Through our supportive faculty and cohort-based model, our PhD program generates strong communities of educational leaders. As a member of a cohort, you’ll progress through courses and the dissertation process along with fellow doctoral candidates. This model creates a dynamic, interactive setting, which is ideal for collaboration and networking both during doctoral studies and after graduation. 

Upon obtaining their doctorates, our alumni have advanced their careers in K-12, higher education, and non-profit management. Among their accomplishments, our alumni have received accolades such as Maine Superintendent of the Year, Maine High School Principal of the Year, Maine Assistant Principal of the Year, Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership, and serving on the International Advisory Board of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Principals’ Center.

Alumni Careers & Dissertations

Below you can browse our alumni career details as well as their dissertation topics and abstracts.

  • Paul Austin  — Superintendent of Schools, Superintendent for RSU 67, Lincoln, Maine 
    • Dissertation Title: An Examination of Response to Intervention Development and Implementation Relative to Best Practice
  • Jane Crowley — (Retired) Literacy Interventionist and RtI Coordinator, Grades 6-8, MSAD 51
    • Dissertation Title: A view from the bottom: The self-perceptions of highly regarded teachers’ experiences in a time of multiple policy implementation
  • Andrew Dolloff — Superintendent of Schools, Yarmouth, Maine
    • Dissertation Title: Resource Allocation in Maine’s More Efficient Public High Schools
  • Becky Foley — (Retired) Superintendent of Schools, RSU 5: Durham, Freeport, Pownal
    • Dissertation Title: Breaking Barriers to Achieve the Superintendency
  • Patrick Hartnett — Principal, Yarmouth High School, Yarmouth Maine
    • Dissertation Title: Principal Leadership in Improving Rural High Schools in Maine
  • Ken Lanik — Science Teacher, Windham High School RSU14
    • Dissertation Title: Personal Experiences of White School Leaders in Addressing Issues of Race within Predominantly White School Communities
  • Barbara Maling — Principal, York Middle School
    • Dissertation Title: An Examination of How Middle School Principals Make Sense of their Role in Leading Standards-Based Educational Reform
  • Diane R. Nadeau — Assistant Superintendent, Scarborough School District
    • Dissertation Title: Addressing Critical Shortages: An Examination of Supports for Early Career Special Educators in Maine
  • Kim O’Donnell — Assistant Superintendent, Westbrook School Department
    • Dissertation Title: Examining School Administrators’ Beliefs and Perceptions Regarding Transgender Students
  • Heather Perry — Superintendent of Schools, Gorham School Department, Gorham, Maine
    • Dissertation Title: The Economic Impacts of School Closure in Rural Maine
  • Chris Record — Superintendent, Cape Elizabeth School District
    • Dissertation Title: Secondary School Principal Stress and Coping Strategies
  • Megan Welter —  Associate Commissioner of Public Education, Maine DOE
    • Dissertation Title: Without a Map: An Examination of District Leadership During the COVID-19 Crisis
  • Jessica Yates —Director of Special Education Director, Brunswick School Department
    • Dissertation Title: An Examination of the Relationship between the Achievement of Students with High Incidence Disabilities and Maine State Compliant Standards-Based Individualized Educational Programs
  • Clara Jean Howard — Assistant Professor, Secondary Education at University of Maine Farmington
    • Dissertation Title: “Academic Languages Isn’t Easy”:English Learners Perceptions of Learning in High School
  • Stephen Marquis — Superintendent, Regional School Unit 57, Waterboro, Maine
    • Dissertation Title: Investigating the Influence of Professional Development on Teacher Perceptions of I Engineering Self-Efficacy
  • Brian Mazjanis — Director of School Finance, Westbrook Schools, Westbrook, Maine
    • Dissertation Title: Different Summers: Measuring the Effect Size of Summer Vacation on Reading and Mathematics Achievement Scores for Different Populations of Maine Students
  • Julianne R. Opperman — Writer/Educational Consultant
    • Dissertation Title:  Elementary Teachers Committed to Actively Teaching Science and Engineering
  • Jonathan Payne — Senior Program Manager, JFF
    • Dissertation Title: A Pilot Benefit and Cost Analysis Study of Sponsors of Registered Apprenticeships in Maine
  • Mark Schrader — Building Administrator K-8, MSAD #72
    • Dissertation Title:  Understanding Elementary-Aged Student Engagement
  • Justin Stebbins — Instructional Coach, Scarborough Middle School, Scarborough, Maine
    • Dissertation Title: The Effects of Grading Practices on Motivations for Learning at the Middle School Level
  • Erika Stump — Learning Assessment Specialist, Bates College
    • Dissertation Title: Students Beating the Odds: A Multilevel Analysis of Factors Relating to Academic Achievement among Students Living in Persistent Poverty
  • Grace Valenzuela —Director, Multilingual & Multicultural Center, Portland Public Schools, Maine
    • Dissertation Title: Academic Performance of High School Students from Refugee Backgrounds
  • Holly Bean — Director, Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Southern Maine 
    • Dissertation Title: Mental Health and Persistence to Graduation for Postsecondary Students Receiving Campus Counseling – A Comparison Study
  • Paul Cochrane — Executive Director of Digital Learning Strategy, University of Southern Maine
    • Dissertation Title: Crafting the Experience of Online Education: Student and Faculty Perceptions of Quality
  • Erin Connor — Associate Dean for Graduate and Continuing Education, University of Maine at Farmington
    • Dissertation Title: Ready?: The Experiences of Maine High School Graduates in Remedial College Classes
  • Laura Cyr — Legislative and Constituent Services Specialist, Maine Department of Education
    • Dissertation Title:  Bridging the Gap: A Case Study Evaluation of the Opportunity Maine Tax Credit
  • Paul Dexter — Director of Academic Retention Initiatives, University of Southern Maine
    • Dissertation Title: The Influence of Engagement Upon Success and Persistence of Online Undergraduates
  • Emma Gelsinger — Senior Director, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Austin, Texas
    • Dissertation Title:  Federal Work-Study Program Equity: A Public University System Survey and Aggregate Data Analysis
  • Sarah E. Holmes — Assistant Dean of Students and Deputy Title IX Coordinator, University of Southern Maine
    • Dissertation Title: LGBTQ+ Students and Campus Sexual Violence: Prevalence Rates and the Effect of Expansive Demographic Questions
  • Vincent J. Kloskowski, III — Executive Director of College, Career, and Extended Learning Opportunities, MSAD 17
    • Dissertation Title: Understanding the Outcomes From Boots to Books: A Study of the Higher Education Experiences of Student Veterans
  • Jason C. Libby — Postsecondary Education Pathways & Opportunities Manager, Maine Department of Education
    • Dissertation Title: Rural Secondary School Educator Perceptions of College Going Culture In Their Schools 
  • Mike Matis — Adoption Lead, Technology Transformation Services, United States Government
    • Dissertation Title: Effects of Universal Design for Learning on Faculty and Student Outcomes in Postsecondary Online Courses
  • Holly Parker — Director, Schiller Coastal Studies Center at Bowdoin College
    • Dissertation Title: Leadership of Heart and Mind: Examining the Mind and Skill Sets of Student Sustainability Leadership
  • Stacy Stewart — Career Advisor, University of Southern Maine
    • Dissertation Title: Grit and Self-Control as Predictors of First-Year Student Success
  • Regan A. Thibodeau — ASL Professor and Interpreter, University of Southern Maine
    • Dissertation Title: Dynamics of Deaf Leadership: A Theoretical Model