ISU Awards August Doctorates

Illinois State awarded August doctoral degrees to the following individuals.

Anna Bodner of Louisville, Ky., received her Ph.D. in School Psychology.  Her dissertation is titled “Effortful Control and Young Children’s Emotional Responses to a Competitive Task.”  The daughter of Myrian and Paul Bodner of Louisville, Ky, Bodner is a school psychologist at Alachua County Public Schools in Gainesville, Fla.  A member of the American Psychological Association, Bodner received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Kentucky. 

Nancy Carter of Decatur received her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction.  The title of her dissertation is “Perceptions of Challenges, Knowledge and Skill for Community-based Nursing.”  The daughter of the late Charlotte and Donald Morthland of Decatur and wife of Gregory Carter, Carter is an assistant professor at Millikin University.  She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Illinois Chicago Medical Center and her master’s degree in public health nursing from the Peoria Regional Program of the University of Illinois.  Carter is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Theta Tau, the American Public Health Association and the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health.

Erin Curry of Danville received her Ph.D. in School Psychology.  Her dissertation is titled “The Relationship Between Mother-Child Mutuality During Sociodramatic Play, Pre-School Children’s Self-Regulation and Parenting Style.  The daughter of Cynthia and Harold Hopkins of Danville and wife of Ryan Curry, Curry is a school psychologist.  She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Illinois State.

Pam Ferguson of Galesburg received her Ph.D. in Educational Administration.  The title of her dissertation is “Transcultural Self-Efficacy in Graduating Nursing Students.  The daughter of Mary Logsdon of Canton, Mo., and the late James Logsdon and wife of Tom Ferguson, Ferguson is an assistant professor at Methodist College of Nursing in Peoria.  She received her associate’s degree in nursing at Southeastern Community College in Iowa, her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Iowa Wesleyan College and her master’s of science in nursing administration at Bradley University.  Ferguson is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Epsilon Epsilon Chapter and the National League of Nursing.

Dongming Guan of Peoria received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences.  His dissertation is titled “Fitness, Developmental Stability and Germline Mutation Rates in White-Footed Mice (Peromyscus Leucopus) Chronically Exposed to Heavy Metal Contamination.”  Guan is the son of Guiying Wei and Zetian Liu of China and is husband to Xiaoli Ren of Peoria. 

David Hammontree of Normal received his Ph.D. in English Studies.  The title of his dissertation is “Teaching (the) Everyday: Social Cleavages, Cultural Attitudes, and Cognitive Dissonance in the Critical Classroom.”  The son of Deb and Ronnie Hammontree of Lowpoint, Hammontree is an assistant professor of English composition and rhetoric at Purdue University.  He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political studies from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in English from Illinois State.  Hammontree is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English, Modern Language Association, American Studies Association, Sigma Tau Delta and Pi Sigma Alpha.

Pamela Hofbauer of Geneva received her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education.  Her dissertation is titled “Characterizing High School Students’ Understanding of the Purpose of Graphical Representations.”  The daughter of Edith and Leo Mathis of Carlyle and wife of the late Daniel Hofbauer, Hofbauer is an assistant professor at Saint Xavier University in Chicago.  She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from McKendree College and her master’s degree in instructional technology from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. 

Andrea Knapp of Normal received her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education.  Her dissertation is titled “Prompting Mathematics Teacher Development through Dynamic Discourse.”  The daughter of Ann and Steve Stoller of North Judson, Ind., and wife of Jonathan Knapp of Georgia, Knapp will be a lecturer at the University of Georgia.  She received her bachelor’s and master’s in mathematics from Illinois State. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Heart of Illinois Teachers of Mathematics. 

Carol Lind of Bloomington received her Ph.D. in English Studies.  The title of her dissertation is “Riddling in the Voices of Others: The Old English Exeter Book Riddles and a Pedagogy of the Anonymous.”  The daughter of Helen and Lelon (Bud) Brush of Quincy and wife of Ed Lind of Bloomington, Lind teaches at Illinois State University.  She received her bachelor’s degree in art education and her master’s degree in English studies at Illinois State.  She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta and the Medieval Association of the Midwest.

Beverly Malone of Chicago received her Ed.D. in Special Education.  Her dissertation is titled “Secondary Special Educators’ Perspectives and Self-Reported Practices Related to the Self-Determination Skills of High School Students with Disabilities.”  The daughter of the late Dorothy and late Charles Malone of Chicago, Malone is a guidance counselor at Proviso West High School.  She received her bachelor’s degree in education from Northern Illinois University and her master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Northeastern Illinois University. Malone is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children. 

Monica Noraian of Bloomington received her Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Foundations.  Her dissertation is titled “Sarah Raymond – The Nation’s First Female School Superintendent (1874-1892): A Biography of One Woman Learning to Dare and Daring to Lead.”  The daughter of Elaine Cousins of Bloomington and the late Peter Cousins of Ypsilanti, Mich., and wife of Kirk Noraian of Bloomington, Noraian teaches at Illinois State University.  She received her bachelor’s degree in history from American University in Washington, D.C. and her master’s degree in education from Harvard University.  She is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and the Children’s Discovery Museum Guild.

Petros Panaou of Normal received his Ph.D. in English Studies.  His dissertation is titled “Complex Crossings: European Picture Books and the Construct of Child-ness in National, European, and Global Contexts.”  Panaou is a teacher for the Ministry of Education in Cyprus.  He received his bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Cyprus and his master’s degree in English at Illinois State.  He is on the International Board on Books for Young People.

Cherie Rankin of Emden received her Ph.D. in English Studies.  The title of her dissertation is “Working It Through: Women’s Working-Class Literature, the Working-Woman’s Body, and Working-Class Pedagogy.”  The daughter of Ester Sparks of Lincoln and John Wibben of Tremont and wife of Gary Rankin, Rankin is an English instructor at Heartland Community College.  She received her bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University and her master’s degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

Alene Reuschel of Avon received her Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Foundations.  The title of her dissertation is “The Superintendency: Are There Servants Out There?”  The daughter of the late Ida and late Alexander Adamitis and wife of Paul Reuschel, Reuschel is a superintendent at Macomb CUSD 185.  She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and her Ed.S. from Western Illinois University.  She is a member of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, Phi Delta Kappa, Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, American Evaluation Association, American Association of School Administrators, Phi Alpha Theta and Phi Kappa Phi.

Michael Smith of Peoria receive his Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Foundations.  His dissertation is titled “Principals as Role Makers: A Study of Illinois Principals’ Perceptions of Instructional Leadership.”  The son of John Smith of Elk Grove and the late Juanita Burdick and husband of Brenda Smith of Peoria, Smith is a Spanish teacher at Peoria Public School District 150.  He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Illinois State. 

Brent Sylvester of Eureka received his Ph.D. in School Psychology.  His dissertation is titled “Exploration of Processes Related to Outcomes of Adolescent Parenting: Caregiving Self-Efficacy among Adolescent Mothers.”  The son of Christine and Donald Sylvester of Peoria, Sylvester is a school psychologist for Livingston County Special Services.

Kevin Thompson of LeRoy received his Ph.D. in Mathematics Education.  His dissertation is titled “Students’ Understanding of Trigonometry Enhanced through the Use of a Real World Problem: Improving the Instructional Sequence.”  The son of Carolyn and Gary Thompson of Rochester and husband of Sara of LeRoy, Thompson is the math department chair and a teacher at University High School.  He received his associate’s degree in mathematics at LincolnLand Community College, his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Western Illinois University and his master’s degree in mathematics at Illinois State.  Thompson is a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.