Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1959, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Theater

Doctor of Organization Development & Change (D.O.D.C.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Organization Development

This dissertation evaluates the current phenomenon of public distrust in local government. More specifically, the research focuses on significant determinants of public trust in local government: public service quality and the way these are delivered to local residents. Drawing upon Coulter and Coulter's (2002) pioneering research, this study focuses on the relationship between customer trust antecedents and service providers and extends their research to local government. Evidence suggests that components of service quality (i.e., promptness, reliability, customization, and competence) and the manner of service delivery (i.e., civility and compassion) have direct bearing on customer trust in service providers. Scholars offer further indication that these factors are subject to a moderating effect when length of relationship (residency) between customer (resident) and service provider (local government) is considered. Provided that service delivery is at the core of local government's mission, this research seeks to measure the impact of local government services on constituent trust with additional inquiry into the moderating effect of length of constituent residency. Testing of hypotheses included split results with the correlation hypotheses (H1 – H6) being supported and the moderating hypotheses (H7(a-f)) failing to be supported. Findings and implications of this research demonstrate how local government service and way of delivery can be managed such that public trust is engendered.

Committee: Michael Zickar Ph.D (Committee Chair); Deborah O'Neil Ph.D (Committee Member); Donna Trautman Ph.D (Committee Member); Radhika Gajjala Ph.D (Other) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Public Administration

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2020, Urban Studies and Public Affairs

There has been a long-standing perception by the American public that bureaucrats are incompetent. Public administration scholars have studied the negative perceptions of bureaucrats and the work of these scholars has brought about a dichotomous characterization of bureaucrats. On one end, scholars characterized bureaucrats as incompetent individuals with truncated personalities who add to the inefficiencies of the bureaucracy (Hummel, 2008). At the other end scholars find bureaucrats to be ordinary individuals with a remarkable sense of purpose, competence, and dedication (Goodsell, 2015). The characterization of bureaucrats serves as the backdrop to the study's purpose which was to develop communicator profiles of government bureaucrats. Developing a taxonomy of profiles of their communicator styles and predispositions allowed us to gain an understanding of the competency levels, as it pertains to communication, that exist in current modern bureaucracies which supported and opposed the negative long-standing perception of the general American public toward bureaucrats. The taxonomy of communicator profiles may provide bureaucrats with self-awareness, and concrete understanding of their communication predispositions and styles when performing their jobs. This concrete knowledge may enable bureaucrats and their managers to seek ways in which to enhance communication styles and predispositions during service delivery as well as provide opportunities to mitigate their predispositions so that they may interact with the public in manner that is more in-line with that of responsible public service characterized by kindness, charity, and benevolence (French, 1983). A public sector workforce that interacts with the public with higher levels of communication competency creates an environment of perceived effectiveness, and citizens who come face-to-face with bureaucrats will experience a higher-level quality of service which in turn will ameliorate the perceptions h (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Raymond Cox III PhD (Committee Chair); Julia Beckett PhD (Committee Member); Namkyung Oh PhD (Committee Member); Andrew Rancer PhD (Committee Member); Heather Walter PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Public Administration

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2019, History (Arts and Sciences)

During the Cold War, U.S. and Thai leaders were engaged in trying to win the hearts and minds of the Thai people. Much of the literature on U.S.-Thai relations has been from the American perspective and mainly examines economic and military aspects. This dissertation looks at the relationship by drawing from U.S. and Thai government sources to examine both countries public diplomacy and public relations programs in Thailand. From 1957 to 1979, the United States and Thai governments sought to stymie the influence of communism and to build the Thai nation by using the resources of the United States Information Service (USIS) and the Thai Ministry of Interior (MOI). The USIS promoted capitalism, modernization, and anti-communism, while the MOI built up the monarchy, Buddhism, and Thai nationalism. Both organizations used mass media, cultural exchanges, rural development, humanitarian aid, and religious and state ceremonies to convey the U.S. and Thai government's messages and programs. One purpose of the USIS and MOI was to show that communism was a threat to economic development, to Buddhism, and the monarchy. However, promoting anti-communism and building up the institutions of the monarchy and Buddhism divided the country. USIS and MOI programs strengthened the political and public image of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. This dissertation argues that the USIS and MOI played an important role in stymieing communism and strengthening the Thai state.

