respectively struck billion-dollar outsourcing deals in recent years with India, Mexico, and the Philippines. Information technology companies, from IBM Global Services to Microsoft, as well as Fortune 500 companies such as American Express, Citibank, Bank of America, and General Electric, are all firmly on the outsourcing bandwagon. Meanwhile, disgruntled American employees are waving farewell to their overseas-bound jobs and an anti-globalization uproar is brewing.
Today, the American Rights Network, a nonprofit organization that supports workers’ rights to free choice, is standing up against outsourcing alongside advocacy groups like the Coalition for the Future American Worker.
One of the looming questions among protestors is this: When it comes to job loss in America, should the blame be placed solely on cash-hungry corporations? Vashishta says no. The burden, he says, belongs to the government and the individuals, too.
“There has to be a renewed focus in our country regarding how we take on roles that may be getting globalized,” Vashishta says. “How do we take those workers and skill sets and transition them to jobs that are much more in demand in the U.S.? By creating new industries.”
Possible jobs in the fields of social services, education, and biotechnology are becoming more available, and it is up to the government to continue offering companies incentives to retain American employees. If a worker is laid off from the automobile industry, for example, the parent corporation should compensate that employee for schooling so that he or she may enter another industry with comparable skills. Out-placement, extended severance packages, and retraining opportunities must all be part of that bargain, Vashishta says.
“The government has to come up with a tax credit to make businesses grow—and make it possible for employees to move from one industry to another,” Vashishta says. “Outsourcing is creating a much bigger human impact right now than people may even realize.”
Dr. Bruce Dart, who earned a Ph.D. in Health Services at Walden University in 2005, has been elected president of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), an organization that represents local health departments across the United States. Dart formally assumed the duties of president on Aug. 5, 2009, at the organization’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.
“I am deeply honored to have this opportunity to serve our nation’s local health departments as president of the board of NACCHO,” said Dart. “This is a time of both great struggle and opportunity for health departments across the country. As we come together to address community health issues, the efforts of all who comprise NACCHO will help us on the local level truly make a difference.”
A Career Devoted to Public Health A public health practitioner since 1980, Dart has dedicated his career to improving environmental and social conditions that affect the public’s health. “From the lab, to health inspection, to epidemiology, to managing programs and grants—every position I’ve held has given me an opportunity to grow and develop personally and professionally,” says Dart.
Since 2001, Dr. Dart has served 275,000 Nebraskans as the health director of Lincoln and Lancaster counties. He previously served as the director of the Independence (Mo.) Health Department and the Grand Island / Hall County (Neb.) Health Department. Prior to his health director positions, Dart worked in the environmental health, childhood lead poisoning prevention and epidemiology programs at the Douglas County (Neb.) Health Department.
Dart’s election comes at a time when health care reform is a top political issue and preventing the spread of diseases like H1N1 and AIDS is a worldwide initiative. “This is a key time to be in a leadership position in health care,” says Dart. “One of my goals is to make public health more visible. The best outcome is that everyone knows the importance of public health and embraces it.”
The WMA’s annual WebAward Competition has been setting the standard of excellence for Web site development since 1997. Independent expert judges from around the world reviewed sites in 96 industries and 47 countries. The entries were judged based on design, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation, ease of use, and use of technology. Judges evaluated sites against an ever-increasing Internet standard of quality and against peer sites within the candidates’ sectors.
The redesigned home page offers new, user-friendly tools intended to make navigating and exploring the Walden site an easier, more enjoyable experience for visitors. In addition, this student-centered redesign helps prospective students understand the Walden difference of providing innovative learning, effective programs, dedicated support, and a vibrant student community.
Congratulations to my co-workers!This award reflects their hard work and reinforces Walden’s commitment to providing a high-quality experience for everyone in our community.
Walden’s students, faculty and staff are contributing to their disciplines through publications, presentations and other professional activities.
Jason Bing-Schetelick, a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) student, was selected to serve as superintendent of schools in Barnegat Township, N.J. For the past four years, he has served as superintendent of Great Meadows Regional School District, Great Meadows, N.J.
Dr. James Bowman, a faculty member in the School of Management, co-published the third edition of Human Resource Management (Sage, 2009).
