Inaugural Hooding Ceremony honors BGSU doctoral student achievements
The ceremony at Kobacker Hall marked the culmination of years of hard work and dedication on the part of both BGSU students and faculty
Bowling Green State University held its inaugural Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on Friday, April 28 in Kobacker Hall in the Moore Musical Arts Center, honoring 27 Graduate College candidates who achieved their terminal degrees at the University.
The occasion offered an opportunity to come together as a community of learners to celebrate and reflect upon the doctoral students’ many accomplishments, including the reading of their dissertation titles. During the ceremony, students were hooded by their faculty mentors, with the hoods symbolizing the students' academic accomplishments and their membership in the academic community.
“As I look out at each of you, our newest alumni, I see the next generation of thought leaders, risk takers, visionaries and big dreamers,” BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers said. “You are graduates of a public university ready to create public good by making a difference in your career, in your family, in your alma mater, in your community, in your nation and in the world. That is what you do – that is who we are.”
Newly hooded Dr. Angelene Bonner called the experience moving and said she appreciated the opportunity to share the moment with those who have supported her doctoral journey.
"Having started my program after being away from academics for more than 25 years, there were definitely times when I questioned my ability to complete such a vigorous program," she said. "But with the support of my family, framily - cohort members who became family - and dissertation committee, this dream became a reality.
"Being able to share this moment in such an intimate, meaningful and personal way with those who invested in me created an experience that was extraordinarily moving and one that will never be forgotten. I hope the Hooding Ceremony becomes a tradition at BGSU."
The doctoral candidates ranged from 12 academic programs, in three academic colleges. Collectively, the group had 23 faculty advisors.
Their programs were:
Of the 27 doctoral graduates in Spring 2023, 15% were students of color, 55% were women and five were international students representing four countries. The youngest doctoral graduate was 27 years old and the oldest was 62 years old.
“Our graduates include both the young and the young at heart. You are diverse. You come from small towns, suburbs and big cities. You are from different parts of Ohio, the U.S., and from all over the world,” President Rogers said. “However, each of you has one thing in common. You all found the University where you could belong. You found your place at Bowling Green.
“You’ve worked with faculty and mentors, conducted original research, created and taught and guided our undergraduate students. You have contributed greatly to the success of our learning community, which is the heart of any university. That is the power of the Bowling Green State University experience.”
President Rogers also noted that the value of the education received at BGSU has never been higher. Rankings released by U.S. World & News Report again placed BGSU graduate programs among the best in the country in the publication's 2023-24 Best Graduate School Rankings, with the University's education and executive MBA programs hailed among the nation's top schools.
Dr. Joe B. Whitehead Jr., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, emphasized the importance of graduate education and the opportunities found at BGSU, noting that graduate students persevered through challenges.
"Congratulations to each of our doctoral candidates," Provost Whitehead said. "When I was talking to a few of you in the green room, I heard of your varied experiences and how you were disrupted in some cases by COVID, but you turned those challenges, those obstacles into opportunities. I want to wish best wishes to you on the next phase of your journey. Life is a journey; this is just one phase, and now you prepare for the next, so congratulations to each of our doctoral candidates."
After Provost Whitehead's speech, Dr. Jennifer J. Waldron, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate and Professional Programs, presented the doctoral candidates.
"As a graduate of BGSU, you know that your achievements occur within a larger context. The privilege of this education also means a responsibility to make a positive impact on society," Dean Waldron said. "Whether through research, teaching, community engagement or industry, you'll be guided by the BGSU commitment to the public good.
"Our world is facing complex challenges. We know that it will take great thinkers, great problem solvers, great communicators, great innovators and great creators to unravel these problems and implement solutions. It will take great leaders willing to listen to and understand diverse perspectives, experiences and needs. I know your BGSU doctoral degree has prepared you to be change-makers in addressing these complex challenges in order to make our world a better place."
Marilyn A. Eisele, chair of the BGSU Board of Trustees, conferred the doctoral degrees. The ceremony concluded with a reception in the lobby of Kobacker Hall, giving the newly minted doctors the opportunity to take photos with their peers, receive congratulations from faculty members, and celebrate with their family and friends.