Committee: Chester Pach (Advisor); Ingo Trauschweizer (Committee Member); Alec Holcombe (Committee Member); Drew McDaniel (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; History

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2014, History

The period after World War II was the high point for American Foundations abroad. This was especially true for the Ford Foundation, which was just emerging on the international stage, ready to use the benefits of American modernization techniques and institutional strategies for the newly independent nations in Asia. They believed that poverty caused instability and a rise in radical ideologies, which were a threat to democracies around the world. The Cold War heightened the Foundation's concern towards these outcomes. Consequently, the Ford Foundation decided to support the development programs of governments, especially in nascent democracies like India, in the 1950s. Foundation actions are criticized or lauded by scholars who primarily focus on Foundation motivation and expectations, not taking the recipients' realities and context into consideration. This study expands the study of Foundation programs in developing countries by adding the recipient's history and culture to the analysis thereby providing a fuller understanding of Ford Foundation's institutionalizing strategies in India and its expectations of these institutions in the area of administrative reform between 1950 and 1970. Due to the circumstances surrounding Indian independence, nationalist leaders decided to situate the new Indian nationalism in the centralized State and its development program. Consequently, they decided to continue the centralized bureaucratic structure of the colonial government. However, Prime Minister Nehru realized that this system needed to be reformed and asked the Ford Foundation and Paul Appleby to study India's administration and suggest changes. Given the constraints of the centralized administrative structure and Appleby's own beliefs, he recommended the setting up of an Institute of Public Administration, serving as a professional society for academic Public Administration and as a forum for scholars to study administrative problems and discuss possible s (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Hammack C (Advisor); Kenneth Ledford (Committee Member); Rhonda Williams Y (Committee Member); Kelly McMann (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; History; Modern History; Public Administration; South Asian Studies

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2014, Leadership and Change

The purpose of this study is to examine professional hurt across the public services of the Commonwealth Caribbean with a view toward creating what could probably be the first body of knowledge that will offer insights into its nature and relationship with the practice of leadership. The study also sought to explore an understanding of professional hurt that could inform the design of leadership development programs to help develop leaders who can navigate or avoid hurt. I utilized the biographical research approach to access the lived experiences of 20 public sector leaders across 9 independent Commonwealth Caribbean islands. Narrative thematic analysis data from the experiences are summarized and presented using six emergent themes, illustrated with thick narrative descriptions. The findings suggest that professional hurt is a combination of the deep hurt a leader experiences as a professional, pooled with the undermining of his/her sense of professional pride, dignity, confidence, capability, credibility, and worth as a leader. While all facets of the leaders' hurtful and humiliating experience are sometimes stretched over a period of time, there is actually an identifiable point at which professional hurt occurs. The findings suggest that professional hurt is not necessarily a planned attempt to destroy a leader, but the result of a poorly managed complex social system. This study may thus offer some useful insights for a holistic and transformative change in the practice of public service leadership in the Caribbean. A video author introduction in MP4 format accompanies this dissertation. The electronic version of this Dissertation is at OhioLink ETDCenter, http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd

Committee: Philomena Essed PhD (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Holloway PhD (Committee Member); Lisa Booysen DBL (Committee Member); Paula Kibbelaar PhD (Other) Subjects: Caribbean Studies; Organizational Behavior; Psychology; Public Administration

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2009, Leadership and Change

Communities of Practice (CoPs) have become a widely used method to enhance knowledge management, knowledge transfer, innovation and learning in large, complex organizations. Since first introduced by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger in their 1991 book, Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, the concept has been widely discussed in the private, public and educational sectors. Much of the literature has focused on either the abstract, theoretical underpinnings or the structural elements of CoPs with little attention paid to the actual experience of individual participants in CoPs - in effect reflecting the perspectives of the architects and builders of a home but not the occupants. This Grounded Theory study uses a combination of both Situational and Dimensional Analysis to explicate the experience of the participants in a number of CoPs functioning in the British Columbia Public Service. The intent is to offer a deeper understanding of the internal dynamics within CoPs for those interested in facilitating successful CoPs. The British Columbia Public Service (BCPS) is a large, knowledge-based organization delivering a wide variety of programs and services across a large, economically and culturally diverse, jurisdiction. The challenges faced by the BCPS are similar to those faced by other knowledge-based organizations. The use of CoPs is wide-spread in the BCPS displaying a range of structure from highly formalized to relatively informal. This research, based on 21 unstructured interviews and supported by other documentation, presents a model that helps to clarify both the relationship between CoPs and other organizational sub-groups as well as capturing the dynamic, member-driven nature of CoPs. It is anticipated that individuals interested in CoPs will find this modeling helpful in understanding how CoPs function from the perspective CoP participants. The dissertation also attempts to draw linkages to other pertinent theory related to group dynamics, hu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Elizabeth Holloway PhD (Committee Chair); Peter Vaill DBA (Committee Member); Donald Polkinghorne PhD (Committee Member); Michael Carroll PhD (Other) Subjects: Management; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Public Administration