Dr. Abbie Brown, a faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, co-published “The Virtual Worlds in Education Conference: Lessons Learned From Conducting an International, Peer-Reviewed Conference Within Second Life” (Educational Technology, Vol. 49, Issue 3, 2009) and “The Impact of Informatics on Nursing Education: A Review of the Literature” (Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, Vol. 40, Issue 5, 2009).
Dr. Ashraf Esmail, a faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, co-published the following: “Men’s Exploration of Multiple Sexual Partners: Economic vs. Psychosocial Explanation” (Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology, Vol. 6, Issue 1, 2009); “The Apple Program, a Student, Home, and School Prevention Partnership: To Impact the Academic, Social, and Personal Development of At-Risk Students,” “Children Exposed to War and Violence: How Does One Prepare Authoritative Figures and Aid in the Elimination of Violence in the Classroom?” “Peace Education: Classroom Management in the Urban Center” and “The Rationale for Using Critical Literacy in Peace Education” (Youth Violence in American Schools: How It Can Be Alleviated, Edwin Mellen Press, 2009); and “Voting the Issues or Voting the Demographics? The Media’s Construction of Political Candidates’ Credibility” (Race, Gender, & Class, Vol. 15, Issue 3/4, 2009).
Dr. Marcia Moody, Dr. Nina Nabors, and Dr. Miguel Ybarra, faculty members in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, published “Social Justice: Diversity in Action” in Diversity in Mind and in Action (Vol. 3, Praeger, 2009).
Dr. Terry O’Banion, a faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, published the following: The Rogue Trustee: The Elephant in the Room (League for Innovation in the Community College, 2009); “Let the Conversation Begin: How Do We Deal With a Rogue Trustee?” (Leadership Abstracts, Vol. 22, No. 4, 2009); “What Motivates the Community College Rogue Trustee?” (Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Vol. 33, Issue 6, 2009); “Damage Caused by the Rogue Trustee” (Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Vol. 33, No. 7, 2009); “Strategies for Dealing With Rogue Trustees” (Community College Journal of Research and Practice, Vol. 33, No. 8, 2009); and “Foreword” in Imagine Success: Engaging Entering Students (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2009).
Jennifer M. Padron, a Ph.D. in Public Health student, was recently selected to the State of Texas via HOPE Steering Committee and charged with developing the Texas-Certified Peer Specialist certification and training program for mental health for the 2009–2010 term. She is concurrently serving as co-chair of the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association of Texas board of directors and is co-chair of the 2010 Windows to Wellness Conference to be held in Austin, Texas, on January 7–9.
This is an open call for proposals for the Public Administration Theory Network’s 23rd Annual Conference to be held May 20–23, 2010, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Theme: Alternative ways of thinking about democratic public administration and policy
Proposal Types: Panels should include three participants, including the convener, as well as a moderator/discussant. Panel discussion may be in the form of presentations from papers, or other research or creative work underway, or presented as a roundtable. Proposals should include:
Panel/roundtable title
Names, organizational affiliations and email addresses for the convener, participants and moderator/discussant
An abstract of each participant’s proposed paper/discussion, not to exceed 300 words in length. Each abstract should include the participant’s name, organizational affiliation and a title or topic for the discussion.
Description of the mode of discussion, as well as linkage of the panel topic to the conference theme and the linkage of each participant’s presentation to the panel topic.
Deadline: Nov. 15, 2009
Submission information: Submit proposals to Mohamad G. Alkadry at malkadry@odu.edu.
Walden's School Public Policy and Administration offers degree programs designed to provide public sector and nonprofit
professionals with the practical knowledge and proven skills to
navigate successfully among government, private, and nonprofit
organizations to create more effective, innovative community solutions.
A lot has changed since Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb in the late 1800s. But while two-cylinder automobiles and glass milk bottles have gone the way of the dinosaur, many experts argue that the nation’s electric grid remains stuck in the Victorian era.
“Basically, we still have the same energy infrastructure that we had at the dawn of the 20th century. One-hundred years later, the technology has changed very little from what Edison and [Nikola] Tesla laid out as they started to create the large-scale distribution of electricity,” says Bracken Hendricks, a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
Grim statistics The reality is, the current electric grid is beginning to fail the nation with greater and greater frequency. According to the Center for American Progress, there have been five massive blackouts over the past 40 years as a result of grid failure—three of these in the last nine years. In fact, in August 2003, the blackout in the Northeastern United States and Canada impacted 50 million people and 61,800 megawatts of electric load. It took four days to restore power to the region and caused an estimated $7 billion to $10 billion in economic losses. What’s worse, the Electric Power Research Institute estimates that power interruptions and fluctuations cost the economy more than $100 billion each year in damages and lost business.
