Walden University Alumni Association Blog

Walden Ph.D. Survival Tips: How to Successfully Complete Your Dissertation

Beginning a Walden Ph.D. program is just as exciting as it is daunting, especially when you don’t know what to expect. From the start, Walden University helps you manage and thrive during your dissertation process. Milestone 1 of the academic residency program introduces you to faculty, staff and fellow students and gives you the information and encouragement that you need to successfully start your first year in Walden’s Ph.D. program.
 
When Dr. Susann Getsch (Ph.D. Psychology) addressed Ph.D. students in the Graduate Panel session at the summer 2009 residency in Minneapolis, she placed an attention-getting prop on the podium: her published dissertation, Educating Students With Pervasive Developmental Disorders: An Exploration of Government Mandates and Teacher Perspectives.
 
In her presentation,Getsch offered these tips for dissertation success.
 
Choose a Manageable Topic
My chair helped me focus on the crux of what I really wanted to explore. She gently pointed out to me that I couldn’t change the whole world with my dissertation, but I could add to the body of knowledge—that’s what you can do, too, if you pick a topic and follow it through in an intelligent manner.
 
Write One Chapter at a Time
Break this big project into little pieces. Many of us think, “I can’t write a book!” But you can write a chapter, you can write about how your study is designed. In the end, it all goes together.
 
Make Time for Yourself and Your Family  
Life sidelines us. Crises at work and at home are going to take you away from your dissertation. You need to plan some time to clear your head, but don’t take so long that you need to completely reacquaint yourself with your project. Go with the flow, but make sure that the flow keeps going.
 
Cultivate a Respectful Relationship with Your Committee
I trusted my committee’s judgment. I heard their concerns, and it made the process easier on all of us because I was open to what they were saying, and they treated me respectfully. Don’t take anything personally. Change, explain or adjust your method, hypotheses or research questions to get on the same page as your committee. Remember: No one wants you to complete your dissertation more than your committee.
 
Strive for Knowledge, Not Perfection
When my bound dissertation arrived in the mail, I sat down and read the book from cover to cover. I was really disappointed because I found some ... things that I could have worded better. But the lesson is nothing is perfect; don’t get stuck on perfect. My dissertation served its purpose. It shows that I understand how to envision and implement a research project and that I know how to write in a scholarly manner.

How I earned my Ph.D. from Walden: Latrice Walker '08

Degree I earned:  Ph.D. in Education; self-designed program in applied cognition and development.
 
What I studied:  The relationship in natural learning between movement, or physical activity, and neural activity—particularly cognitive development related to third-grade students’ math and oral
reading scores.

How I paid for it:  Personal funds and student loans.

How long it took:  Eight quarters and six weeks. I started in March of 2006, and my degree was conferred May 25, 2008. I set up my plan of study for two years, and they said I’d never get it approved. I said, “At least let me try.”

What I was doing at the same time:  I run a mobile fitness program for children called Pre-Fit Inc. I have a staff, but I work nonstop, and I also give teacher training workshops.

What kept me motivated:  I factored in little rewards along the way—like a pint of Baskin Robbins ice cream. A massage was a big reward. If I got enough done during the week, I’d spend Friday evening with my family.

How I got it all done:  I got up at 4 a.m. every day of the year, even if I went to bed at 2. I spent at least 40 hours a week on Walden work—I put in the time to do a quality work product. I completed a class and a KAM every quarter up until the dissertation. Residencies were my favorite time to work—I could meet with many Walden professors during the day and stay up all night to write.

Where I studied:  Everywhere. I took my laptop everywhere I went. If I gave myself a pedicure, I read a book while I was soaking my feet. And I have what I call my “learning lab” at home—it has three desks, two computers, and three printers, so I could do office work as well as Walden work.

Best advice I got:  My first instructor, Dr. Paula Dawidowicz, said to me, “When you go to the residency, make it count—meet everyone you can.” When I look back at my first residency, I see that I actually met everyone who ended up being anything to me in my dissertation process.

Best reason to get a doctorate:  It solidified my life’s work and my life’s passion, and gave me clarity on the direction to take toward future goals. And I gained the knowledge of how to put together a research study—you can read all the books, but until you do real research, there’s nothing like it.

Lowest point:  It went too fast for there to be a low point!

Highest point:  The highest point really and truly had to be getting the approval for my dissertation, and hearing from people that the work I was doing was really significant.

What’s next:  I would love to repeat my study on a larger scale. I did it in three elementary schools, but I’d like to do a district-wide study to see if the results repeat. I recently purchased an infant and toddler learning lab and it’s given me a new age group to work with.

