Outstanding Dissertation Awards
In 2022, National Louis University launched the Outstanding Dissertation Awards to recognize exemplary, mission-aligned research and scholarship at the doctoral level. Award nominations display the vibrancy and strength of our doctoral community, with strong connections between experience, practice, research, and commitment to scholarship.
All entries for the 2026 Dissertation Awards are due by 11:59pm on Friday, February 13, 2026, and the nominated dissertation must be uploaded to Digital Commons by that date. Please see below for all information on eligibility and applying.
Award Categories
- Advancing Economic and Social Mobility
Dissertations that examine barriers to economic and social mobility and propose solutions for expanding opportunities for all.
- Innovative Research Design
Dissertations that employ inventive methodologies to address novel questions.
- Advancing Professional Practice
Dissertations that contribute to a body of knowledge about complex problems of practice.
- Community Capacity
Dissertations that investigate ways to engage, support, and impact communities.
2024
Innovation in Research Design
- Winner: Dr. Douglas Van Dyke, Curriculum, Advocacy, and Policy, Advisor Dr. Angela Elkordy. Dissertation Title: Exploring Secondary Teachers' Digital Curricular Autobiographies As A Path Towards Digital Equity: A Currere Journey
Community Capacity
- Winner: Dr. Alison Chandler, Higher Education Leadership, Advisor Dr. Jaclyn Rivard. Dissertation Title: Black Students Matter: A Phenomenological Approach to Exploring Sense of Belonging Among Black Students Attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution
Advancing Professional Practice
- Winner: Dr. Veronica Wilson, Higher Education Leadership, Advisor Dr. Jaclyn Rivard. Dissertation Title: Undergraduate Student Sense of Belonging and EdTech Tool Engagement: A Mixed Methods Exploration of the Virtual Campus Experience
Advancing Economic and Social Mobility
- Winner: Dr. Aarti Dhupelia, Higher Education Leadership, Advisor Dr. Jaclyn Rivard. Dissertation Title: Becoming Transfer Friendly: Evaluating Four-Year Higher Education Institution Strategies to Support Community College Transfer Student Success
2023
Innovation in Research Design
- Winner: Dr. Domenick Saia, Educational Leadership, Advisor Dr. Carla Sparks Dissertation Title: Making Data Meaningful: Stakeholder Perceptions on Data Visualization and Data Management Practices Within a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
Community Capacity
- Winner: Dr. Andrea Plamondon, Community Psychology, Advisor Dr. Judah Viola Dissertation Title: Connections Through Stories In A Small Town in Rural Virginia
- Winner: Dr. Whitney Fink, Educational Leadership, Advisor Dr. Angela Elkordy Dissertation Title: Cooperative Pathways: Insight from Teacher Experiences on Improving Union and District Cooperation
Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Winner: Dr. Betsy Sostak, Educational Leadership, Advisor Dr. Geri Chesner Dissertation Title: Self Portraits: How The Arts May Be the Key to Equitable And Authentic Engagement For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Student Populations
Advancing Professional Practice
- Winner: Dr. Karyn Byrne, Community Psychology, Advisor Dr. Suzette Reed Dissertation Title: Chronic Stressors, Obesity Pathogenesis, and the Moderating Effect of Internalized Weight Stigma; a Quantitative, Illinois Study
2022
Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Dissertations that address inequities experienced by marginalized people.
- Winner: Dr. Nancy A. Moores, Educational Leadership, Advisor Dr. Lorrie Butler, Dissertation Title: The Need for a Gender Neutrality Policy in One State's 4-H Program
Advancing Professional Practice: Dissertations that contribute to a body of knowledge about complex problems of practice.
