Walden University Alumni Association Blog

Walden Student: Eric Langhorst, Missouri Teacher of the Year (2008)

Walden University is proud to have more than 40 state teachers of the year—including Eric Langhorst, education doctoral student—currently working toward advanced degrees at its Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership.
 
“Teaching tends to be a very isolating profession,” says Eric Langhorst, the eighth-grade American History teacher who was 2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year. “Even though you're in a building with other teachers, there are relatively few who teach exactly the same thing you do.”

Langhorst is used to relatively isolating environments. He grew up in a small Nebraska town and, soon after college, started teaching in another small Nebraska town. “I taught every history or social studies class for every grade from seventh to 12th,” he says. When he and his wife, also a history teacher, moved to Liberty, Missouri, to teach at South Valley Junior High, Langhorst wasn't expecting the same sense of seclusion—after all, his new position would see 150 kids a week through his classroom. But he found, that despite a larger environment, peer-to-peer interaction remained elusive. To bridge the divide, he looked to technology.

“I bought an MP3 player about six years ago and just started to play with it,” he says. “I created a podcast for teachers and decided to just kind of share some of the things that were happening in my classroom and put it on a blog, too.” He uses the space and time to discuss events in his classroom as well as the latest in educational technology and his personal explorations. Topics may range from current events to methods of teaching the Constitution to the details of his recent trip to walk the Freedom Trail in Boston.

“I can put an idea out in my podcast and have teachers from all over the world listen to it and give me feedback,” he says. “I get a lot of comments from teachers that are in their first or second year—they say that my material really helped them get started when they were feeling overwhelmed.”

Technology is something that Langhorst hopes to focus on while getting his doctorate in education at Walden. He's already creative in the way he uses the Internet with his students: In addition to posting study-guides via podcast before each unit exam, when possible he uses video chat to conference in the authors of books he's using in class. He also encourages his students to experiment with the tools that are available to them. For a section on Abraham Lincoln's election, for example, he set them up with cameras and editing equipment to make television ads as if Lincoln were running for president today.

“We have to realize that the world that we're preparing them for is much different than the world that we prepared for in previous generations,” he says. “Our students are going to need to solve problems—they are no longer just trying to gain information. I can remember doing my term paper and having to drive to a larger town to go to a library that had some information that I needed. Now the problem isn't finding the information, it's about figuring out what's correct and applying it.”

His goal? “To use technology in a way that will help them become literate in how to use this tsunami of information that's available to them,” he says. This kind of shift in education might just be history in the making.

Visit ConnectEd to read other education-related articles.

Walden Student: Mary Schlieder, Nebraska Teacher of the Year (2008)

Walden University is proud to have more than 40 state teachers of the year—including Mary Schlieder, education doctoral student—currently working toward advanced degrees at its Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership.

Since first starting out as a teacher nearly 30 years ago, Mary Schlieder of Norris Middle School and Norris High School in Firth, Nebraska, has watched major changes take place in how people approach kids who don't necessarily fit in—kids who were segregated for decades, decreasing the chance they would ever be able to integrate into society and see themselves as “normal."

“My title is 'Special Education teacher,' but the role has really evolved over the last 10 years,” says Schlieder, who was Nebraska's 2008 Teacher of the Year. “The boundaries are breaking down. There used to be a big stigma about being Special Ed. Now, my room isn't viewed as a Special Ed room. When anyone needs help, they come down. We all have strengths, we all have challenges, and it's a really a good thing to know yours.”

Schlieder has seen, in her own family, what happens when those who need specialized assistance don't get it. In the 1980s, she worked with a nine-year-old cousin who has Asperger’s Syndrome—a form of high-functioning autism—but at the time was undiagnosed. “He had no social skills,” she says. “He ended up living a kind of reclusive life. He's brilliant, but just didn't learn the social skills that he needed. He never reached his potential.”

Then several years ago, she met Caleb, a seventh-grader who reminded her a lot of her cousin. “I was determined to do something for Caleb that I wasn't able to do for my cousin. I just hadn't had the tools or knowledge back then,” she says. “We worked on peer education, because I realized that if you teach social skills in isolation—how to have a conversation, how to not pick your nose—then you go out into an unwelcoming environment, on the bus or in the cafeteria, you're never going to get the chance to practice.”