Christine Todd Whitman to speak at Walden event

Walden University’s July 2009 Ph.D. and Ed.D. residencies in Minneapolis will feature former Environmental Protection Agency administrator and governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman. She will deliver the plenary "Perspectives on the World" address on July 23 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

Whitman’s Government Service
Whitman was the first woman elected governor of New Jersey and served from 1994 to 2001. In 2001, Whitman joined the cabinet of President George W. Bush as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Today, Whitman is the president of The Whitman Strategy Group, a consulting firm that specializes in sustainability, government relations, energy and environmental issues.

Whitman also serves as the co-chair of the Republican Leadership Council, an organization that supports fiscally conservative, socially tolerant candidates in an effort to reclaim the word “Republican.” Whitman’s book, It’s My Party Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America is a New York Times best seller.

Whitman has been a strong advocate for bipartisanship throughout her political career. In her plenary address, Whitman will discuss the current political climate, highlight damage done by years of severe partisanship and offer solutions for changing the nature of how America conducts its political discourse.

“Perspectives on the World” Series
Walden’s "Perspectives on the World" series brings diverse global views to the Walden community. Past speakers include Dr. Mark Milliron, an author, speaker and consultant known for exploring leadership development, future trends, learning strategies and the human side of technological change. Milliron spoke in March 2009 in Lansdowne, Va. Donna Brazile, the nationally acclaimed political strategist and commentator and chair of the Voting Rights Institute, spoke at Walden’s commencement in Dallas, Texas, in January 2009.

Expert Discusses New Generation of Learning

Traditional classroom education and technology must be combined to provide the best learning experience for students, said Dr. Mark David Milliron at a Walden University academic residency in Lansdowne, Va. The talk, held March 20, was part of Walden’s “Perspectives of the World” series.

Milliron called upon the audience to join the conversation on how to best inform a classroom, keeping in mind the multiple generations of learners that will step foot into a classroom or log in to a virtual one.

Milliron is the founder and CEO of Catalyze Learning International, a private consulting and service group, and serves as the board chair for the Institute for the Study of Knowledge. His speech, “A New Generation of Learning: Diverse Students, Emerging Technologies and a Sustainability Challenge,” was based on his explorations in education trends with K–12 school districts, community colleges, universities and corporate leaders worldwide.

Different Students, Different Needs
Milliron started his lecture by defining who the next generation of learners will be. “It’s really clear that education is no longer just about a neat linear pipeline,” Milliron said. Over the next 10 to 15 years, “people are going to be coming in and out of education at all ages and stages.”

Over this same period, Milliron said there will be a “buildout” of the education system that encourages people to come to education at a “stage of readiness.” “Our education infrastructure needs to be more welcoming so adult learners actually have a positive experience coming back to learning,” he said.

Connecting in the Classroom
“To develop a new generation of learning,” Milliron said, “we have to use all the tools and techniques at our disposal.”

Milliron shared the story of an instructor who used audio as a way to connect with her students. This instructor believed a positive editing experience was imperative to her students’ enjoyment of writing. So instead of writing comments on her students’ papers, the instructor read her notes into an audio recorder and delivered them to each student as MP3 files. The response was overwhelming, with students telling their instructor, “It felt like you were over my shoulder, helping me the whole time.”

Not all technology, however, receives as positive a reception from both student and educator. Milliron recently visited a classroom in London that used an interactive whiteboard instead of a textbook to allow students to go on a virtual tour of ancient Rome.

The interactive whiteboard engaged the students and made learning enjoyable. The problem, Milliron said, is that instructors might not be comfortable using this new technology. If instructors are not familiar with the technology available to them, they probably won’t use it, he said.

Milliron urged teachers to stay up to date with technology because it will allow them to connect with their students and provide the best education possible. Alternately, Milliron reinforced that adult learners need to understand technology for the best learning experience possible. 

Where Technology Meets Tradition
“We want education that will attract, serve, retain and engage our students,” Milliron said. A blended infrastructure—a combination of new technology and a great teacher—is the way that these students will learn over the next generation.

Walden, he said, is on the right track: “You combine face-to-face residencies with online experience. You’re doing the blending; you’re living in this world. You’re part of an online university.”

Read more about the “Perspectives of the World” series.

Walden Ph.D. Survival Tips: Develop Your Long-Term Plan

Beginning a Walden University Ph.D. program is exhilarating and empowering, but the expectations can be daunting. From the start, Walden helps you take control of your doctoral journey. Milestone One of the academic residency program introduces you to faculty, staff and fellow students and gives you the information you need to build the skills and support network to successfully navigate the first year of your Walden Ph.D. program.

The following tips were offered at a recent residency:

Identify Your Focus
You have asked all the right questions and prepared personally and professionally to enter a Walden Ph.D. program. Now, as you begin your doctoral studies, Walden faculty can help you more clearly focus your direction as you begin considering a relevant research topic. Whether you have chosen a course-based program, a Knowledge Area Module (KAM) program, or a program that mixes the two, faculty can help you formalize a detailed strategic plan to ensure that you reach your goal. As your direction becomes clearer, Walden’s Research Center staff can help you develop your research approach.