- Winner: Dr. Earnest Davis, Community Psychology, Advisor Dr. Suzette Reed, Dissertation Title: Transplantability in Burdened Populations: A Regional Analysis of Robot-Assisted Kidney Transplantation’s Impact on Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors
Innovation in Research Design: Dissertations that employ inventive methodologies to address novel questions
- Winner: Dr. Ramona Schwartz-Johnston, Disability and Equity in Education, Advisor Dr. Terry Smith, Dissertation Title: Becoming Through Conversation—I, You, We, Me, & Us: Conceptualizing Silence, Voice, Listening, And Love With Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy Who Do Not Speak
2020-21
Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Dissertations that address inequities experienced by marginalized people
- Winner: Dr. Celeste A. Jackson, Community Psychology Program, Advisor Dr. Bradley Olson, Dissertation title: Examining Protective Factors That Promote Resilience Among Children With An Incarcerated Parent
- Winner: Dr. Hyatt Nadar, Clinical Psychology Program, Advisor Dr. Sandra Zakowski, Dissertation title: Exploration of the Link Between Migration and Acculturation Related-Stress, Attachment Style, and Psychological Distress in Arab Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylees
Advancing Professional Practice: Dissertations that contribute to a body of knowledge about complex problems of practice.
- Winner: Dr. Lisa M. Richardson, Educational Leadership, Advisor Dr. Carla Sparks, Dissertation title: An Evaluation of Virtual School’s Preparation of Second Grade Students for Third Grade Reading Proficiency
Innovative Research Design: Dissertations that employ inventive methodologies to address novel questions
- Winner: Dr. Azra Naqvi, Educational Leadership, Advisor Dr. Seema Imam, Dissertation title: Studying the impact of grit in the learning of young children by way of implementing a student-teacher mentorship program in elementary grades
Criteria for Evaluation
- Demonstrates high-quality research practices
- Demonstrates rigorous research design
- Appropriately applies relevant methodologies
- Careful and systematic analysis of data
- Quality of the Literature Review
- Provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge, critically discusses and analyzes scholarly literature, and when appropriate, identifies methodological problems and gaps in existing research.
- Provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge, critically discusses and analyzes scholarly literature, and when appropriate, identifies methodological problems and gaps in existing research.
- Demonstrates professional writing standards
- Presents a clear and cohesive argument
- Effectively presents and uses data to support claims/findings
- Writing is well organized, clear, engaging, and well edited.
- Potential to have an impact on the field
- Contributes significant knowledge on an important issue within the field
- Conclusions and recommendations propose actionable solutions to complex issues
- Study has the potential to make a positive difference
Award and Presentation
Recipients of the award will be acknowledged during the annual NLU Doctoral Research Symposium.
Eligibility
For consideration for the 2026 awards, dissertations must have been defended and approved between January 1, 2025-December 31, 2025, AND the dissertation must be uploaded to NLU Digital Commons by Friday, February 13, 2026.
Self-nominations and nominations by NLU faculty are both allowed.
Selection Process
Winners are selected by a volunteer award committee consisting of NLU doctoral program faculty and a representative from the office of the provost. The award committee will rate each submission using the published criteria. The committee reserves the right to not award a particular category if the committee believes the submissions do not meet the published criteria. The award recipient will be notified prior to the NLU Doctoral Symposium event.
Submission Requirements
Please note the eligibility requirements above.
All entries for Dissertation Awards are due by 11:59 on Friday, February 13, 2026. Please note that the dissertation must be uploaded to Digital Commons prior to the application submission and that the entry due date is a firm deadline so there is adequate time for review.
All entries should be submitted online here: Apply for NLU 2026 Outstanding Dissertation Awards.
Incomplete entries will not be reviewed. To complete the application, you will need the following:
- Dissertation Title, Author, Advisor and Program
- Email and phone number for the Dissertation Author
- Your Choice of Award Category
- The dissertation abstract (application asks you to cut/paste this text)
- Link to the full text version of the dissertation in Digital Commons
- Your Nomination Rationale:
- 1–2 paragraphs describing what you see as the main strengths of this dissertation.
- 1–2 paragraphs describing why this dissertation should be considered as outstanding in the award category you have chosen.
For any questions, please contact Shaunti Knauth, NLU Director of Engaged Research, at shaunti.knauth@nl.edu