Recently, she's also been embracing some of the teaching techniques suggested by Dr. Ross W. Greene. One of them, negotiation, has proved particularly effective. She explains: “You listen to a child and you invite him to problem solve. He says, 'I don't want to work and the teacher is stupid.' You say, 'Well, I'm concerned that if you don't do the math, you're going to fail, and you've already told me that your high school diploma is important to you.' You identify the problem and both of your concerns, and then you invite them to help you to solve the problem and come up with a solution.”

Part of the reason Schlieder is excited about studying at Walden is the fact that she is endlessly fascinated by methods like these. But she's found that often other teachers aren't as open to dealing with “difficult” students—their empathy extends to kids with physical handicaps but not to those who, say, have uncontrollable emotional outbursts. In an effort to change people's points of view and disseminate information about behavioral challenges, Schlieder found herself giving talks around the school to other teachers who wanted to learn how to deal more effectively with children on the autism spectrum.

“I started to do workshops on it, and I was just handing out sheets and people were emailing me questions and calling,” she recalls. “Eventually the copy lady at school got crankier and crankier every time I had to do a workshop, and so I submitted the book for publishing and Austism Asperger Publishing accepted it. Her handouts became the book With Open Arms: Creating Supportive School Communities for Kids with Social Challenges.

Visit ConnectEd to read other education-related articles.

Walden offering M.S. in Project Management

Walden is now offering an M.S. in Project Management to help equip students with the skills they need to manage complex projects with diverse teams and help their organizations achieve strategic goals. Students can gain valuable experience in applying traditional management tools to highly technical projects while learning to communicate effectively with stakeholders and to analyze and control project risks.
 
The course content of the M.S. in Project Management is aligned with the knowledge areas of the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) and will help prepare students for the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Professional (PMP) credential exam.*
 
“Demand for managers in project-oriented occupations is growing at an extraordinarily rapid pace,” said Dr. Kathleen Simmons, director of the M.S. in Project Management program. “Walden’s M.S. in Project Management is designed specifically to provide the skills required to manage projects across functional areas, geographic locations and all levels of an organization. Using proven management tools and a range of project management processes, students can prepare to make valuable contributions that will help enhance the performance of their organizations.” 
 
*Eligibility for the PMP Credential requires individuals to first attain specific educational and project management experience, including 35 contact hours of project management education and a minimum of three years, or 36 months, of project management experience, during which at least 4,500 hours were spent leading and directing project tasks. The final step for earning the PMP Credential is passing the PMP exam. For more information, visit the Project Management Institute.

Walden Faculty Author: Dr. Darlington Mgbeke

Public Policy Implementation in a Democratic Governance Society: A Roadmap to Empowering Citizen Participation: An Empirical Study
Dr. Darlington Mgbeke, faculty member in the Center for Undergraduate Studies
AuthorHouse, 2009

This is a book for those with big ideas about the collaborative foundations of democratic governance, public administration and capacity building. It is a book of building and improving public service, as well as current issues and best practices in managing transformational trends in governance and democracy, employee empowerment, citizen participation and the rampant culture of corruption in the Nigerian system of government. This text, which includes thought-provoking normative arguments, is a powerful learning instrument for students of research methodology and a reference book for adult learners and researchers.

Walden Alumni Author: Dr. Martha Ward Plowden

NAACP: A Historical Perspective of the Georgia State Conference
Martha Ward Plowden '03, Ph.D in Education
Ward Plowden Publishing Company, 2009

This book was written in the observance of the last 100 years of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the accomplishments of many leaders and branches of the Georgia State Conference. The NAACP presence in Georgia begins with the founding of the Atlanta Branch in 1917. In 1941, the late Rev. Ralph Mark Gilbert convened 10 branches of the NAACP in Savannah, Ga., and organized the Georgia State Conference. Its purpose was to maintain a network of branches throughout Georgia and to work in conjunction with the national association.

Walden Think+Up Case Study: Biodiesel Moves from Backyard to Mainstream

Long gone are the days when biodiesel was something your granola-eating neighbor brewed in his backyard using recycled cooking oil. Rather, biodiesel is fast-becoming a mainstream alternative to traditional petroleum-based motor fuel—and a prime business opportunity for entrepreneurs with an eye on renewable fuels.

According to Emerging Markets Online, a global energy and utilities market research firm, in the year 2007, there were only 20 oil-producing nations supplying the needs of the rest of the world. By the year 2010, most countries will be biodiesel producers.