Develop a Scholarly Identity
To become a true scholar, you must immerse yourself in the field. For some students, that means approaching their Ph.D. program as if it were a part-time job. Begin attending conferences and read broadly in your field. Engage in discussions with others who work in the field. Through Walden’s library services, you can identify the most important journals publishing research in your field and gain access to a host of books and periodicals. Walden’s librarians help you identify, evaluate and obtain the resources you need.

Overcome Obstacles
Be realistic about potential obstacles you may face during your doctoral journey. Are there financial pressures, time management challenges or uncertainties about the research process? By honestly assessing potential issues, you can begin planning how to overcome them. From student support to academic advising, Walden faculty and staff are available to address your questions and allay any concerns.

Participate in the Walden Community
Take advantage of your online community by building networks and sharing different perspectives with fellow students throughout the world. Gain a sense of comfort in knowing that your faculty mentor is always available to answer questions and guide you through the Ph.D. process.

Develop Your Plan
A personal strategic and time management plan can help you stay focused on achieving your goals. Walden faculty are experienced in working with students to discuss the benefits and components of a personal plan, from a personal vision statement to opportunities to achieve your vision.

You Are at the Center
Throughout your Ph.D. program, Walden’s approach remains student-centered. In keeping with this student-centered focus, faculty mentors work especially hard to give you the richest and most rewarding doctoral experience possible.

“When students arrive at Milestone One, the lightbulb comes on and continues to shine brighter over the course of the residency,” says faculty member Dr. Walter McCollum. “By the last day of Milestone One, students have become clearer about their research focus areas. They begin to figure out how the doctoral process works from a holistic perspective.”

Walden Community News

Brian C. Grizzell, a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences student, co-authored the article “An Analysis of the Nuance and Practical Applications of Situational Leadership in the Management and Administration of International Health Care Organizations” published in the July–September Issue of the GITAM Journal of Management. He also co-authored “The Value of Servant Leadership Skills in Government Employees” for the Dec. 1, 2008, edition of the online Career Convergence magazine, a publication of the National Career Development Association.

Susan Hamilton-Hill, RN, a student in the School of Nursing, published her article, “Avian Influenza: Does the Increase in Worldwide Incidences of Infection Portend a Global Pandemic?” in the Jan. 21–Feb. 3, 2009, online issue of the journal ADVANCE for Nurses.   

Janice H. Hawkins, a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration student specializing in Public Management and Leadership, was profiled as part of a Black History Month special on the Web site Social Workers: Help Starts Here.  

Dr. Sunil Hazari, a faculty member in the College of Management and Technology and The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, co-authored an article, “Assessment Challenges for Business Education in Changing Times,” published in the Journal of Applied Research for Business Instruction (Vol. 6, Issue 4).

Cynthia J. Hickman, an M.S. degree program in Nursing student specializing in Education, was selected to be a National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations mentee at the coaltion’s fifth national conference, “Creating Research Careers: Leading the Way," to be held March 12–15 at Albuquerque, N.M.

Dr. Aridaman Jain, a faculty member in the College of Management and Technology, co-published “Evaluating Electronic Voting Systems Equipped with Voter-Verified Paper Records” in the May–June 2008 edition of IEEE Security and Privacy.

Patricia Kean, a Doctor of Education student specializing in Teacher Leadership, was involved in an effort to help people in Sudan in her capacity as the faculty advisor to ONE Curry, a member of the ONE Campus Challenge at ONE.org at Curry College in Milton, Mass. One of the group’s members is a “Lost Boy” of Sudan, and he told the group his village needed clean water. ONE Curry's six members raised $11,000 within two years for a well, which will be built this spring in Bor, Sudan. Kean is an assistant professor at Curry College and received a Walden Commitment to Social Change Scholarship in summer 2007.

Jamie K. Meseke, a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences student with a specialization in Learning Management, co-authored the articles “Facilitating the Learning Process: A Pilot Study of Collaborative Testing vs. Individualistic Testing in the Chiropractic College Setting” and “Student Course Performance and Collaborative Testing: A Prospective Follow-On Study” in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. She presented two posters, “Effect of Gender, Age and Learning Style on Student Performance in a Collaborative Testing Environment” at the Society for Neuroscience's 2008 annual meeting, and “Clinical Experience with HIFU in Patients with Low-Risk Primary Prostate Cancer” at the 2008 Société Internationale d’Urologie World Uro-Oncology Update in Santiago, Chile. Meseke was a co-winner for first place in the Best Research Paper in Education presentation at the 2008 Association of Chiropractic Colleges Educational Conference and Research Agenda Conference.   

Dr. Kwabena Ofori-Attah, a faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, wrote the chapter, “Urbanization and Schooling in Africa: Trends, Issues and Challenges from Ghana during the Colonial Era” in the International Handbook of Urban Education (Springer 2007).