Everyone agrees: It’s time to upgrade our national electricity grid in such a way that we shift away from carbon-based power sources such as oil and coal and move toward renewable energy alternatives like solar and wind power. A national clean-energy smart grid could make electricity more reliable, more efficient, greener—and perhaps even save Americans money.
That’s because a smart grid would allow new, renewable-energy projects to connect to the grid. The smart grid would also improve the distribution of energy via devices that monitor peak demand times and thereby improve the efficiency of electricity distribution.
Plenty of hurdles But while a “green” grid sounds like an excellent idea, factors such as cost, consumer resistance, public opposition, and jurisdictional issues threaten the possibility of replacing age-old energy sources with eco-friendly fare. Consider this: The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the total investment needed in electric utilities could be as much as $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion by 2030. That figure includes money for energy generation such as wind farms, as well as all of the power lines required to transport the energy from rural areas to urban centers.
“The biggest obstacle [to building a smart grid] is that it costs money—significant amounts of money. The question is whether there’s a payback if we were to invest such a large amount of money,” says Anjan Bose, professor of electric power engineering at Washington State University and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
Getting ‘smart’ meters Unfortunately, money is just a small part of what’s needed to bring a “green” grid to life. According to Ahmad Faruqui, an analyst with The Brattle Group, an economic and finance consultancy, the first step entails the nationwide rollout of smart meters—devices capable of automatically measuring how much energy a particular household is using and immediately relaying this information back to a utility company for monitoring and billing purposes.
“New smart grid technology should begin … with a smart meter that has digital information on how much power is being used on a 15-minute basis,” says Faruqui.
Currently, Faruqui believes that “it could take anywhere from three to five years to change all of the nation’s meters”—a timeline that greatly depends on the willingness of utility companies to replace traditional meters with high-tech devices. After all, he says, “Many of those utilities are very traditional in their outlook. Their view is, ‘We are in the business to sell more electricity, not less,’ so they may not be ready to go the next step which is to get the new technology out to the customers.”
Battling consumer resistance But truth be known, not all consumers are gung-ho about making the sacrifices necessary to build an improved electric grid either. According to Bose, there is plenty of “public opposition against building new power lines or new generators. People don’t like to have power lines going through their backyard.” Not to mention those consumers that still aren’t convinced that renewable sources of energy are necessary to our survival.
Yet it’s precisely this mix of modern technology and consumer awareness that promises to bring about a smart grid in the foreseeable future. “Studies show that if consumers realized that it’s more expensive to consume energy in the afternoon [than in the evening], we would see usage go down by about 13% to 15%,” says Faruqui. “Because behavior alone can reduce afternoon peak demand by about 15%, if you introduce technology such as smart meters, now you can reduce energy consumption by 26% to 35% which could eliminate the need for about 150,000 megawatts of power.”
Working together While such numbers are encouraging, the final step in the equation is convincing federal powers, state officials, and corporate entities to work together to usher today’s grid into the 21st century. After all, the current electric grid is a hodgepodge of parts governed by a wide variety of sectors of the energy industry, often with competing interests. As it stands, in a major address to the country at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, in early January, President Obama cited the creation of a smart grid as a key ingredient in the economic stimulus plan.
“The jurisdictional and political issues are really the biggest hurdles,” says Bose. “The problem is, in the U.S., the electric grid, from the generators down to the household level, are chopped up and owned by hundreds of entities.”
What’s more, he adds, this “unwieldy” infrastructure is heavily regulated by a variety of government bodies and agencies. “So not only do you have hundreds of entities but you also have 50 states, as well as the federal government, all having a say on the rules under which these hundreds of entities must operate,” says Bose.
The ultimate solution hinges on building widespread consensus on how exactly we should go about building a “green” grid that benefits all parties—government, utility companies, and consumers alike. It’s a tall order but one that everyone agrees America can no longer afford to ignore. Warns Faruqui, “In about three years, we will see the demand for electricity grow by about 2% a year in the U.S. To meet that demand growth, you have to build new capacity. We just don’t have enough capacity lying around.”