In the U.S., biodiesel is powering more and more cars and trucks. For example, the city of Mesa, Arizona, switched its entire fleet of more than 1,000 diesel-powered vehicles—from high-performance fire trucks to lowly street sweepers—to biodiesel last summer.

Fueling demand
The appeal of biodiesel is easy to understand. Both biodegradable and non-toxic, biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative fuel derived from natural oils from plants like soybeans as well as other renewable botanical resources. Because it contains no petroleum, biodiesel is better for the environment and has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel.

In fact, according to the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), a 100% soybean-based biodiesel can reduce global warming carbon dioxide pollution by more than half relative to conventional petroleum-based diesel. The emissions benefits are even higher for biodiesel produced from canola oil. In the future, non-conventional sources like algae may have the potential to provide nearly 90% reductions in global warming carbon dioxide pollution.

Josh Tickell has long recognized the benefits of biodiesel. Tickell is an environmentalist whose film FUEL won the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary. He is also the author of From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank—The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel. “Biodiesel is energy positive, so no matter what you do, it contains more energy than it takes to make it,” he says. “It’s an efficient converter of solar energy into hydrocarbons so the promise is … that biodiesel will become the basis for a new generation of biofuels that can run in both gasoline and diesel engines.”

Better yet, the U.S. Department of Energy reports that some biofuels are less expensive per gallon than gasoline—slashing the average cost of gas by 20 to 35 cents per gallon. That’s good news to penny-pinching car owners: An average American family can save up to $300 per year by using pure ethanol.

Business is booming
Such eco-friendly and cost-conscious perks are opening the doors for entrepreneurs with an interest in alternative fuels. “The opportunity for entrepreneurs is a trillion-dollar-a-year industry in the U.S. alone,” says Tickell. “We’re talking about a world-wide multi-trillion-dollar-a-year industry, representing the largest single conversion of cash into jobs and infrastructure that we will see within a hundred years.”

Bob Schildgen agrees. The environmentalist behind Sierra magazine’s “Hey Mr. Green” environmental advice column, Schildgen says, “Everyone is looking for an alternative to fossil fuel. Anytime you have a new technology, you’re going to have people thinking about making money off of it.”

The promises—and pitfalls
But winning the race to bring biodiesel to the masses is tougher than many think. Because while “anything from hemp oil to soy beans to coconuts to rendering fats in meat processing” can be refined into biodiesel, finding just the right formula can be a difficult undertaking, according to Tickell.

“Biodiesel has been dismaying because it has large quality issues,” says Tickell. “There are so many different ways of making it, it has so many different producers, you never know what you’re going to get out of that pump.”

Another obstacle facing entrepreneurs is sourcing materials. After all, some critics argue that growing enough crops to meet the demand for soybean-based biodiesel may require diverting large amounts of soy crops from food use to biodiesel production and converting millions of acres of forests to agricultural land.

“If we took all the soybean acreage now and made it into biodiesel, we’d still get far less than we’d need—a fraction of the 160 billion gallons of fuel we consume,” says Schildgen. “Plus, the price of soybean oil is $3 or $4 a gallon, so it’s not economically feasible at this point.”

Even the much-ballyhooed approach of converting algae oil into biodiesel fuel has been hampered by high processing and water disposal costs. Says Schildgen, “Many times when a technology or a new idea is launched, investors put a lot of money into it, but it doesn’t necessarily pan out or fulfill its big promises.”

Even Tickell, who is driving the first algae-powered car across the U.S. for a nationwide tour promoting his film FUEL, admits that biodiesel fuel from algae “is still cutting-edge technology. It’s not as if you’re going to go up to the pump in two weeks and pump it. But it will be available for both gasoline and diesel cars within a 5–10 year period of time.”

Researchers have been hard at work making algae-based biodiesel easier on the pocketbook. Chemists at United Environment and Energy in New York have developed what they termed the first economical, eco-friendly process to convert algae oil into biodiesel fuel. Researchers say their process is at least 40% less expensive than that of others now being used.

The playing field
Innovations aside, there’s still stiff competition to consider. Earlier this summer, oil giant ExxonMobil announced that it would invest at least $600 million in algae-to-fuel research and development deals with biotech company Synthetic Genomics. Such deep pockets can make it tough for budding entrepreneurs to have any impact on the biodiesel industry.