Walden's Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence

The recipients of the 2009 Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence are Dr. Tracy Marsh of the School of Psychology and Dr. Robyn Williams of the School of Counseling and Social Service and the School of Psychology.

Dr. Tracy Marsh
Marsh was nominated by Dr. Nina Nabors, associate dean, School of Psychology:

“Dr. Marsh provides outstanding service to the school, college and university. [She] has been incredibly active professionally over the past year...working full time as a field placement coordinator for the counseling psychology program and also providing services as a clinician to obtain licensure in the state of California. She works tirelessly to support students in their practicum and internships...is highly sought after by students during the residencies and consistently receives positive evaluations. Dr. Marsh promotes positive social change through her teaching, mentoring, research, leadership and attitude. She is a great asset to the School of Psychology.”

Dr. Robyn Williams
Williams was nominated by Dr. Savitri Dixon-Saxon, associate dean, School of Counseling and Social Service:

“Robyn has become an outstanding professional in this unique environment, providing tireless leadership and service. She has significantly influenced the landscape of the Mental Health Counseling program at Walden and...takes her role as facilitator for learning very seriously. She is very vocal about the competencies students need...and has significantly influenced the residency curriculum and other course content. Robyn maintains a strong connection with the trends and issues of the profession and is very assertive in making sure that our students have the benefit of this knowledge. She supports the university’s mission, not only with her own professional activities, but with her encouragement and support of others.” 

About the Award
The Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence is bestowed annually on faculty members who have shown outstanding contributions in the past year through achievements, proven student-centeredness and a true commitment to serving Walden’s mission of achieving positive social change.

Walden Faculty & Student Receive Poster Session Awards

During the Jan. 2009 winter academic residency in Dallas, Walden University faculty and students participated in a poster session to share their research. Dr. Vicky Eiben, a new faculty member in The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, and Joann Cloud, a Ph.D. in Public Health student, received awards for their posters.

An Opportunity to Share Research
Poster sessions, held twice a year at residencies, offer students and faculty a friendly and supportive environment in which to present their research, one that allows for long, informal conversations and plenty of constructive feedback, said Dr. George Smeaton, executive director of Walden’s Center for Research Support. The poster session is a “visual aid for a face-to-face conversation about research,” Smeaton added.

Digging Into Grassroots Initiatives
At the awards ceremony, Eiben was recognized for her multi-case study investigating success in sustainability in grassroots education initiatives.

Eiben’s research lead to the discovery of three themes: a desire for organizations created around a broader range of human qualities; alignment with living systems and balanced attention to infrastructure, identity and spirit; and community/global connections.

“This is really an honor,” Eiben said as she accepted the award. Eiben’s research centers on an attempt to provide insights into educational innovations. “At the core, it’s about revisions for education,” she said.

Investigating Disease Prevalence
Cloud received the award for her research findings on the prevalence of histoplasmosis, a disease caused by a fungus and which primarily affects the lungs.

Cloud used antigen detection to estimate histoplasmosis levels in varying geographic areas and found that rates were higher in Texas, Arkansas, New York, Iowa and Tennessee. Her data are useful for comparison with previous findings and exposure analysis.

Accepting her award, she said, “I’m grateful to Walden for providing this online environment so that I can actually receive my Ph.D.”

Lifelong Learner: Andrea Davis, '07 MPH, now Ph.D. student

When Andrea Davis does follow-up interviews with heart program patients, she’s not just working at a job, she’s living her purpose. “My mother died of heart disease at age 42, and that’s a very young age to die,” says Davis, who was 15 at the time. “It made me want to learn more about cardiac disease research and public health.”

Reaching that goal, however, required navigating a winding career path. Davis majored in psychology as an undergraduate and then went on to a job at a bank. “I knew that was not my dream, my goal, or my vision,” says the Raleigh, N.C., resident, “but the hours were the same every day, and I was able to take classes at night.”

Her family history and volunteer experience with the American Heart Association had given Davis an interest in community health, so she began with two non-credit classes in medical terminology. “I found that I loved learning about health and medical issues,” she says.

The next step was Walden University’s Master of Public Health program, which Davis started in September of 2004. “I loved the master’s program,” she says, “and I decided that I wanted to keep on going forward at Walden.” At the end of 2005, while in the last quarter of her master’s program, Davis began her doctoral studies in public health with a personal focus on heart research.

“When I went to the first residency, that’s when I knew, ‘This is going to be great,’” she says. “The faculty tries to help you in any way they can.” She also had the support of her godmother, a heart-attack survivor, with whom Davis had lived after her mother died. “She’s been a blessing, and she came with me and my husband for the last residency and graduation,” says Davis. “I have self-motivation, but she encourages me along the way.”

While earning her degrees, Davis pursued her goal of working in public health. In addition to her full-time job at the bank, she began working part-time with RTI (Research Triangle Institute) as a field interviewer on an environmental study. The experience gave Davis a love of working on studies, so she applied for a contract position as a researcher and gave notice at the bank.