On Nov. 19, 2009, The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University will honor schools and educators across the nation with its campaign in support of the National Education Association’s (NEA) Educator for a Day program. Walden will award $5,000 grants to three P–12 schools that host Educator for a Day events as part of the nationwide celebration of NEA’s American Education Week, to be observed Nov. 15–21, 2009.
“Over the three years of the program, we have been inspired by the hundreds of creative and thoughtful nominations we have received, and by the commitment and vision of the educators who apply for these grants. Walden University, with our rich teacher-education legacy, celebrates and supports the valuable difference educators make in young lives every day,” said Victoria Reid, vice president of The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership.
Teachers who want to nominate their schools must complete a nomination form that consists of short essay questions about their profession, the importance of teachers’ duties, why their school should receive a Walden Educator for a Day grant and what their school would do with the grant. Three schools will be selected by a panel familiar with the issues currently facing P–12 teachers and administrators. The deadline for nominations is Oct. 28, 2009.
Winning schools will officially receive their grants on Nov. 19, 2009. Grants must be used for educational purposes, such as school supplies or educational activities. In addition, recipient schools will be required to arrange for at least one aspiring educator to shadow a teacher during Educator for a Day events.
Walden created the Educator for a Day grant initiative in 2007, and because of its impact on the honored schools and teachers and its success around the country, it was repeated in 2008. Last year’s winning schools—Eastlawn Elementary School in Pascagoula, Miss.; East Auburn Community School in Auburn, Maine; and West View Elementary School, Burlington, Wash.—were selected from hundreds of nominations submitted by faculty and administrators nationwide.
"Educational Collaborations and Networks: Bridges to Learning and Leading"
Conference Goals The major goals of the 2010 AABHE National Conference are:
To provide a forum to discuss key issues that enhance access and success for Black students and professions.
To showcase educational initiatives that facilitate effective collaborations and networks.
To provide a forum to discuss contemporary issues in K-12, 2 year and 4 year institutions.
To provide a forum to discuss graduate student success.
To provide a forum to discuss professional development and career advancement for faculty and administrators.
To provide a forum to discuss the impact of race on the educational achievement of Blacks.
Strand Areas 1. Leadership Development and Career Enhancement for Blacks in the Academy This strand will explore collaboration and networks that support the survival and growth of faculty, staff, and administrators in the academy. This may also include intergenerational, global, cross cultural and interdisciplinary practices, models and research that enhance learning and leadership among Blacks.
2. Pipelines and Pathways Collaborations and networking between educational and community stakeholders are vital to promoting access and success for Black students. This strand will explore an array of critical policy developments,programs, partnerships, and linkages. These linkages include and are not limited to partnerships among K-12, 2 and 4 year institutions, governmental agencies, profit and not-for-profit organizations. Initiatives and interventions that promote access, retention and success among Black males in K-12, 2 year and 4 year institutions are also welcomed.
3. Using technology for Collaboration and Networking This strand will highlight the advances, trends, and applications to enhance the educational experiences of Black students and professional development in the academy.
4. Fostering Opportunities and Success Among African Americans in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Disciplines and other underrepresented fields of study Based on the dire statistics reported in the National Academy of Science’s publication Rising Above the Gathering Storm, this strand seeks to not only underscore the crisis that the nation is experiencing related to the paucity of African Americans in STEM related disciplines but seeks also to offer viable solutions to academe in an effort to circumvent this crisis.
A focus of this strand will be a discussion on areas that need to be addressed such as academic preparation, graduation, mentoring programs, professional development, partnerships, pipeline projects, careers and graduation education.
Proposals will be considered late and will not be accepted after 11:59 p.m. on October 15, 2009.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES ALL PROPOSALS must clearly focus on one of the FOUR identified strands. Proposal submissions MUST include:
The title of the presentation (paper to be presented)
The strand (I, II, III, or IV) selected for presentation
An abstract of the presentation (not to exceed 200 words)
An overview of the presentation (not to exceed four single-spaced pages)
Conceptually or theoretically strong foundation
Purpose of the presentation/core issue(s) addressed in the presentation
What the audience will learn/take-away from the presentation
How the presentation reflects the selected conference strand
What major outcomes or issues will be addressed in the presentation and how audience will participate in an interactive component during the presentation
Follow APA guidelines for style and quality
The name(s) of the presenter(s)
The presenter(s) institutional or organizational affiliation
The presenter(s) title and a brief biography (not to exceed two paragraphs)
The presenter(s) – Include information for ALL presenters
Mailing address
Telephone and facsimile numbers
Electronic mail address
Equipment Needed
Overhead projector & screen
LCD Projector
Please e-mail proposal to: Dr. Barbara A. Lofton, Director Office of Diversity Programs Sam M.Walton College of Business University of Arkansas blofton@uark.edu.