But Tickell says heavily-funded research and development partnerships shouldn’t discourage entrepreneurs from vying for a slice of the renewable-energy pie. “As good as a large company’s research and development is, it has always been the entrepreneurs who have put forth all of the little solutions that lead to the big solutions,” he says. “There were other car manufacturers at the time that Henry Ford put the Model T on the road. He wasn’t educated; he had no engineering background; he wasn’t backed by the steel industry at that time. He was a man with a vision to put a car on the road.”

However, Schildgen says it’s important for entrepreneurs to continue looking outside the box for biodiesel opportunities. “If I were an entrepreneur, I’d put my eggs in the energy audit and conservation basket because I think that’s where you can make money the quickest,” he advises. “The real, most immediate, cheapest and lucrative solution is in conservation and efficiency. Not that we shouldn’t be looking at alternatives, too, but for the immediate future, we need to be tightening up our efficiencies to the point where we don’t need to be so concerned about developing [fuel] sources.”

In the meantime, the race continues to bring yesterday’s backyard biodiesel to the mainstream masses. “This is a wide open playing field,” says Tickell. “There will be leaders and there will be losers.” Let the games begin.

To read more case studies, visit Think+Up.

Walden Alumni Author: Nick A. Fabrizio, Ph.D.

Goals Into Gold: Strategic Planning for Health Care Professionals
Nick A. Fabrizio '98, Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences
MGMA, 2008

Designed and written for all physician practices—small or large, single specialty, multispecialty, physician-owned, hospital-owned and even academic practices—this book provides organizations with a framework for analyzing and quickly adapting to future challenges. And it helps board and staff members focus more clearly on a group’s priorities, while building commitment and promoting cooperation and innovation. Packed with real-world insights and practical pointers, this book shows how to find a unifying theme for success in the presence of physician leaders who are engaged and enthusiastic about strategically planning their futures, setting goals and putting those goals into action.

Walden Alumni Author: Marie-Laure de Shazer

Chinese for Everyone
Marie-Laure de Shazer '08, M.S. in Education
Trafford Publishing, 2007

Many people have tried to learn a language using the most typical methods: studying grammar or rote memory. While these methods work for some people, many others struggle. The structure and content of Chinese for Everyone applies the methods of learning people use every day. The research of Carl Jung and Howard Gardner is leveraged in this book to help you learn the same way you perceive the world: through sensing and intuition. To help in your journey from beginner to intermediate Chinese, your preferred style of learning will be found in each of the 31 chapters and in the different activities. The different learning tools include illustrations, vocabulary, pronunciation, dialogues, grammar notes, exercises, puzzles, creative activities and culture lessons. The activities are designed to enable you to reach the beginner-to-upper-intermediate level.

Walden Alumni Authors: Malinda Daniel, Mary Gallagher

Fallacy or Truth: The State of American Education Today
Dr. Malinda Daniel '08, Ph.D. in Education
Highway, 2009

Many Americans have questions about the quality of education in the United States and whether it will get worse before it gets better. Many newspapers report the dire circumstances of education and the struggles that schools are facing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress. Understanding the child’s world is the place we must begin. Society can play the blame game by saying it’s their (parents’, teachers’, schools’) fault, or businesses and communities can support learning and teaching. Teachers desire to provide the best support to learners. The foundation for a solid society in the future will require more time for professional development, better community support, financial resources and innovative teaching.


Teach a Child to Read with Children’s Books, 4th Edition
Mark Thogmartin and Mary Gallagher '07, M.S. in Education
New Learning Concepts, 2009

Timing is the key to success with emerging child readers of all ages. Teach a Child to Read with Children’s Books skillfully presents and guides the reader through a process of recognition and reinforcement that customizes reading instruction to the specific child. Foundational reading skills are introduced as the child’s natural desire to learn develops. When the skill being introduced is relevant to a child’s desire to learn, both teaching and learning become exciting, even joyful experiences! Teach a Child to Read with Children’s Books approaches reading instruction from a particular perspective: nurturing lifelong learners. Written specifically for parents, tutors and teachers who work one-on-one with children learning to read, Teach a Child to Read with Children’s Books provides a comprehensive approach that provides tools to identify and implement research-based instruction strategies without dampening a child’s enthusiasm for reading and learning.