“I wanted to take that leap of faith, because I couldn’t see myself retiring as a banker,” she says. “I see myself as a community health educator.” A contract job doing clinical research for a pharmaceutical company ended after just six weeks, but Davis had also applied for a job at Duke University, and they soon brought her in for an interview.

In April 2007 she started her job as a data technician for Duke’s clinical research institute. She works on various follow-up cardiac studies and interviews people around the world about medical treatments affecting patients’ lives. “I’d always wanted to work for Duke or the University of North Carolina, and I ended up going from the last class of the master’s to a position at Duke,” she says. “It just fell right into place—I went from banking to where I wanted to be.” And she believes that her Walden education made the difference.

In addition, Davis says, “I think the Ph.D. is going to help me get further along at Duke, and will help me gain more from my experiences. I have so many long-term goals—including implementing a health promotion and a stress program for the community and hospital workers. The Ph.D. will help me promote social change in the community.”

Donna Brazile Speaks to Walden's Doctoral Students

“This was the day so many prayed for, so many marched for, and yes, many died for. This is not just a moment of celebration, it is a call to serve, a call to be part of this new era in our nation’s history, and an opportunity to work with our new President as he seeks to bring about change.”

“This university is preparing you to be part of this change, to make a difference, to help President Obama remake the world. There are no more excuses—you have to answer the call, you must raise your hand and say 'I’m prepared to make lasting change possible back in my community, back where it all matters.' This is your moment, because this is your time.”

Walden University welcomed Donna Brazile, nationally acclaimed political strategist, CNN commentator and chair of the Voting Rights Institute, as the plenary speaker for its winter academic residency on Thursday, Jan. 22 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, Dallas, Texas.

In her speech, “The Political Environment and Mood of the Country,” Ms. Brazile shared her front-row experience at the inauguration of the first African American President of the United States. She explained why, as the daughter of a maid and a janitor, she never thought this dream would become reality.

Click here to view Donna Brazile’s speech.

How I earned my Doctorate: Pauline Clifford, '07

Degree earned:  Ph.D. in Education

What I studied:  I investigated the computer access, computer self-efficacy, and computer anxiety of African American, Hispanic American, and Caucasian community college students in the state of Connecticut, to see if there were differences that crossed race/ethnicity, age, and/or gender lines.

How it affected my work:  My program was in sync with what I do on a daily basis for my job (I’m the educational technology director at a community college), so I could take what I read and/or wrote about and relate it to what I do every day.

How I paid for it:  Entirely with student loans

How long it took:  Four and a half years

When I studied:  At first, I tried studying a couple of hours every night on the weekdays, but eventually discovered that I need long stretches of focused concentration to generate anything worth reading. I ended up studying all day Saturday and Sunday—starting at 7 or 8 a.m. and sometimes not finishing until 11 p.m. or later.

Where I studied:  I studied primarily at home. To break things up, I would go to the Borders bookstore café in my town on Saturday nights, with my teenage daughter in tow. She would read while I would study.

Best study aid:  At a Walden residency, I noticed that my cohorts and I were able to focus on our goals when we talked amongst ourselves. I wanted that synergy to continue, so I formed an “Eyes on the Prize” Yahoo! Group. I asked them to check in once a week to report their progress (or lack thereof). In March of 2007 alone we exchanged 206 messages. We were able to ask each other questions that we didn’t necessarily feel comfortable asking our committees. Four of us were experiencing the same pain, frustration, and joy at the same time, so it made the experience that much more meaningful.

Best thing my family/friends did to help me:  My daughters gave me the space and the time to do what I needed to do. During the last year of my program, they consistently cooked dinner!

Lowest point:  I lost my father to congestive heart failure when I was writing a KAM. I sat at my computer trying to finish a literature review with tears streaming down my face.

Highest point:  When I defended my dissertation and my chair said, “Congratulations, Dr. Clifford.”

What's next:  Once I catch my breath, I want to make this Ph.D. work for my college, my community, and me.

Dissertation Survival Tips: Successful Paths to Your Dissertation

One of the goals of your dissertation is to produce independent research and knowledge. At a basic level, however, a dissertation must address a research problem in order to convince your committee that the investigation is worthwhile. Exciting and unexpected challenges will appear while you pursue your degree. How do you structure the dissertation journey? How do you improve the odds that you will achieve what you set out to achieve?

Look for Problems
As a doctoral candidate, you’re unique. You’re looking for problems. More precisely, you’re looking for ways to better understand a single problem. At the beginning of this effort, consider this deceptively simple suggestion: Observe the world. Everywhere around you are ideas, people and, yes, problems that could form the nucleus of a good starting point or question.

Talk to people. Your colleagues, faculty and mentors are key sources of good information about what’s happening in your profession. The questions that will arise naturally from these discussions are golden opportunities for further exploration and may lead to the idea for your dissertation.