Doctor of Education
Arthur Joseph Lewandowski, Van Buren
Leadership Studies, "C3 Inquiry Based Instruction to Promote Social and Emotional Learning"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Christy Galletta Horner
Doctor of Philosophy
Muhammad Thamer Salim Alamri, Taif, Saudi Arabia
English, "Learning from Consulting in the Writing Center: The Skills and Professional Development Gained by Writing Center Consultants"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Lee Nickoson
Katherine Elise Barlow, West Chester
Psychology, "Loss Remote Work as Psychological Contract Violation: Implications for Working Mothers, Employee Attitudes and Retention"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Margaret Brooks
Judith Clemens-Smucker, Ottawa
American Culture Studies, "The Urban/Rural Divide: Social Identities on 'Schitt’s Creek'"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Sarah Rainey-Smithback
Fan Du, Bowling Green
Statistics, "Methodology for Estimation and Model Selection in High-Dimensional Regression with Endogeneity" Faculty advisor: Dr. Junfeng Shang
Sarah Ellen Ford, Bowling Green
American Culture Studies, "Politics, What Politics? Digital Fan Communities and Sociopolitical Belief"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Radhika Gajjala
Lindsay Hamilton, Toledo
Psychology, "Associations Among Parent Dieting, Dietary Restraint, and Children’s Eating Attitudes and Behaviors"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Dara Musher-Eizenman
Mark Alan Heider, Bowling Green
Higher Education Administration, "Campus Climate and Non-Faculty Employees with Disabilities: A Quantitative Analysis of Perceptions"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Kenneth Borland
Amanda Lee Heitkamp, Bowling Green
Sociology, "Theorizing and Developing a Non-Criminal Deviance Victimization Scale and Exploring Its Impact on Substance Use"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Thomas Mowen
Robin Hershkowitz, Toledo
American Culture Studies, "The Comedy Roast as American Ritual: Performing Race and Gender"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Cynthia Baron
Abigail Sarah Jarosz, Bowling Green
Biological Sciences, "Host-Virus Evolution in the Canine Model"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Julia Halo
Logan Warren Johnson, Bowling Green
American Culture Studies, "Good Times?: Simulating the Seventies in Nineties Hollywood"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Cynthia Baron
Lakshmy Kannadi Valloli, Bowling Green
Photochemical Sciences, "Manipulating Excited State Pathways to Uncover New Photochemical Processes"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Jayaraman Sivaguru
Steven Robert Lippold, Bowling Green
Mathematics, "Generalizations of the Exterior Algebra"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Mihai Staic
Hasani Indunil Pathirana, Bowling Green
Statistics, "An Efficient Framework for Hypothesis Testing Using Topological Data Analysis"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Umar Islambekov
Madison Ann Pollino, Bowling Green
Media and Communication, "Sexual Violence in Higher Education: The Role of Interactive Media Resources in How LGBQ+ Students Understand Their Experiences"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Sandra Faulkner
Jesse Thomas Reese, Toledo
Media and Communication, "Contested Fidelities: An Analysis of Mononormativity and Polyamory in Christian Discourse"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Sandra Faulkner
Riddhima Rajesh Sharma, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
American Culture Studies, "'I Learned about this Online:' The Role of Indian Digital Feminist Activism as Public Pedagogy"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Radhika Gajjala
Kylie Lynn Skeel, Tiffin
English, "'We Should All Be Feminists:' Supporting Black Women First-Generation College Students in the Writing Classroom"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Neil Baird
Steven Frederick Stendebach, Bowling Green
American Culture Studies, "Joyous Retaliation: Activism and Identity in the New Tone Ska Scene"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Katherine Meizel
Nathan Daniel Stott, Williston
Biological Sciences, "Hydrodynamics of Lake Erie Wetlands: Effects on Spawning Success of Northern Pike (Esox lucius)"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Miner
Vasily Vorobyev, Bowling Green
Photochemical Sciences, "Excited State Dynamics and Chemical Bond Rearrangement in Ruthenium Nitrosyl Complexes and several Other Heavy-Atom Containing Compounds"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Alexander Tarnovsky
Doctorate in Organization Development and Change
Angelene Bonner, Marietta, Georgia
Organization Development and Change, "Black Female Leadership: Barriers to Ascension to Senior Leadership Positions in Corporations in America"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Deborah O’Neil
Tisha Ann Duncan, Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Organization Development and Change, "I’MPOSSIBLE: A Phenomenological Study of Factors Contributing to African American Women’s Successful Ascension to Senior Leadership in Corporate America"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Deborah O’Neil
Thomas George Mitchell, Knoxville, Tennessee
Organization Development and Change, "Working 'Unbossed:' Self-Leadership and Empowering Leadership Effects on Employee Attitudes"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Margaret Brooks
Brandon Quincy Rogers, Dublin, Ohio
Organization Development and Change, "Agile XP, Stress, Trust and Empowerment in Distributed Workforce Environments"
Faculty advisor: Dr. William Sawaya
Colleen Kindelin Steele, Downers Grove, Illinois
Organization Development and Change, "Loss Integration: A Grounded Theory of Returning to Work after Perinatal Loss"
Faculty advisor: Dr. Deborah O’Neil
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Media Contact | Michael Bratton | mbratto@bgsu.edu | 419-372-6349
Updated: 05/04/2023 11:16AM