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1910, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1916, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Public Policy and Management

There is an increasing reliance on cross-sectoral collaboration between public, nonprofit, and for- profit organizations. These collaborative arrangements form in order to address the complexity and magnitude of public issues and the increasing diversity and scale of service user needs on each type of organization (Head & Alford, 2015; Kettl, 2006). These “wicked problems” surpass the capacity, resources, and jurisdiction of any single organization, sector, or policy to appropriately resolve (Head & Alford, 2015; Lasker & Weiss, 2003; Rittel & Weber, 1973; Weber & Khademian, 2008b). This has necessitated a shift towards cross-sector collaborations which are “increasingly recognized as not only a reality but also a necessary condition” (Cheng, 2019, p. 238) for addressing the complex, diverse, and interrelated problems (Bryson, Crosby, & Stone, 2006; Bunger et al., 2017; Chen, 2010). As human service organizations (HSOs) provide various services to diverse populations with numerous, interrelated, and complex needs, and because they operate in a decentralized administrative and fragmented service environment with turbulent conditions due to changing economic, political, sociodemographic factors (Bunger et al., 2017; Graaf et al., 2016; Hasenfeld & Schmid, 1989; Mosley & Smith, 2018), they are natural candidates for collaboration. HSOs increasingly rely on contractual arrangements with nonprofit and for-profit organizations to meet service needs. This requires the inclusion of organizational members to manage and implement the collaborative and contractual processes both within their organizations and across other organizations. Despite the increasing interest and need of these cross-sector partnerships (Almog-Bar & Schmid, 2018), there is limited research examining the factors that impact successful collaborative outcomes and the processes that support and sustain these collaborative arrangements (Cheng, 2019; Gazley, 2017). Specifically, there is a need to improve (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Amanda Girth (Advisor) Subjects: Management; Public Administration; Public Policy

Bachelor of Science (BS), Ohio University, 2022, Journalism

Spread Out! is a podcast about the pandemic, the national parks and people's place in nature. Weaving together interviews with National Park Service employees and other experts, extensive research and the author's personal experience, each episode illustrates how visitors have both impacted and been impacted by national parks throughout the course of the pandemic. The four-part series visits parks from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Grand Canyon to Denali National Park, including an entire episode about the newest national park: New River Gorge. Outdoor recreation increased substantially during the initial stages of the pandemic and overall park service visitation has been growing consistently since 2016. Spread Out! discusses why these changes matter and how we can take better care of the parks – while squeezing in more than a few fun facts and stories along the way.

Committee: Geoffrey Buckley (Advisor); Bernhard Debatin (Advisor) Subjects: Environmental Studies; Journalism

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

This qualitative research study explored the influence of life experiences and personal ethics of George Ciampa, a United States military veteran; his work in establishing American military cemeteries in Europe; and later work as a community leader committed to teaching American youth about the cost of freedom. Dimensions of ethical leadership and public service motivation served as the theoretical framework for the study. The research extended knowledge on ethical constructs within the fields of leadership studies and public administration; recorded personal experiences that were absent in military historical archives; and increased awareness of aspects of the U.S. military subculture. The research exploration was guided by an overarching question of how Ciampa reflected on his sense of public service over his lifetime. The study employed narrative life story methodology and visual research methods. Data collection was an iterative process and included segmented life story interviews and historical archival research. Findings included identification of a major theme (liberty) and three supporting sub-themes (duty, honor, and country) influencing Ciampa's life and leadership path. A comparative analysis of the themes discovered with shared tenets of ethical leadership and public service motivation is provided. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/.

Committee: Philomena Essed Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Donna Ladkin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Natalie Underberg-Goode Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Military History

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Communication

Over the past three decades, partisanship has become an increasingly salient social identity for Americans, resulting in an electorate that is affectively polarized. An electorate characterized by affective polarization cuts against normative models of democracy, as party loyalists tend to dislike members of other parties, prefer confrontation to compromise, and distrust government when their preferred party is out of power. The commercial US media environment has been a frequent culprit in theories of the origins of affective polarization. Cross-national comparisons find that the United States may have experienced the most rapid gains in affective polarization but Americans' fixation on party identity is far from unique. This comparative analysis categorizes 14 countries' national media systems and tests whether news media consumption in commercial media systems, such as the United States, predicts higher levels of partisan animus and party loyalty in vote choice than media consumption in other types of media systems. The results indicate that television consumption in commercial media systems is associated with higher levels of partisan affect than in public-service or hybrid media systems.