Panel Discussion: Perspectives from the Front Lines of Social Entrepreneurship This will be an interactive panel discussion featuring social entrepreneurs and experts sharing stories, ways to identify social needs and tips about what works when starting an organization.
Peter Kannam is the executive director of New Leaders for New Schools
Maryland, the state-level initiative of a national social enterprise
with program sites in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County. Kannam
has been leading New Leaders in Maryland since it was launched in 2005.
He directs the work of securing the best talent from around the country
and providing cutting-edge, competency-based training to instructional
leaders who are transforming urban education in Maryland’s most
challenged districts. Under his leadership, the program has grown to 80
leaders across the state and more than 15 percent of Baltimore school
principals.
His professional career began as an eighth-grade social studies teacher
at Lombard Middle School in East Baltimore where he gained practical
expertise on how to move students and systems. He then was the
executive director of Teach for America, Baltimore. During his tenure,
he cultivated a successful partnership with the Baltimore City Public
School System to place and support close to 300 teachers in Baltimore’s
schools. Kannam also has experience in the corporate sector. He was the
New England regional director for Catapult Learning where he managed
all aspects of regional operations that served students in Boston,
Providence, Hartford, Conn., and Springfield, Mass.
Panelists include:
David Bornstein specializes in writing about social innovation. He is the author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas (Oxford University Press), described by the New York Times as “must reading” for “anyone who cares about building a more equitable and stable world” and a “bible” in its field. The book, which is in the process of being published in 20 languages, chronicles and analyzes the work of social innovators who are successfully addressing social problems at scale in several countries.
Bornstein’s first book, The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank, traces the history of the Nobel Peace Prize–winning Grameen Bank during its first 20 years and describes the global emergence of the now-famous anti-poverty strategy known as microfinance. Bornstein grew up in Montreal, Canada and now lives in New York City with his wife and son. He is currently developing a Web site to share the stories and insights of innovative social changemakers. Bornstein’s newest book, Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know, co-authored with Susan Davis, will be published in January.
Anthony Jewett is the president of Bardoli Global, which has provided
study abroad and leadership development opportunities to more than 130 minority scholars to date. After serving as a bilingual elementary school teacher in New York City with Teach for America from 2003–2005, he founded Bardoli Global to provide opportunities for outstanding African-American, Latino, and Native American youth through study abroad and service-learning.
Jewett has studied and worked abroad in South America, West Africa, China, and the Middle East. He is a 2006 recipient of the Echoing Green Public Service Fellowship. He earned a B.A. in international studies from Morehouse College in 2003 where his passion for study abroad and community service earned him both the Freeman-ASIA and Benjamin A. Gilman awards from the Institute of International Education. He is currently a fellow in community and family philanthropy at The Zeist Foundation in Atlanta. Jewett is currently enrolled in the M.S. in Nonprofit Management and Leadership program at Walden University.
Dr. Kathia Castro Laszlo is a Walden University faculty member, and co-founder and executive director of Syntony Quest, an educational, research, and consulting organization that empowers businesses and communities to work and learn in ways that embody social
and environmental integrity, with offices in San Francisco, Calif. and Monterrey, Mexico. Under her leadership, Syntony Quest has launched the social enterprise Syntony Creations, a fair-trade initiative that markets crafts made from recycled materials by interns of the Centers for Social Readaptation of the state of Veracruz, Mexico.
In addition to her classes at Walden, Laszlo has taught in the M.B.A. program for sustainable business at Bainbridge Graduate Institute and the program for sustainable management at the Presidio School of Management since each program’s first year of operation. Currently, she is a mentor for M.B.A. students studying green sustainable enterprise at the Dominican University of California and a faculty member for the “Green Your M.B.A.” executive certificate. She is an advisor and professor of organizational development, systems thinking, evolutionary consciousness, and sustainability at Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center. She is author of more than 40 publications, including academic journal articles, book chapters, and a forthcoming book.
