For Marj DeVault

Marj DeVault, Professor (Just Retired),
Maxwell School of Public Administration, Syracuse University

I meant to post this for you, Marj, on the Day of your party. I'm sorry I missed your BIG DAY.

Remember the Acknowledgments page in my dissertation?

"I am indebted to many people for the completion of this dissertation, not all of whom I
am able to list in a detailed fashion. To the following I owe my utmost gratitude:

Marjorie DeVault, my advisor, for taking me "from crayons to perfume" (To Sir with Love). You continually teach and model for me, in exquisite ways, the knowledge and practice of research, scholarly writing, mentoring, teaching, service and so much more. The thrill and pleasure I derived in crafting this study and writing it up are entirely due to your astute and gentle guidance.

Other members of my dissertation committee ... etc. etc." Someday I will post the full Acknowledgments. Now, I'd like the spotlight to be entirely on you.

When no one had time for me, you were always there.

Success in achieving a PhD depends upon a close and effective working relationship with one’s advisor and mentor. And yet, while virtually every doctoral student has a research advisor, survey data from the PhD Completion Project and other studies show that not every student has access in their doctoral program to someone they consider a mentor. (Council of Graduate Schools)

I am very blessed to have you as my advisor-mentor. Even when I was miles away from Syracuse, I knew I would complete my dissertation, because I had every trust in your support.

Happy retirement Marj! Much love!

Much Love

Different strokes for different folks

Some advice to heed in this PHD journey:

Don't fall into the trap of comparing your situation with others. No two PhD's are the same. A little competition can be a motivator, but in general try to mix with people who have a positive or helpful attitude. If this is not possible, then find a PhD blog or try to meet with other PhD students at University events. Read more.

For myself, I find it particularly helpful to look outward. Being in AERA Div C has been a blessing. It's good to have their support and get inspired. PhD work is intense. It drives some people insane sometimes: some students may feel insecure or miserable about themselves because they start comparing themselves with others who clear milestones faster than them. Personally, staying out of social networks (like FaceBook) regularly keeps me ignorant of too much unwanted information. :) Just focus on your journey, be open to helping others when you can and move on to complete your own journey.

BTW, did you know that PHD Comics is being turned into a movie? Yeah!

Beyond cognition

Back to my research focus on motivating creativity. As Amabile (1997, 1998) posited in her Componential Theory of Creativity, abilities and skills alone are insufficient to bring about creativity in a domain unless one is motivated and willing to do so. How can we motivate people to be innovation-oriented? What is it in the environment - including human and non-human resources - that can inspire someone to be creative and willing to work at it? Let me know.

Just finished submitting my AECT 2010 proposal. Yay!

PAGE-Imagining America

I went to the Publicly Active Graduate Education forum today with Page (pun unintended), a fellow doctoral student. The gathering was interesting; it was fascinating to hear scholars from different disciplines talk about what's on their heart: how to get beyond the ivory tower to make their research accessible; how to connect with the community through their research; the desire not to mess up the community by walking away when the research is done. Really, how does one sustain research in a community after one graduates and not make others feel like they have been 'used'?

I helped with a grant project last fall and had to discontinue my efforts this semester because I was overextended. I felt bad but one has to manage one's time wisely.

Several ideas were proposed at the meeting and I am waiting for the follow-up.