Four Doctoral Degrees to be Awarded at ESU's Spring Commencement

Four doctoral degrees, with concentrations in education administration and leadership, will be awarded during spring commencement exercises at East Stroudsburg University on Friday, May 9 at 7:00 p.m. in Koehler Fieldhouse. Janet L. Brennan of Carbondale, Pa., Elizabeth R. Buzzelli-Clarke from Stroudsburg, Pa., Kathleen M. Gulbin of Garden City, N.Y, and Rodney R. Troutman of Schnecksville, Pa. Brennan, Buzzelli-Clarke, Gulbin and Troutman earned the degrees through the ESU and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) collaborative doctoral degree program.

Ms. Brennan holds her master of science in reading education and a bachelor of music degrees from Marywood University. Her doctoral dissertation was titled, "A Comparison of Four-Year Teacher Preparation Programs in Secondary Mathematics Education."
Ms. Buzzelli-Clarke is currently an instructor of music at ESU. She earned her bachelor degree in music from Ithaca College and a master of education and a master of the arts from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The topic of her dissertation was "The Academic Environment of One Junior High School In Northeastern Pennsylvania as Perceived by the Administration and the English, Mathematics, and Music Faculty: An Ethnography."

Ms. Gulbin is currently the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Sewanhaka Central High School District in Floral Park, N.Y. She earned her master of education at ESU and her bachelor degree from the University of Scranton. Her doctoral dissertation was "Transformational Leadership: Is It a Factor for Improving Student Achievement in High Poverty Secondary Schools in Pennsylvania?"

Mr. Troutman is currently the principal of Orefield Middle School in the Parkland School District. He earned his master degree and principal certification at ESU and his bachelor degree in secondary education, social sciences, from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. His doctoral dissertation was "University / K-12 Partnerships: How One University Impacted High School Career Decision-Making Programs."

About the Doctoral Program in Education Administration and Leadership
The Professional and Secondary Education Department at ESU developed the idea for the collaborative doctoral degree program with Indiana University in 1999. IUP is the only university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education authorized to grant doctoral degrees. The collaborative delivery program provides accessibility to the program for students who live in proximity to East Stroudsburg and the Northeast Pa. region.

For more information about the doctoral program including applying for admission/acceptance, contact Dr. Douglas Lare, professional and secondary education department at dlare@po-box.esu.edu or (570) 422-3431.