Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2013, Higher Education (Education)

The study explored transfer alumni perceptions of their community college and university experiences, their alumni affinity as measured by the frequency of alumni engagement with each institution, and what motivates that engagement. Study participants rated their university experiences more positively than those at their community college and reported engaging in more alumni activities with their university than their community college. Based on the findings, recommendations for practitioners include enhanced documentation and communication of the learning and development outcomes gained through the community college experience, increased university support services for transfer students, and increased community college outreach efforts with alumni.

Committee: Henning John Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Young Robert Ph.D. (Advisor); Horton David Ph.D. (Committee Member); Brooks Gordon Ph.D. (Committee Member); Descutner David Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Theory; Higher Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2023, Arts Administration, Education and Policy

There has been a movement in American archaeology since the late 1980s to improve public outreach efforts and open sites up as spaces for community learning. While certainly many projects have, with good intentions, created publicly accessible spaces in the physical sense, little attention has been paid to whether these initiatives offer quality educational benefits. This is particularly true of sites with settler histories. This paper problematizes the effectiveness of archaeologists as the designer and leader of publicly oriented educational programming and looks at the ways in which collaborating with museum educators strengthens teaching and learning onsite. By examining the Frost Town Archaeology Project (FTA), a historical archaeology site with a focus in public outreach, this thesis looks at the ways in which museum professionals and archaeologists worked together to create a learning environment centered around focus, care, storytelling, empathy, relationality, and compassion. These “seeds” opened pathways for facilitating conversations which challenged the mythicized narrative of the American settler. This work encourages archaeologists to work with and learn from museum educators whose expertise in publicly centered pedagogies can help to improve both the programming and community building efforts occurring on open sites.

Committee: Robert Cook (Committee Member); Dana Carlisle-Kletchka (Advisor) Subjects: Archaeology; Art Education

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

Underprivileged neighborhoods in U.S. cities have been isolated and abandoned in detriment to its inhabitants. The perception of these areas as ”bad” deters any involvement for improvement which creates a cycle of poverty that forces generations to live through undesirable conditions. The result is an uneven playing field in life caused in part by lack of opportunities through infrastructure, safety, and education which sees no solution as society turns a blind eye. Architecture, program, and implementation of community outreach can be used as tools to revitalize these communities and implement new ideas and structure to alleviate the disadvantage that some are born into and erase the stigma of place. Creating mixed-use buildings that feature housing as well as a community hub centered around the values and strategies of community outreach organizations is a solution that would benefit the community and help change the reputation of these neighborhoods. With the idea of outreach at the forefront, as well as the needs and desires of the residents in mind, a proper facility can be built that addresses the main issues that residents go through every day and aim to revitalize these often-ignored places and change their narrative.

Committee: Elizabeth Riorden M.Arch. (Committee Chair); Michael McInturf M.Arch. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Public Health

The federally-funded health center program aims to deliver high-quality, culturally-competent primary health care services, as well as ancillary health and supportive services, such as care coordination, health education, and oral health care, to all persons regardless of their ability to pay. Federal funding for community health centers (CHCs) has been uncertain for decades. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion provided CHCs with new opportunities to expand their patient revenue, broaden their reach, and fulfill their mission. However, relatively little is understood in the scholarly literature about how the ACA Medicaid expansion affected care delivery at CHCs, especially beyond the first few years, post-expansion. In this dissertation, I attempted to examine aspects of health care utilization and quality of care at CHCs following the ACA Medicaid expansion, and in a broader sense, to explore in different ways whether the ACA Medicaid expansion helped facilitate CHCs' pursuit of mission. Chapter 4 examined whether the ACA Medicaid expansion created lasting increases in the percentage of CHC patients covered by Medicaid and lasting decreases in the percentage of uninsured adult CHC patients in expansion-state CHCs, compared to non-expansion-state CHCs. The results of the study showed that, on average, Medicaid expansion increased Medicaid coverage among adult CHC patients in the expansion-state CHCs by 12.0 percentage points and decreased uninsurance among adult CHC patients by 7.7 percentage points by 5-years post-expansion, compared to non-expansion-state CHCs. Moreover, the predicted percentage of expansion-state CHC adults covered by Medicaid increased to a peak at 2-years post-expansion and then slightly decreased and plateaued from 3-to-5-years post-expansion. Expansion-state CHCs retained most expansion-covered patients over time, and greater state-level enrollment efforts were shown to be important for enrolling Medicaid-covered CHC patients. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Eric Seiber PhD (Committee Chair); Thomas Wickizer PhD, MPH (Committee Member); Wendy Xu PhD (Committee Member); Kate Fox Nagel DrPH, MPH (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care Management; Public Health; Public Policy