Dr. John Nirenberg is a Walden University faculty member and the author of numerous books, including Global Leadership (Capstone, 2002), Power Tools: A Leader’s Guide to the Latest Management Thinking (Prentice Hall, 1997), and The Living Organization: Transforming Teams Into Workplace Communities
Nirenberg has worked abroad (including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Thailand) as an educator and consultant. While in Malaysia, he edited Aspects of Management in Malaysia. It was the first management textbook in Malaysia that integrated Malaysian cultural influences with conventional management principles. Nirenberg has visited more than 120 countries. In Australia, he developed the PROBE methodology (Practical Organizational Behavior Education)—a student-centered and experiential technique for teaching organizational behavior to full-time students. While in Singapore he organized that country’s first Organization Development Network. He has been active in the American Society for Training and Development, the Organization Development Network, ILA, ALE, AMA, and other professional bodies. He served as an elected member of the board of AccountAbility, a U.K.-based organization that is a leader in the creation of international corporate social responsibility standards. Nirenberg currently mentors doctoral students at Walden University.
Walden’s students and faculty are contributing to their disciplines through publications, presentations and other professional activities.
Jarrod Simmons, a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration student, has been selected to speak at the 2009 Southeastern Conference on Public Administration from Sept. 30–Oct. 3 in Louisville, Ky., on the topic “The Role of State Government in Fostering Economic Policies for Minority Businesses in Distressed Communities in Florida.” In addition, Simmons will be a guest speaker at Georgia College & State University on the topic “Pursuing a Career in Public Service” on Oct. 19.
Dr. Connie Vogel, a faculty member in the School of Nursing, was recently appointed to a peer review panel for Nursing Education Perspectives and has published the following: Understanding Delirium [CEU Module] (Gannett Healthcare Group, 2009), Crisis Intervention Strategies for Nurses [CEU Module] (Gannett Healthcare Group), and a review of the book Effectively Managing Patient Education.
Dr. Daniel Weigand, a faculty member in the Center for Research Support, will be the next editor of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. He will continue his role as editor of the Journal of Social, Behavioral and Health Sciences.
Dr. Jörg Westermann, a faculty member in the School of Health Sciences, co-published the chapter “Germany” in Comparative Health Systems: Global Perspectives (Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2009).
Gloria Wilson, a Ph.D. in Public Health student, was selected as a scholarship recipient to attend the Association of Black Cardiologists’ Community Health Advocates Training: With Every Heartbeat is Life, held on July 23–25, 2009, in Washington, D.C.
Cheryl Dorsey—President, Echoing Green presents “Be a Social Change Agent through Cross-Sector Collaboration"
An accomplished social entrepreneur with expertise in health care, labor issues, and public policy, Cheryl Dorsey was named President of Echoing Green in May 2002. She is the first Echoing Green Fellow to lead this global nonprofit, which has awarded more than $28 million in start-up capital to over 450 social entrepreneurs worldwide since 1987.
Dorsey received her education at Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges where she earned a degree in history and science in 1985. In 1992, while training to be a pediatrician at Harvard Medical School, she received an Echoing Green Fellowship. With it, she launched the Family Van, a community-based mobile health unit that provides basic health care and outreach services to at-risk residents of inner-city Boston neighborhoods.
As a public policy innovator, Cheryl served as a White House Fellow from 1997-1998, serving as Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Labor, advising the Clinton Administration on health care and other issues. She was later named Special Assistant to the Director of the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Labor Department, where she helped develop family-friendly workplace policies and spearheaded the labor secretary’s pay equity initiative.
Cheryl was most recently appointed Vice-Chair of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, after serving as a team member of the Innovation and Civil Society subgroup of the Obama Presidential Transition's Technology, Innovation, and Government Reform Policy Working Group. Cheryl serves on the board of City Year (national), DonorsChoose.org, and Freelancers Insurance Company, Inc., a for-profit insurance company and subsidiary of Working Today. She also serves as an advisory board member of the Action Tank for Social Entrepreneurs, America Forward, and the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation. Dorsey is a 2006 Henry Crown Fellow through the Aspen Institute, a 2007 Prime Movers Fellow through the Hunt Alternatives Fund, and a member of the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Visiting Committee.
