PhD candidate wins research grant

It might be said that Lester Owens is providing a clinic on the NCU education paradigm. He is applying his professional activities to his studies. He is applying his studies in his profession. And Owens sought and won a grant for research he can apply in both areas.

A mathematics professor at Camden County College in New Jersey as well as a PhD candidate in education at NCU, Owens is specializing in e-learning and teaching online. He was recently awarded a $15,000 grant to study real-time interaction between college instructors and students who are taking internet-based courses.

The title of Owens’ study is The Impact of Blended Learning Tools: An Elementary Algebra Synchronous Learning Research Project Examining Web Conferencing as an Alternative Strategy to Engage Learners Off-Campus. His project received the maximum award of $15,000 from the Minority Junior Faculty Career Enhancement Grant Program of The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation. Owens says the research is directly related to his dissertation topic.

Owens became a full-time Camden County College faculty member in 2005 after serving for many years as a part-time adjunct instructor. In 2006, he was named an EOF Champion by the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund for his devotion to serving the special needs of his students during regular class and office hours and beyond. Outside the classroom, he has served as faculty advisor to the Urban Unity Club at the college’s Camden City Campus and regularly gives community presentations on New Jersey’s African-American history.

Owens earned a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from what is now West Chester University and an MA in instructional technology from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. He is a resident of Blackwood, New Jersey.

NCU Learner co-authors SQL book

Cecelia L. Allison, who is pursuing a doctor of business administration degree at Northcentral University, has a recently published book now available, SQL for Microsoft Access, which she coauthored with Neal Berkowitz.

Ms. Allison’s chosen DBA program at NCU is a specialization in management information systems. She had previously earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s in computer information systems at Hawaii Pacific University. and has a professional background as a software tester and specialist. Based in Florida, she facilitates on-line technical courses for ITT Technical Institute and Park University. Ms Allison also developed and teaches an on-line SQL introductory course that is offered through a number of accredited institutions worldwide. She is also the author of SQL Simplified: Learn to Read and Write Structured Query Language and SQL for Microsoft Access (1st edition).

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a relational database language introduced in 1970 and has since evolved to be employed in a wide array of DBMSs (Database Management Systems) that support the use of SQL script. Allison’s book addresses the application of SQL in Microsoft Access, the advanced Windows database application.

SQL for Microsoft Access, from Wordware Publishing, is available through all major online booksellers.

 

Kathy Love named president of Georgia college

NCU Alumna well prepared by studies for position

Dr. Kathy Love has been selected to lead Savannah Technical College in Savannah, Georgia. The school has an enrollment of 7,582 in 2008. The appointment was announced in November by Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Ron Jackson. Love assumes the post on January 1, 2009.

Love was awarded her Doctor of Education degree in June 2008 by Northcentral University. Her specialization in higher education leadership is very appropriate for her career track. She served as president of Flint River Technical College, in Thomaston, GA from 2002 to 2008. She was the vice president of instructional and student services at Middle Georgia Technical College from 1994 to 2001 and vice president of administrative services at South Georgia Technical College from 1990 to 1994 and also served for a time as the interim president of Central Georgia Technical College. Love began her career in technical education in 1986 as the chairperson of the computer information services department at South Georgia Tech.

Love's prior academic awards include a master of science in business administration and a bachelor of science in computer science, both from Georgia Southwestern State University. She has an education specialist degree in education leadership from Columbus State University.

 

David Hale, NCU Mentor, authors book for entrepreneurs

NCU Learners are contributors

Dr. David Hale had a book published this past summer — The High performance Entrepreneur — that also featured contribution from three NCU Learners. The book is subtitled “12 Strategies to Supercharge Your Startup Business” and is part of the Convenient Coach Series published by iUniverse. Co-authors of the book include Barbara Lyngarkos, Michael Meek and Bob Uda, all Learners in NCU’s School of Business & Technology.

Representative of NCU Mentors and Learners, each of these individuals is fully engaged even beyond their scholarship.

Hale — an NCU graduate as well as a Mentor — is principal and CEO of Talent Management Intelligence, a global provider of corporate coaching and HR training solutions, as well as an adjunct professor of psychology at Webster University, Columbia, SC and board member for the Institute for Certified Professional Managers (ICPM). Barbara Lynkgarkos is CEO of Executary, Inc. Michael Meek is CEO of MB Meek Consultants. Bob Uda is founder and president of Bob Uda & Associates, and has also authored 14 published books, with the publication of a 15th, pending.

Dr. Hale is resides in Columbia, SC. The High Performance Entrepreneur is available at Amazon, Powell's, and elsewhere.

 

NCU Mentor Authors New Book on War

Northcentral University mentor Dr. John House has a new book coming out, titled Why War, Why an Army? Published by Greenwood, the book covers the definitions of war, the purpose of an army, war’s natures, and how organizations implement change. In the process, House helps us understand why war remains a fixture in human interactions and how best to prepare for winning such a deadly contest.

In approaching his topic, Dr. House brings considerable expertise to bear. He is Lead Mentor for NCU’s Homeland Security program as well as Executive Director for Army Wargaming and Operations Analysis for AgileCast, Inc. He also served 26 years in the US Army, which included assignments in the continental United States, Europe, Korea, and Southwest Asia—both Desert Shield and Storm, in the process serving on the staffs of Forces Command, Training and Doctrine Command, TRADOC Analysis Command, and the Naval War College. Following retirement from the Army in 2001, Dr. House served in the TRADOC Systems Manager-Soldier office at Fort Benning, GA, and then with the Future Combat System Lead Systems Integrator team as a consultant. He subsequently joined government civil service as the Chief of the Virtual/Constructive Simulations Division, Soldier Battle Lab at Fort Benning, GA, and then AgileCast.