Walden Authored Books for Children

Malia and Teacup: Awesome African Adventure
Dr. Molly Barrow '98, Ph.D. in Psychology
Barringer Publishing, 2009

How can an adventure book empower children and make them safer? “A spoonful of adventure makes the psychology go down,” according to author Dr. Molly Barrow, a practicing psychotherapist. Barrow uses exciting adventure books to embed subtle positive messages about building self-esteem. “High self-esteem is psychological armor for children.” Dr. Barrow's new fiction book for children, Malia and Teacup: Awesome African Adventure, illustrates complicated problem-solving and demonstrates how to “stay safe by staying strong.” The Malia and Teacup series encourages high self-esteem, positive thinking and healthy self-image.


Matthew and the Money Tree 
Matthew Lynch, faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, and Paul Loudon
Lynch Publishing, 2006

When Matthew’s father tells him a chimerical tale of a legendary money tree, Matthew decides to venture out into the woods in search of the money tree and the adventure begins. Join Matthew on his entertaining quest in which, above all, he learns the true meaning of happiness.

Walden Student: Eric Kinkaid, West Virginia Teacher of the Year (2008)

Walden University is proud to have more than 20 state teachers of the year—including Eric Kincaid, education doctoral student—currently working toward advanced degrees at its Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership.

For some students, science education begins and ends in high school. For others, however, it's a course of study that knows no beginning or end.

For 2008 West Virginia Teacher of the Year Eric Kincaid, science was something that was part of his earliest days, even if he didn't use that word for it. “I was always collecting specimens in middle school,” says Kincaid, a biology teacher at Morgantown High School in Morgantown, West Virginia. “'Specimens' is what my mother called them. I'd come home with little bugs and rocks and stuff like that in my pocket.”

Early on, this helped him see that education was something larger than just what happened at school. Learning could clearly take place anywhere, at anytime—something Kincaid says he learned from his grandfather who, although he had to drop out of school at age 13 to work, continued to educate himself. “He read everything he could and learned everything he could,” says Kincaid, noting his admiration. “His knowledge really blows me away even though he only has an eighth grade education.”

In his classes, Kincaid tries to help students see that education isn't always about a scholastic context. He works to show them that scientists are doing research outside of the classroom walls all the time. What's more, they're often doing research that looks a lot like the genetic work he does with his AP kids—analyzing DNA, trying to diagnose genetic disorders, and even manipulating the genome.

“I like finding new articles or videos, because the kids really like getting those news stories. I like showing the kids what the potential is. A couple of times I've found things that were published the day I showed it to them, so they can see it's not just coming from their text books—this is information that is coming up all the time,” he says. “I also want to try to get kids to get the information on their own—to teach them how to use the tools that we have that will allow them to get information, and remember it, and use it, and apply it. If I can do that, then I'm pretty happy, because the amount of information we're getting now is amazing. There is no way you can actually remember it all. If we can give them the tools to get information on their own, then they have a better chance of being successful.”

Of course, there's also the learning that goes on for students after they leave his class—that's the kind of learning that may end up taking students much deeper into science than their teacher will ever go. For Kincaid, a student who can outdo him is a dream come true.

One of his favorite memories of teaching involves a very reserved pupil who had just lost her father and didn't seem engaged in class. “It was amazing what her academic ability was, but she was very quiet—never said a whole lot,” he says. “That was just as I was starting to try to teach genes and different genome studies, and she ended up taking what I taught her and going into that research on her own.”

Today, that shy, reserved student is working on a combined M.D./Ph.D. at Harvard University. “She is doing cancer research—she wanted to fight the cancer that killed her dad,” says Kincaid. And now, she's the one offering words of encouragement: “She writes, 'Keep up those genomic studies, keep looking at those techniques and all that, because that's what enabled me to get ahead,'” he says. “That's why I'm here now.”

Visit ConnectEd to read other education-related articles.

Walden Community News

Walden’s students, faculty and staff are contributing to their disciplines through publications, presentations and other professional activities.

Arthur Greenwood, a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration student, published “Health Care Reform: An Administrator’s Viewpoint” in the August 2009 issue of PA Times, the American Society for Public Administration’s monthly newspaper.
 
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).
 
Dr. Sunil Hazari, a faculty member in the College of Management and Technology, co-published “An Empirical Investigation of Factors Influencing Information Security Behavior” (Journal of Information Privacy and Security, Vol. 4, Issue 4, 2009) and “VoIP Quality and Security Issues for Consumers and Small Businesses” (Handbook of Research on Telecommunications Planning and Management for Business, Information Science Reference, 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.