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2017, Theatre Arts-Arts Administration

Research has long supported the benefits of the arts, specifically to students in grades K-12. Although arts programs have been decreasing over the last decade, nonprofit organizations have created strong programs that enrich students in the arts and create opportunities for collaborations with the community. The Weill Institute of Music at Carnegie Hall developed the Link Up music education outreach program to provide a beneficial means of music education in collaboration with partner host organizations and schools and has proven to be highly effective.

Committee: Elisa Gargarella (Advisor); Ramona Ortega-Liston (Committee Member); Jonathan Willis (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management; Music; Music Education

MA, Kent State University, 2016, College of the Arts / School of Art

PACE, CHRISTINE, M.A., AUGUST, 2016 ART EDUCATION ART MUSEUM EDUCATION AND WELL-BEING (161PP.) Director of Thesis: Robin Vande Zande This research looks at how well-being manifests within art museum educational programming with non-traditional participants. The specific programming studied took place onsite at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) in Quebec, Canada, where this type of programming has been in practice for almost two decades. Museum educators, administrators, and program personnel were interviewed in order to explore the ways in which well-being is perceived, defined, and implemented within curriculum and teaching at the MMFA. Program observations, content analyses, and literature reviews were all conducted, coded, and analyzed as part of this qualitative, collective case study. The goal of this research is to allow those within, as well as those outside of, the field of art education to more fully understand art museum education programming for well-being, justify a need for this type of programming, and to apply information learned as a model for future programming.

Committee: Robin Vande Zande Ph.D. (Advisor); Linda Hoeptner-Poling Ph.D. (Committee Member); Richard Adams Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Cultural Anthropology; Education; Museum Studies; Museums; Social Research; Sociology; Teaching

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2006, Arts and Sciences : Sociology

By focusing on two megachurches in “Midwestern City”, one a large independent megachurch and the other a large Protestant denominational church, I investigate whether the associations that go along with belonging to a denomination make a difference in the type and amount of civic engagement a congregation has in the community. Data come from sixteen interviews with key leaders of both congregations. I also collected church bulletins, attended worship services and other congregational events. I discovered that denominationalism has an impact on the amount of community outreach of a congregation. The congregations were similar with regard to the type (e.g. soup kitchens) but were very different with regard to style and the manner in which the congregation performed community outreach. The social networks that both these congregations participate help with regard to their outreach efforts. The “culture” of the denominational church played an important role in its outreach activities.

Committee: Dr. Rhys Williams (Advisor) Subjects: Sociology, General

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, Art Education

This work examines the use of community outreach programs by professional sport and arts organizations located in Columbus, OH, and their utility in generating perceived public value for these organizations. The study uses a sample of four organizations, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew, Columbus Museum of Art, and Opera Columbus. This sampling provides equal representation for both fields and allows for the pairing of organizations for analytical purposes. Additionally, the opportunity for interactions and the sharing of knowledge between these organizations and fields is explored, retaining outreach programs as the area of focus. The study has been conducted using both document analysis (drawing on a body of documentation that includes web sites, playbills, and game programs) and interviews with the individuals charged with overseeing and administering the outreach efforts of the four included organizations. The study is structured as a multiple comparative case study, presenting the information for each organization and using that data as a platform for deriving meaningful findings and conclusions. Upon analyzing the available data for these four organizations, the conclusions that have been arrived at are that these organizations make use of a variety of methods to generate the perception of public value and that there does exist reasonable opportunity for knowledge sharing and interactions that could prove mutually beneficial. It remains unclear, however, if the organizations could actually be compelled to do so.