Attend Conferences, Read the Literature
Professional conferences are at the cutting edge of knowledge. Why? A book, once it is published, is already dated at the time of its release, and that’s if the publication process went quickly. Books and journal articles are invaluable, but scholarly conferences are a treasure trove of advanced thinking and research.

Also, it is essential that you read the research literature. Consume it, live it and breathe it. Look for gaps in the literature in your field to see where you might make a contribution. When you begin your work, keep these points in mind:

• Observe the world.
• Talk to colleagues and mentors.
• Attend professional conferences.
• Read the literature in your field.
• Look for gaps in the literature.

Linear Product, Nonlinear Process
Once under way, the dissertation process is dynamic and multidimensional. You’ll move back and forth among observations, empirical research, methodology, design, analysis, theory, models and so on. Various aspects of your work will vie for attention at the same time as others. Ultimately, doctoral candidates will create a process that works for them. But in the end, every dissertation is a linear product. A typical Walden dissertation has five or six chapters. In greatly condensed fashion, they are likely to be organized this way:

• Chapter 1–The research problem
• Chapter 2–Review of the literature
• Chapter 3–Research method(s)
• Chapter 4–Findings
• Chapter 5–Summary, conclusions, and implications

Plan
It’s not uncommon for a dissertation to take several years to complete. Given the demands and the complexity of the undertaking, careful planning is a necessity.

A wise course of action would be to use project management and productivity tools. Numerous options are available: The Gantt chart is a well-known tool that illustrates project scheduling and can help you plot start and end dates for different phases. Microsoft Excel is extremely powerful, with functionality in project command and control, analysis and charting, automated report generation, and data sorting and analysis. In recent years, mind mapping has emerged as a useful tool. The Concept Mapping Tool, from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, allows users to create graphical tools to organize, represent and share knowledge. Mindjet is a personal productivity tool that provides greater visibility into information that also can be integrated with Microsoft Office. New productivity applications appear almost daily, so organizational options for students abound.

Remember, a little planning goes a long way.

Watch Academic Residencies for Doctoral Students for more information on the Walden way to earn your Ph.D.

Donna Brazile to Speak at Walden University

Donna Brazile, political strategist, commentator, adjunct professor and chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute, will deliver an address entitled “The Political Environment and Mood of the Country” at Walden University’s winter academic residency, Thursday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.

Her plenary address will touch on her breadth of political experience, which includes running the Gore/Lieberman campaign in 2000 and serving as chief of staff and press secretary to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C. Brazile will also offer an overview of the political environment and discuss trends shaping and driving the mood of the country.

Walden is making 200 tickets for the event available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis (limit two per person). While supplies last, tickets will be available at Borders bookstore (10720 Preston Road in Dallas; 1-214-363-1977) starting Jan. 2.

Social Innovator Inspires Change

To lead a life of social commitment despite many social and global obstacles, one must act with conviction, said author, researcher, and lecturer Dr. Paul Loeb in his address to doctoral students at the Walden University academic residency in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 25.

According to Loeb, “To change this culture and this country and address the global crisis that we face, it’s going to take a broad spectrum of ordinary citizens acting—not only the specialists.”

“Part of the challenge is to be able to help people recognize that even if they are not as eloquent as Martin Luther King and saintly as Gandhi … that they still can act,” he said. Loeb delivered the residency plenary address, sharing reflections on what makes some people choose lives of social commitment while others abstain.

Taking Risks to Create Change
Loeb stressed to the Walden community that timidity and a lack of expertise are empty reasons for not pushing for important change. “How do we as ordinary human beings have an impact on the future of this country and this planet? It’s often very easy and very tempting to give up in the face of just seemingly huge global issues,” he said.

Yet, “It has to be ordinary citizens who by their nature are not specialists in [an] area, who essentially are doing things like in the case of climate science, trusting the judgment of the international scientific community and saying, ‘We are indeed in some serious trouble. These are the things that they suggest to do; we[’d] better heed them.’”

Loeb has spent more than 30 years researching and writing about issues related to citizen responsibility and empowerment. In addition to five books, he has written for a range of publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA TODAY, the Los Angeles Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Psychology Today and Parents Magazine.

He pointed to historic figures like Dr. King and Rosa Parks, who worked ploddingly with community members to build change and who at times were unsure whether to take risks.

Example: The Civil Rights Movement
Rosa Parks, the secretary of the NAACP chapter in Montgomery, Ala., was calling people to come to meetings long before her historic arrest on a bus. “Rosa Parks is stuffing envelopes to get people to a meeting or handing out fliers,” Loeb said. “The kinds of humble things that people do that actually make history, you didn’t have the network news [covering them]. She wasn’t a global figure at that point. She had helped create, with others, a community.”