Dr. Roberta McKnight, a faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, published “The Art and Science of Instrument Design” in The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (Vol. 29, Issue 2, 2009).
 
Dr. Maria Rangel, a faculty member in the College of Health Sciences, co-published “Sexual and Reproductive Health of Persons Aged 10–24 Years, United States, 2002–2007” in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (Vol. 58, Issue SS06, 2009).
 
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.

Jay Spitulnik, a Ph.D. in Psychology student, is presented his dissertation research as a poster session at the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare, along with his committee chair, Dr. William Disch, in Miami Beach, Fla., on Oct. 5, 2009.
 
Dr. Mukesh Srivastava, a faculty member in the College of Management and Technology, co-published “Chinese Cultural Implications for ERP Implementation” (Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, Vol. 4, Issue 1, 2009).
 
Daniel A. Weigand, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Research Support at Walden University, has been selected as the next editor of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, a refereed publication of the Association for Sport Psychology.
 
Dr. Jörg Westermann, a faculty member in the College of Health Sciences, has been re-elected to the American Public Health Association Governing Council.
 
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.

Jeff Zuckerman, director of the Writing Center at Walden University, contributed to the recently released sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, and his work is acknowledged in its preface.

Walden Alumni Author: Dr. Janet Cunningham

The Upward Spiral: Breakthroughs to Joy
Dr. Janet Cunningham, Ph.D. in Human Services graduate
Two Suns Press, 2009

This novel, Janet Cunningham’s first, describes the lives of three women who face life challenges and move through them to greater happiness. Everyone has events in life that jolt their emotions and well-being. How we handle these occurrences determines whether we “spiral upward,” growing through the experience into greater joy and fulfillment, or “spiral downward” into sadness, anger or hopelessness. This book is filled with valuable information and insight into relationships, weight management and feminine intuitive nature.

Walden Alumni and Students in the News

“It was something I always wanted to do...I decided that it would be easier to make a difference teaching kids like me [with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder and other learning challenges]...I like this even better because I can help even more kids.”
—Greg Johnson, a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) student, discussing his motivation for getting involved in special education in an Aug. 1, 2009, article in the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, Lockport, N.Y.  

“I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to serve with the men and women of the 106th Rescue Wing and their families during this time of war for our nation and state. Their service and sacrifice went far beyond what was expected, and I will always remember what they did so ‘that others may live.’”
—Michael Canders, a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences graduate, on leaving command of the 106th Rescue Wing to assume command of an overseas Air Expeditionary Group, in a press release from the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.  

“I realized that my success was up to me...There is a chance of minimizing the effects of drug addiction in Baltimore, but it will take a strong community effort that involves law enforcement, educators, medical professionals, legislators and community residents.”
—Michael Murrell, a Ph.D. in Public Health student, in an article on Examiner.com.

“...[W]e can learn so much from the younger set. We have to stop dictating and start listening...The most important message is to avoid stereotyping and to embrace the gifts each generation has to offer.”
—Geneva Craig, a 2004 Ph.D. in Health Services graduate, in an article on generational differences in nursing published in Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Dome.  

“There [are] a lot of great things happening in education, and there’s a lot that still could get better...I was having to teach kids to read faster and put words into blanks, but that is teaching kids to take tests, not learn.”
—Malinda Daniel, a Ph.D. in Education graduate, discussing her new book, Fallacy or Truth: The State of American Education Today (Highway, 2009), in an Aug. 31 article in The Lawrence Journal-World, Lawrence, Kan.

Walden Community News

Walden’s students, faculty and staff are contributing to their disciplines through publications, presentations and other professional activities.

Dr. Lorraine Cleeton and Dr. Gil Cleeton, faculty members in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, published Controlling the Levees of the Mind (Adaptability, 2009).
 
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.
 
Jacqueline Derby, a faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, presented “Second Life: What Type of Professional Development Is Available?” at the 30th Annual National Educational Computing Conference in Washington, DC, on June 30, 2009.

Dr. Nicholas Johns, a faculty member in the College of Management and Technology, co-published “Building Reflective Practitioners on Business Programmes: An Action Research Study” in the April 2009 issue of the Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education.
 