Committee: Erik Nisbet Ph.D. (Advisor); R. Kelly Garrett Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Political Science

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2019, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

Canyonlands National Park was established in 1964 during a time of change in American recreation and for the National Park Service. The area proposed for inclusion in the park provided economic benefits to local Utahns via mineral extraction, hunting, and livestock grazing. Traditionally, national park designation would prohibit such uses, but the Canyonlands bills presented by Utah congressional delegates provided for continued multiple uses in the park. Supporters of the multiple-use concept cited increasing material and recreational needs for Americans and urged allowance of commercial development on protected lands. Preservationists refuted that all national parks would be jeopardized if Canyonlands National Park was established with provisions for multiple commercial uses. I analyzed 359 newspaper articles and nine congressional hearing testimonies, which revealed important themes including conflict between preservation and utilitarian values, state and local desires for autonomous land management and economic development, and the need for diversifying recreational opportunities offered by federal land management agencies. The story of establishing Canyonlands is illustrative of the pervasive challenges confronting many National Park Service units, especially those in the desert Southwest.

Committee: Geoff Buckley (Committee Chair); Geoff Dabelko (Committee Member); Steve Scanlan (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Studies; Geography; Natural Resource Management

PHD, Kent State University, 2016, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

Public Service Announcements (PSAs) have had roots in American culture since WWII and are still used today to inform the public about current health, social, and environmental issues facing the population. In the past 70 years, traditional media outlets were used to spread PSAs, including print, television, and radio. However, newer technologies are starting to take shape as an alternative way to reach the masses, including social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Along with changes in the delivery of information, there have also been some changes with many Americans' bodies, specifically related to weight gain. The increase in the weight of many Americans is largely attributed to oversized meal portions and a sedentary lifestyle. This study gathered information from young adults (N=249) at a large Ohio public university to add to the current literature about PSAs disseminated through the social networking site Facebook, and email, to determine their effectiveness on changing people's awareness, attitudes and behaviors about daily food and exercise choices. The quantitative results provided evidence that a four-week intervention helped to create modest changes in both Facebook and email groups regarding awareness, behaviors, and attitude changes about healthy living. Contrary to the popularity of social media, the Facebook group did not perform better than the email group. In fact, the email group demonstrated statistical significance on two issues that the Facebook group did not. The qualitative results provided by the Facebook group demonstrated that SNSs can benefit people who read posted messages and comments and participate in discussion. In this study, 95% of the Facebook participants self-reported that they benefitted from discussions.

Committee: Drew Tiene Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Catherine Goodall Ph.D. (Committee Member); Chia-Ling Kuo Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Educational Psychology; Health Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Environmental Science

Wetlands provide extensive ecosystem services, such as biodiversity enrichment, flood control, carbon sequestration and water purification. However, the performance of wetlands with respect to treating microbial pathogens is less understood. Since wetlands serve as an interface where human and wildlife come into contact, potential health risks may emerge from human exposure to a variety of zoonotic pathogens that are shed from wildlife. The main goal of this dissertation is to provide an overview of freshwater wetland's ecosystem service and public health implications with regard to bacterial pathogens. The objectives include: (1) to assess ecosystem services of freshwater wetlands in terms of public health, specifically in reducing fecal indicator bacteria and pathogens (Chapter 2); (2) to model freshwater wetlands' ecosystem service in improving bacterial water quality under climate change (Chapter 3); (3) to evaluate the role of wildlife in pathogen dissemination in freshwater wetlands (Chapter 4); and (4) to investigate antimicrobial resistance in freshwater wetlands (Chapter 5). Study sites included created and restored marshes in Ohio at the Olentangy River Wetlands Research Park (ORWRP), which receive water from an urban/agricultural watershed and the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (ONWR), which is a heavily avian species-impacted coastal Lake Erie wetland. Bacterial culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction were conducted to enumerate E. coli as a fecal indicator and determine the levels of bacterial pathogens (Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli), microbial source tracking markers (human, ruminant, avian species) as well as antimicrobial resistance genes (tetQ, sul1), respectively. US EPA's Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) and load duration curve analysis were employed to estimate wetlands' performance in E. coli reductions under climate change scenarios. For an emerging zoonotic pathogen in water, isolation and characterizatio (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jiyoung Lee (Advisor); William Mitsch (Committee Member); Karen Mancl (Committee Member); Warren Dick (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science; Public Health

Master of Applied Communication Theory and Methodology, Cleveland State University, 2014, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