Loeb urged, “When any of us act for change, or any people who we bring in … act for change, it always is part of the community. It’s never alone, if you’re going to be effective.”

Loeb described how after Parks’ arrest in Montgomery, Ala., when she refused to move to the back of a bus during the time of segregation, it was the head of the local union of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters who got the young and extremely hesitant King involved. Loeb wants individuals to look beyond the broad historic strokes: The civil rights movement was built on small steps and staid commitment.

Gratifying Work
Whether one embraces working on such issues as climate change, the economic crisis, epidemics, wars, or how humans will impact the planet’s future, change takes ordinary efforts that are driven by persistence.

“We can basically recognize that, yeah, this is hard work sometimes and it is frustrating and it is long-term, and yet, it also can be the most profoundly satisfying work of anything we do in the course of our lives,” Loeb said. “And we integrate it with our vocations, [we] integrate it with our families, we integrate it with everything we do, and when we act and we join together with others to act, we find out two things: the power that we have and fundamentally why we’re here on this planet.”

“Perspectives on the World” Series
The plenary session was part of Walden’s “Perspectives on the World” series that brings diverse global views to the Walden community. Dr. Paul Loeb is the author of Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time (St. Martin's Griffin, 1999) and The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear (Basic Books, 2004), which won the 2005 Nautilus Book Award in the social change category.

Middle East: A Permanent State of War?

Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for The Atlantic and former correspondent for The New Yorker, shared his views on the possibility for reconciliation in the Middle East at a Walden University’s academic residency earlier this year.  The speech was part of the Perspectives on the World series that brings diverse global views to the Walden community.

A former correspondent for The New York Times Magazine covering Africa and the Middle East, Goldberg has interviewed leaders and followers of the Taliban,  al-Qaida, Hamas and Hezbollah. His book, Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide, chronicles his unusual friendship with a devout Muslim prisoner and was motivated by the age-old question that remains unanswered today: Is it possible for two tribes to reach a meaningful reconciliation?

A Permanent State of War?
“Within the civilization of Islam there is a clash. One modernizing force wants to find a way to live peacefully,” Goldberg said. “The other medievalist force wants to return to a permanent state of war. We are engaged in that war today.”

Still he believes strongly that all warring factions, including the United States, must work toward reconciliation. His own experiences highlight the continuing challenges.

No Future Here
Goldberg frequently travels to the Gaza Strip, where one of his former prisoners, now a leader of Hamas, is charged with recruiting suicide bombers. Asked if he wanted his 15-year-old son to be a suicide bomber, the man admitted it would make him proud.

“I was profoundly saddened by this conversation, thinking of our 150,000 troops in Iraq dealing with suicide bombers today,” Goldberg said. “This 15-year-old, bright, humorous kid was a weapon.” Goldberg was reminded of discussions with his own parents. “When we talked with our parents about what we would become, there was always hope of a promising future. There was no future here.”

Extending the Hand of Friendship
Goldberg warned, “We cannot kill our way out of the terrorist problem.”

He said that while there are those who seek to fight, there are others who want to live in peace with their families.

“We can’t abandon those devoted to democracy, free speech and freedom of religion,” he said. “The only way to achieve peace is to support the moderates and make them stronger.”

Watch NPR President Speak to Walden University Students

On July 24, National Public Radio President Kevin Klose addressed doctoral students and faculty in a plenary session as part of Walden University’s ‘Perspectives on the World’ series that brings diverse global views to the Walden community.

Click here to watch the video of Klose’s lecture.

Photo: Kevin Klose ©2004 NPR, Inc. by Jay Paul

Liverpool Historian Reflects on Historically Rich City at Residency

Dr. John Belcham, a Liverpool historian and pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Liverpool, shared his views on his city—recently coined the 2008 European Capital of Culture—and on urban regeneration during a Walden University residency on June 12.

The speech, delivered in Liverpool, was part of the “Perspectives on the World” series, which brings diverse global views to the Walden University community via the school’s academic residency program. Past speakers include 2008 Winter Session speaker David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, and the April session’s Jeffrey Goldberg, noted author of Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide. The next speaker in the series is National Public Radio President Kevin Klose.

Belcham is the editor of Liverpool 800, a definitive biography of his city’s world standing and historical hallmarks written in anticipation of its 800th anniversary in 2007. Belcham asks whether Liverpool, with its latest renaissance and the charged transformation of its city center, is being “mindful enough of discontinuity and change in using history and heritage as a means of regeneration.”

He cites Liverpool’s “remarkable and distinctive culture, character and history” and asserts that Liverpool’s sense of uniqueness from the rest of its country gives the city its edge. Cosmopolitan for centuries, it has overcome isolation, geographic challenges and economic failures, and it has predominantly kept its back turned to Britain and boasted the closest relationship with the United States of any British city.

Belcham carried the residency audience on a detailed journey of what happened in the “boring” first 500 years, then in 1907 (commercial glory) and in the 1950s (a flagging economy rooted in commerce, a depression, war bombings and then industrial diversification).