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. Anthony Leisner, a faculty member in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, co-published “Alleviating Poverty: A Macro/Micro Marketing Perspective” in Macromarketing (Sage Publications, 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. Carl Sheperis, a faculty member in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, co-published Counseling Research: Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed Methods (Pearson, 2010).
 
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).
 
Dr. Janice Spangenburg, a faculty member in the College of Management and Technology, co-published “Leadership and the Future: Gen Y Workers and Two-Factor Theory” in the September 2009 issue of The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge.

Walden Alumni Author: Dr. Nancy Appleton

Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction
Nancy Appleton '96, Ph.D. in Health Services
Square One Publishers, 2009
 
Once associated only with cavities and simple weight gain, sugar is now linked to a host of devastating health conditions including cancer, epilepsy, dementia, hypoglycemia and obesity. In Suicide by Sugar, sugar addiction expert Dr. Nancy Appleton and health writer G. N. Jacobs not only expose the exorbitant levels of sugar we ingest but also document the connection between our current health crisis and our collective sweet tooth. Suicide by Sugar begins with the story of Dr. Appleton’s battle with her own sugar addiction. Next, the authors examine all the frightening (and unknown) things that can go wrong when people consume too much sugar, from increased susceptibility to disease to imbalanced body chemistry. They go on to discuss the various ways scientists measure sugar’s impact on blood glucose and explain why these statistics cannot be solely relied on when choosing foods. The authors provide shocking information about the amount of sugar found in many popular foods and beverages and an in-depth discussion of the ailments now associated with excessive sugar consumption. Finally, Dr. Appleton’s easy-to-follow, effective lifestyle plan—complete with recipes—guides you in eliminating sugar from your life.

Walden Community News

Walden’s students, faculty and staff are contributing to their disciplines through publications, presentations and other professional activities.

Cherri Brown, a Ph.D. in Psychology student, was invited to the Association for Conflict Resolution’s Ninth Annual Conference poster presentation on Oct. 9, 2009, in Atlanta. Her topic was “Grandparents Parenting: Mediation Needs for Public Education.”
 
Dr. Tom Cavanagh, a faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, published “Creating a New Discourse of Peace in Schools: Restorative Justice in Education” (The Journal for Peace and Justice Studies, Vol. 18, Issue 1/2, 2009) and co-published “Te Kotahitanga: Addressing Educational Disparities Facing Maori Students in New Zealand” (Teaching and Teacher Education, Vol. 25, Issue 5, 2009).
 
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.
 
Summer Clayton, a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) student, has been named director of the Palouse Prairie School of Expeditionary Learning in Moscow, Idaho, a public charter school that is based on Outward Bound’s Expeditionary Learning Schools model.

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. Robert Parent, a faculty member in the College of Management and Technology, published “Approaches to Measurement” in Knowledge Translation in Health Care: Moving From Evidence to Practice (Wiley, 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 Management and “Mobile Device Improves Documentation Workflow and Nurse Satisfaction” in the summer 2008 issue of CARING Newsletter.

Walden Alumni Author: Theresa A. Middleton Brosche

The EKG Handbook
Theresa A. Middleton Brosche '07, MS in Nursing
Jones and Bartlett Publishing, 2010
 
This guide to electrocardiogram (EKG) interpretation is a resource for nurses in the clinical setting. It includes topics such as brief anatomy of the heart, action potential of the cardiac cell, depolarization, repolarization, abnormal electrical conduction pathways, blood flow of the cardiac conduction system, EKG leads and electrical activity, calculations of heart rate, a six-step method for 12-lead EKG analysis, and more.

Walden Community News

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. Lydia Forsythe, a faculty member in the College of Health Sciences, published two articles: “Action Research, Simulation, Team Communication and Bringing the Tacit Into Voice” in the fall 2009 issue of Simulation in Healthcare: The Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, and “Simulation Fosters OR Team Communication” in the May 2009 issue of OR Nurse.
 
Dr. Jalal Ghaemghami, a faculty member in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, co-published “Mouse Allergens in Urban Elementary Schools and Homes of Children With Asthma” in the February 2009 issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 

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.
 
 

Walden's Social Entrepreneurship conference features activist panel

Walden’s fifth annual Social Change Conference, Social Entrepreneurship: Taking Action, Leading Change, includes a panel discussion with social entrepreneurial activists and researchers:

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.

Moderated by Peter Kannam—Executive Director, New Leaders for New Schools Maryland

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.