Cheryl has received numerous awards and honors for her commitment to public service, including the John C. Whitehead Social Enterprise Award, Pfizer Roerig History of Medicine Award, the Robert Kennedy Distinguished Public Service Award and the Manuel C. Carballo Memorial Prize. She holds a B.A. in History and Science from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges, an M.D. from the Harvard Medical School and an M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. She writes and speaks widely on minority affairs, social justice, social entrepreneurship, and maternal and child health issues.
Michele Jolin—White House Senior Advisor for Social Innovation for the Domestic Policy Council presents “Government’s Role in Partnering with Social Entrepreneurs”
Michele Jolin is a senior advisor for social innovation for the Domestic Policy Council at The White House. Before joining the White House, Ms. Jolin was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP), where she led the Center's presidential transition effort and co-edited the book Change for America: A Progressive Blueprint for the 44th President. While at CAP, she also developed proposals for ways that the federal government can create a better policy climate for social entrepreneurship, including a proposal to create a White House Office of Social Innovation.
Ms. Jolin also was a senior vice president at Ashoka, launching and managing several global initiatives to build the global network of Ashoka Fellows. In addition, Ms. Jolin served for four years as chief of staff for former President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers. She also worked as a legislative counsel for Senator Boxer on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
Walden is honored to have such women of distinction, action and change joining us this year. Click here to attend the event in person or click here to attend virtually.
Davidson, the current Woman of the Year for the Mississippi Council of ABWA, was previously selected as Woman of the Year for her local chapter of ABWA. She was selected from nearly 100 leading businesswomen nationwide for the “Forever Ten” distinction.
The mission of ABWA is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support and national recognition.
Since 2006, Davidson has owned and operated a private consulting firm that specializes in health care research, informatics and statistical analysis as well as market segment research. In this capacity, she additionally serves as consultant and grant writer to a number of national organizations. Davidson earned her Ph.D. in nursing from Texas Woman’s University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from Wichita State University. In addition, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship as a family nurse practitioner at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.
Davidson maintains national board certification as a nurse informaticist, nurse executive and family nurse practitioner. She has 30 years of nursing practice experience with 18 years of higher education experience—having earned tenure at all three institutions where she served during those years in nursing administrative roles—and 12 years of advanced practice experience.
As a faculty member, she has been recognized with various awards including outstanding institutional service, national teaching excellence and outstanding scholarship. Davidson was named the first Nurse Researcher of the Year at the inaugural Mississippi Nurses Association Nightingale Awards Gala and was named as a fellow of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Executive Academic Leadership Program. She has received a number of recognitions from Sigma Theta Tau, including the International Newsletter Award for Layout and Design Excellence and the Pinnacle Award for Research Dissemination. Davidson is internationally recognized as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP).
Over the last decade, Dr. Davidson’s scholarship has been published by internationally recognized journals such as Nursing Administration Quarterly and the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She has been further cited in such journals as the Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, Professional Case Management and Clinical Excellence for Nurse Practitioners. Davidson has also authored a textbook chapter for Health Promotion in Communities: Holistic and Wellness Approaches with her work further cited in classroom textbooks such as Advanced Practice Nursing: An Integrative Approach and Primary Care of the Child with a Chronic Condition.
Davidson has directed nearly 60 doctoral dissertations and theses in addition to over 60 graduate evidence-based practice projects in nursing and currently serves as an international mentor through Sigma Theta Tau and FAANP.
Walden’s students and faculty are contributing to their
disciplines through publications, presentations and other professional
activities.
Joe Norris, a Master of Business Administration student, has been chosen to fill the chief information officer position at West Virginia University’s Office of the Provost. His previous position was chief technology officer at East Carolina University.
Jennifer Shambrook, a Ph.D. in Public Health student, will be speaking at the 11th Annual Australasian Research Management Society Conference held in Christchurch, New Zealand, Sept. 16–18. Shambrook works in developing nations to assist in building an infrastructure for research to stem brain drain and increase local capacity for research in these areas.
Dr. Linda Shanta, a faculty member in the School of Nursing, published “Refreshing Nursing Practice Competence,” in Dakota Nurse Connection (2008: Vol. 6, Issue 2); “Perspectives on Leadership in Regulation,” in JONA's Healthcare Law, Ethics and Regulation (2009: Vol. 10, Issue 4); and “North Dakota Board of Nursing Nurse Faculty Intern Pilot Study,” in Leader to Leader (2008: Vol. 3).