The author’s academic credentials are equally impressive. House has been a graduate-level professor in public administration, homeland security, and business related courses since 2006. His advanced degrees include a Master of Science in Business from Auburn University, a Master of Arts in History from the University of Kansas, a Master of Military Art and Science from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Public Administration from Northcentral University.

His aim in writing Why War, Why an Army? was “to encourage thinking about why war is whatever it is,” House says. A central theme of the book is that “people remain a constant as the crucial element in war” —“regardless of the changes in technology, organizational and operational concepts, and external or internal threats.” Though relying primarily on the Army — ground forces — the book’s insights are more generally applicable to all the armed services.

Advance press on House’s book has been very favorable. One reviewer, in fact, James J. Schneider, described it as “the definitive work on military theory for the twenty-first century.” It has also been termed “a thought provoking primer for structured study of war” and “a significant reinterpretation of the great Prussian military philosopher, Carl von Clausewitz.” Significantly for students of the field, House has also won praise for the bibliography he has assembled for this “deep and intellectually rich view of the past and a promising glimpse of where our Army is going in the future.”

Published in hardback, at 240 pages, Why War, Why an Army? is available direct from the publisher and from the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.

House and his wife, Marilyn, live in Midland, GA, with their two dogs. They have four daughters. Two are married and have children of their own. Their twin daughters attend the University of Georgia.

 

NCU Learner accepts college leadership position

Mark James, who is specializing in Homeland Security in NCU’s DBA program, has been named vice chancellor for administrative services of Metropolitan College—Kansas City.

As reported in the Kansas City Business Journal, James’ responsibilities will include oversight of fiscal operations, accounting, purchasing, human resources, safety and security, physical facilities and business development. He will serve as district treasurer, oversee the college’s financial investment program and direct the continuous internal financial audit. The college has an annual enrollment of about 40,000 students and comprises five separate campuses.

"I am excited about bringing my administrative experience developed over the course of 30 years in the law enforcement-homeland security arena to the world of higher education,” James said. “Kansas City Metropolitan Community College with its 5 campuses and over 40,000 students is a vibrant organization of super-quality people.”

James brings an impressive resume to his new position, serving most recently as director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety and as the state’s homeland security adviser. His duties in that post included responsibility for a $700 million budget and overseeing 15,000 statewide employees in departments including the Missouri National Guard, Highway Patrol, Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, Gaming Commission and the Veteran’s Commission.

James also counts his experience as an NCU Learner among his strengths. “Undoubtedly, my doctoral work at Northcentral University was a huge factor in my favor as I competed for the position of Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services,” he said, adding, “The convenience of on-line study and one-on-one relationships with the professors of NCU have given me an outstanding education thus far. I look forward to successfully completing the doctoral program over the next couple of years."

His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and administration from the University of Central Missouri and a master’s in strategic intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College in Washington. He has been an NCU Learner since August 2007.

Prior to his appointment James was a resident ofJefferson City, MO along with Debra, his wife of 24 years, and their two children—one in the 5th grade, the other a junior in high school. Volunteering as a junior high football coach is one of his hobbies and he maintains a certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).

NCU Dissertation award winner's research scoops press

Alumni unearths virtual PTSD problem

Dr. Robert Herz, NCU class of 2008 and co-winner of the School of Business Dissertation of the Year award, is finding his dissertation to be of interest not just to academe but to the world media and armed forces as well.

Herz and his dissertation, “Assessing the Influence of Human Factors and Experience on Predator Mishaps” were key sources for a recent International Herald Tribune article, “Remote Control Stories.” The piece, datelined August 7, 2008 and syndicated by Associated Press, looks at the operators of Predator drones who launch missile attacks over Iraq remotely from 7,000 miles away, in “the safety of Southern California.”

As the story puts it, “Working in air-conditioned trailers, Predator pilots observe the field of battle through a bank of video screens and kill enemy fighters with a few computer keystrokes. Then, after their shifts are over, they get to drive home and sleep in their own beds.”

The problem is, despite their geographic distance from the horrors and carnage of the battlefield, the pilots are exhibiting all the symptoms of battlefield stress. This may be due in part to the remarkably high definition images the drone operators work with, giving them an up-close and personal view of the battlefield that belies their actual distance. Switching from carnage to traffic jam with the end of a shift, and vice versa, is thought likely to contribute to the psychological impact.

"It's bizarre, I guess," one Predator pilot is quoted. "It is quite different, going from potentially shooting a missile, then going to your kid's soccer game."

Herz, a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force as well as an academic, became aware of this problem while researching his doctoral dissertation, which focused on human error in Predator operations. He can explain the profoundly jarring disconnect quite simply: "They're putting a missile down somebody's chimney and taking out bad guys, and the next thing they're taking their wife out to dinner, their kids to school."

Alerted to this very modern problem, the Air Force has begun seeking ways to address it. As an initial response, for now, additional Chaplains have been posted to Predator installations in California, Texas, Nevada, and Arizona. Further study of the issue is anticipated.

Lt Col/Dr. Herz is himself an example of a venerable military paradigm, the warrior scholar. The NCU community includes a number of these—Dr. Olin Oedekoven, for example, is an NCU Mentor and Alumni, and also a brigadier general and commandant of the Wyoming Army Guard. In the case of Herz, Dr. Freda Turner, Dean of NCU’s School of Business and Technology is pleased with his success.

“NCU is very proud to have such global interest in the dissertations of its doctoral learners,” Turner said. “It speaks very highly of the quality of both our instructors and our students.”