This study examined the role of brief narratives, such as those found in television commercials (TV Ads) and Public Service Announcements (PSAs), in the dissemination of values messages as mediated by narrative transportation and second-order cultivation effects. Undergraduate students from a midwestern university participated in an experiment administered through the SurveyMonkey website; two experimental groups (TV Ads n=85 and PSAs n=69) each viewed two separate (one dramatic, one humorous) value-laden brief narrative video segments completing transportation, attention, materialism, and altruism response scales following each exposure. Measures taken prior to exposure included television affinity and need for cognition among others. Findings confirm brief narratives do elicit transportation, and among those who watch more television higher levels of transportation were reported. Psychological processes were found to increase the likelihood of experiencing transportation; in particular those paying more attention and having a high need for cognition were more likely to be transported. Additionally, transportation had a modest impact on a number of materialism measures including the summed materialism scale while altruism produced contradictory results. An anomaly was found with the humorous TV ad, raising questions about the role of character identification in the production of narrative transportation.

Committee: Kimberly Neuendorf PhD (Advisor); Cheryl Bracken PhD (Committee Member); Richard Perloff PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Communication; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Social Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2014, Communication

Gain-loss framing has produced inconsistent results in communication (O'Keefe & Jensen, 2006, 2007, 2009). Yet, studies from psychology demonstrate consistent gain-loss message effects (Higgins, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005). Regulatory focus theory suggests the lack of operational clarity in communication applications may be the one of the reasons for inconsistent results. It is proposed that communication scholars use approach-gain and avoid-loss frames to create effective messages. The dissertation extends regulatory focus theory by arguing (a) frames' relationship with perceived effectiveness is mediated by attention to the frames, (b) the combination of approach-gain and avoid-loss frames will receive the most attention, when the message has low to moderate arousing content, and (c) the combination of approach-gain and avoid-loss will be most effective. Two within-subjects experiments were conducted, using visual fixations to operationalize attention. Study 1 examined the combination of approach-gain and avoid-loss frames, without manipulating arousing content. Study 2 examined the combination of frames and manipulated arousing content. The two studies revealed that individuals looked the most at approach-gain information, and attention to information did not influence perceived message effectiveness. As predicted, when arousal was controlled for, messages with the combination of approach-gain and avoid-loss frames were perceived as more effective than messages with only one type of frame.

Committee: Zheng (Joyce) Wang (Advisor); Michael Slater (Committee Member); Brad Bushman (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Marketing

Master of Arts in History, Youngstown State University, 2010, Department of Humanities

The National First Ladies' Library and the Women's Rights National Historical Park are two very important museums that interpret different aspects of women's history. The National First Ladies' Library, located in Canton, Ohio, interprets the lives of the United States' First Ladies and the roles associated with the position. The Women's Rights National Historical Park, located in Seneca Falls, New York, interprets the first Women's Rights Convention, which took place in 1848, as well as the Declaration of Sentiments, which Elizabeth Cady Stanton presented at the Convention. Both sites offer histories of women from the upper class; however, they tell two different stories and use different approaches for interpretation. One of the main reasons why both museums use different methods of interpretation is rooted in their creation. One woman, Mary Regula, envisioned the National First Ladies' Library. Regula isolated her work from the community and as a result, lost touch with what the public wanted out of the site. On the other hand, the Women's Rights National Historical Park involved the community in its creation. Park historians and staff cooperatively worked together with the community to shape what the park is today. The sites differed drastically in both their creation and intentions, which influenced the interpretive plans used.

Committee: Donna DeBlasio PhD (Advisor); Thomas Leary PhD (Committee Member); Martha Pallante PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; History; Museums; Womens Studies

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Business: Business Administration

Providing equal access to public service resources is a fundamental goal of democratic societies. Growing research interest in public services (e.g., healthcare, humanitarian relief, elections) has increased the importance of considering objective functions related to equity. This research studies discrete-resource allocation problems where the decision maker is concerned with maintaining equity between some dened subgroups of a customer population. In particular, we apply resource-allocation models to improve equity in two specic applications: voting systems and health care. We employ simulation-optimization techniques and Markov-decision-process models to develop rigorous algorithms to allocate resources equitably among these subgroups. The presented solutions are associated with bounds on solution quality, some of which are guaranteed to be optimal. Various numerical tests demonstrate that our algorithms outperform competing heuristics and are robust over various inequity metrics. We apply our algorithms to real case studies using empirical data for a voting-machine-allocation problem in Franklin County, Ohio, and to develop an admission-control policy for a cardiac intensive care unit at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

Committee: Michael Fry PhD (Committee Chair); W. David Kelton PhD (Committee Chair); Theodore Allen PhD (Committee Member); Michael Magazine PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Operations Research