James Shrum, a Master of Science in Nursing student, delivered the Nurse’s Week keynote address to the Athens Area Chapter of the Georgia Nurses Association. His lecture was entitled “Poverty in the Midst of Prosperity.” Shrum also participated as a panelist in a public viewing and discussion of an episode of the seven-part documentary film Unnatural Causes, which explores racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health.
The Walden University community will support several good causes during the 4th annual Global Day of Service, sponsored by the Walden University Alumni Association, on Saturday, Oct. 3.
This year, volunteers will work on more than 30 projects around the world.
We're continuing to provide help in the Big Easy:
Rebuilding Together New Orleans The Louisiana Peace Corps Association is again sponsoring a team to assist with the volunteer efforts of Rebuilding Together New Orleans. The group has restored the homes of 100 low-income homeowners since Katrina, thanks to the support of dozens of business partners from around the country. More than 4,700 volunteers have contributed over $2.5 million worth of labor to help rebuild New Orleans. Our home will be for a person in the flood damaged area from Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers are needed for painting and scraping projects. Building supplies are provided as well as most tools. Refreshments and lunch provided. Participants may volunteer for half or all day, if so desired. Minimum Age: 18 years old What to bring: Volunteers need to wear protective clothing and sunglasses, work gloves, sun screen. Impact Areas: Elderly, Homeless, Disaster Victims Interests: Elderly, Homelessness Skills: There are no skills specified for this project. Time: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Location: TBA or contact the team leader for additional details. Website:http://www.rtno.org
The Walden University community will support several good causes during the 4th annual Global Day of Service, sponsored by the Walden University Alumni Association, on Saturday, Oct. 3. This year, volunteers will work on more than 30 projects around the world.
The Minneapolis group is working with future doctors, lawyers, teachers, elected officials:
Brian Coyle Community Center The Brian Coyle Community Center offers its residents, in the Cedar-Rivierside neighborhood, programs and resources in adult education and employment, legal and financial assistance, wellness, and food. Youth programs include athletic teams, after-school tutoring, summer camps, and much more. Volunteers are needed for cleaning and painting activities. Time: 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Location: 420 15th Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55454
Gregory Parker '09, who earned a Master of Public Administration degree and is a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration, was re-elected to the Comal County Commissioners Court (Texas) in November 2008. In September 2008, he was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Texas Commission on State Emergency Communications, where he leads the state's initiative for Next Generation 9-1-1.
Susan Sonnier '07, who earned an M.S. degree in Nursing, published a chapter in the textbook Disaster Nursing: A Handbook for Practice (Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2009), titled “Communicating in a Disaster." She also wrote two appendices for the textbook. Sonnier also was recently voted Nurse of the Year at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in Webster, Texas.
Dr. Ellen Stoltz '01, who earned a Ph.D. in Education, recently completed two consecutive three-year terms as a commissioner for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Dr. Stoltz is the director of Special Education Instructional Support Services for Hartford Public Schools in Connecticut.
Gloria Brown Brooks '04, who earned an M.S. in Education and is now a student in the Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) program, was named a Teacher of the Year for 2008 by the San Benito County (Calif.) Office of Education. She is also the Thinkfinity presenter for the county’s Office of Education.
Vicky Panasuk '03, who earned an M.S. in Education, has been named principal at Jefferson Elementary School in Glendive, Mont.
Dr. Mario O. Barrett III '07, who earned a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences, wrote Leading from the Inside Out: Using the Barrett Leadership Model to Achieve Sustainable Happiness by Creating and Pursuing the Fulfillment of Your Life. (Dog Ear Publishing, 2008). The book has appeared regularly in the Top 10 of Buy.com's bestsellers for personal happiness books.
Dr. Dennis E. Morrow '92, who earned a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences, was recently named chair of the Business Department at Herzing University's Atlanta campus.
Dr. Ntiedo J. Umoren '00, who earned a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences, has been appointed the director of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Development at the University of Uyo in Nigeria, where he is a faculty member.
Walden University is an accredited institution that for nearly 40 years has provided an engaging learning experience for working professionals. Our mission has attracted a community of extraordinary alumni, students and faculty, all sharing a common desire to make a positive social impact—to make a difference.
Click here or call (877) 847-5032 to request information or join the Walden community.