He rounded out the talk by adding context to the recent energy that’s infusing Liverpool’s revitalization. That effort includes new magnification of its culture and emphasis on the brightened core of the city, in hopes of recasting it as a world-renowned urban “mega-draw.”

“Liverpool was, in (poet Allen) Ginsberg’s words, the center of the creative universe,” Belcham said regarding the city’s beat group years of music and poetry.

“We now seem to be on the cusp of moving into a great period of cultural and creative industries around our 800th anniversary, and being [the] European capital of culture,” he said, a tongue pausing momentarily in cheek.

He cautioned against moving too fast, too naively.

On Liverpool, the historian offered a textured snapshot of time-tested urban regeneration, facing era after era of adversity, error after error that led to declines, and circumstance after circumstance that reshaped the city’s heritage.

His portrait stirred the question: How can a city with Liverpool’s rich history now, during a pulsating 21st century time of reinvigoration, retain a creative, edge city excitement?

Culture and Commerce
In the 1930s, a time in which Liverpool was a municipality that promulgated “culture, commerce and civilization,” but not industry and manufacturing, the city found itself “disabled by the way of its own rhetoric.”

It was a turning point on which Belcham cautions today’s changemakers: So proud of its commercial rather than industrial flair at the time, Liverpool became ineligible for government boosts (from New Deal–type legislation) during the economic depression. The local unemployment rate soared; the city was dominated by a flagging port-based economy. Efforts to restore Britain as the heart of the world’s commercial system now became based in the more manufacturing-friendly London.

During World War II, things improved little. Bombing took a toll as did desperation, with the majority of Liverpool “beginning to feed and clothe itself on the black market,” Belcham said.

By 1957, times grew quite different. Liverpool struck a more modern and progressive note, Belcham said. Confronted by peculiar structural problems in the interwar years, Liverpool made two new impressions, “which,” he said, “tell us a lot, I think, about contemporary culture and character as history.”

It marked the beginning of “Liverpoolers’ self-pity city” and established the scene as one for “irrepressible humor.”

Culture as an Economic Driver?
“In the current exercise in urban renaissance … we’re seeing something very different from what has been tried earlier on. Earlier on, culture had simply been the magnet trying to attract what really mattered to industrial investment, proper jobs. Now culture itself is hailed as the economic driver, as the best means of enhancing graduate retention,” Belcham said, “the best means of reversing the talent and brain drain away from Liverpool.

“And there are tremendous optimistic predictions of what might happen … now that we are Capital of Culture.”

“But,” Belcham added, “I wonder [whether] we really have found a sustainable way forward for Liverpool by putting all the eggs in the cultural and creative industries.

“The current cultural rebranding seems, to me, to be reinforcing, perhaps rather too dramatically, the city center focus of the regeneration agenda, and that’s markedly different from what we were talking about … in the 1950s.” The attempt then, he said, was “at redefining and reviving, rebranding Liverpool … from a policy of outlying industrial diversification.”

Yet, “designer chic now prevails in a city propelled by culturally creative industries, tourism, consumption and city center living,” Belcham said. “Sociologists are already warning of potential culture wars.

“We’re going to end up with a rapidly regenerating and gentrifying urban core surrounded by a ring of intensely disadvantaged residential areas.

“One wonders [whether] this cosmetic makeover of the city center is at the cost of its distinct identity, that ‘otherness’ about Liverpool [that] has been so cherished in the past.”

Walden announces new Global Initiatives

Walden has launched a new Center for International Programs that provides stronger operational support and services for Walden students and faculty living outside the United States. The center provides a convenient entry point to Walden for prospective students around the world and will sponsor major global initiatives for the university and its more than 28,000 students.

“With students from more than 70 countries enrolled in our programs, Walden offers international students an ideal opportunity to earn a U.S. degree from an accredited university without the challenges of leaving their home countries and interrupting personal and professional commitments,” said Stuart Finnigan, executive director for Walden’s Center for International Programs. “The new programs and services in the center are designed to add convenience and specialized support for Walden students worldwide.”

Those services include an international transcript-review service, a proprietary English test that produces a TOEFL-equivalent score, special admissions services for international students, and  multilingual enrollment advisors in Amsterdam and Baltimore.

Other international initiatives at Walden include the following:

• Doctoral students at Walden have the opportunity to attend international residencies in Liverpool, England; Madrid, Spain; and Santiago, Chile.
• Walden launched the “Perspectives on the World” speakers series, bringing distinguished scholars, journalists, and experts to Walden-sponsored events to share their diverse views on world topics. Recent speakers included social entrepreneur David Bornstein on micro-lending in the developing world and author Jeffrey Goldberg on Middle East peace prospects.
• Walden offers a Writing Center with tutors for graduate students whose first language is not English, an online library, and a range of other student support services.