Committee: Wayne Lawson PhD (Advisor); Candace Stout PhD (Committee Member); Brian Turner PhD (Committee Member); Margaret Wyszomirski PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Arts Management

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2009, Arts Policy and Administration

Sold out venues, throngs of adoring and devoted fans, annoyingly high ticket prices; while these things might evoke thoughts of one's favorite sports team, they could just as easily stir images of an arts organization. Although they are commonly thought of as contrary and/or mutually exclusive, sports and arts have a good deal in common. However, almost across the board, sports teams thrive while arts organizations struggle. This thesis serves as a pilot study into why this phenomenon occurs, and what information can be shared between the two fields for their mutual benefit. This study is focused on how the two fields go about making themselves part of their home community through community outreach programs and initiatives. By utilizing document analysis, two organizations are examined that serve niche markets of increasing popularity: Opera Columbus and the Columbus Crew. By looking at how these two groups have made themselves part of the fabric of Columbus, conclusions are arrived at with implications beyond the fields of soccer and opera and the city of Columbus.

Committee: Wayne Lawson PhD (Advisor); Candace Stout PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Fine Arts; Music

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2009, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

I describe the relative effectiveness of two primates in dispersing large-seeded tree seeds (> 0.5 cm) in the Nyungwe National Park (NNP), Rwanda. My objectives are three-fold: (1) to describe the relative effectiveness of primates in dispersing the seeds of five large-seeded tree species, (2) to evaluate the influence of primate seed-handling method on seed fate, and (3) to determine the influence of deposition site on seed fate. I employed focal tree observations, day-follows of habituated primate groups, in situ monitoring of primate-dispersed seeds, and experimental plots to achieve these objectives. Data were collected over the course of one year (April 2006 – April 2007).Frugivore assemblages dispersed the seeds of four of the five focal tree species. Chimpanzees and cercopithecines spent the most time in trees and had the largest group size. Large-bodied birds (LB) and chimpanzees dispersed the highest number of seeds per minute. LB and cercopithecines potentially disperse the greatest number of seeds for Ekebergia capensis, and chimpanzees for Syzygium guineense. My study highlights the complexities of determining a disperser's effectiveness and suggests that large-bodied birds and primates are relatively important dispersers of large-seeded trees. Primates deposit seeds most often in open forest where seeds experience the highest establishment. In addition primates deposit seeds in five habitats that are likely dispersal-limited suggesting that primates contribute to the regeneration processes of otherwise dispersal-limited areas. My results suggest that the former emphasis of seed dispersal studies on defecations is not representative and should be expanded to include orally-discarded seeds. Furthermore my study highlights that primates do not deposit seeds randomly and that the characteristics of the deposition site are a reflection of primate seed handling. I found no relationship between the top five fruiting tree species found in chimpanzee feces and f (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Beth Kaplin PhD (Committee Chair); Peter Palmiotto DF (Committee Member); Joanna Lambert PhD (Committee Chair) Subjects: Animals; Biology; Ecology; Education; Teacher Education

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2013, Environmental Sciences

This practicum was completed as a requirement to complete my Master of Environmental Science and Sustainability degree with a concentration in Environmental communication. It offers an evaluation of real-world impacts of outreach work I completed on behalf of the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (HRWC) between April and December of 2012. This evaluation is intended to culminate in such a way that it will serve as a useful reference not only for the HRWC program implementers, but also their board of trustees, and other similar organizations. This work allows the coalition to make informed decisions when it comes to outreach priorities for many years to come and materials such as flyers and reports produced during the duration of this practicum will continue to aid the HRWC in its outreach efforts.

Committee: Michelle Simmons Dr. (Committee Chair); Donna McCollum Dr. (Committee Member); Annie-Laurie Blair Professor (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Marketing; Mass Communications; Sustainability; Water Resource Management