Student Profiles (EdD)

Our students have diverse educational, professional, and personal backgrounds and experiences. See the student profiles below for a sampling:

Name: Kristina Keller
Current position: Dean of Business and IT
Current institution: St. Cloud Technical and Community College
Email address: kkeller@sctcc.edu

Education: I have a Business Management Degree from U of MN, Crookston. My MBA is from SCSU and includes concentrations in HR and Operations Management. I have also completed the Education Lean Certification program at Winona State University and the Intercultural Foundations certificate program at Pacific University. I am a certified facilitator in IDI, ICS, SEED, and Education Lean and have gone through training to be a MN Council for Quality Evaluator.

Professional Experience:  I have worked as the Dean of Business and IT for 6 years.  Prior to this, I was a Business faculty member at Northland College for 5 years and Valley City State University for 1 year.  Prior to working in education I worked as a hotel manager, technical writer, and marketing project coordinator.

Research Interests: Succession planning in higher education, education lean initiatives, evaluation systems in higher education, labor relations, curriculum development and assessment

Thoughts about the Ed.D. program: Among the things I appreciate about the program are the ability to tie assignments directly to my work with SCTCC and MNSC, the expertise of instructors and the variety of student experiences that enhance the classroom discussions, the timely response of feedback on assignments, the cohort model, and the annual scheduling plan.

Name: Kimberly F. Roan
Current position: Registrar
Current institution: Anoka Technical College
Email address: roki0902@stcloudstate.edu

Education: BS,Early Childhood Education; M.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in Youth Development Leadership; Certificate, Program Evaluation

Professional Experience: My background in higher education, as a staff member, student, and manager is broad. I have practice and understanding of process, procedure, and policy within multiple systems. This has been gleaned through experiences with assessment of programs and processes, skills in utilizing technology, and managing, training, and hiring of professional and support staff. I have leadership, supervisory, and management experience in areas to accomplish admissions, records and registration, transfer evaluation, advising, academic progress, major and degree completion, data maintenance and development, studentsand employees diversityevent coordination, curriculum development, and program evaluation. All of theseexperiences have contributed to my knowledge of needs assessment standards, seamless communication methods, and high quality student support services.My experience at a historically black college and university (HBCU), predominately white university, and technical college has also allowed me to develop a unique view of higher education in each of the areas mentioned.

Research Interests: The retention of African American women in higher education; the benefits of a culturally diverse workforce; how successful is the academy in preparing African American women administrators; mentorship of higher education administrators.

Thoughts about the Ed.D. program: I love the Higher Education Administration doctoral program at St. Cloud State. Each course and instructor has aided in my personal and professional development in the last two years.I believe the courses are strategically designed and sequentially taught to develop and enhance multiple concepts which can be immediately applied to daily work responsibilities. My long term goal is to become a college president and I strongly believe I will be very successful because of my many "ah ha" momentsof concepts learned, collegial relationships established during group projects, candid assessments of competencies, and direct application of learning from each course within the program. The cohort and weekend model is extremely beneficial to the success of each student and I would highly recommend the program to anyone who desires to pursue a doctoral program in Higher Education Administration.

Name: Wara Karim
Current position: Graduate Assistant, University Communications
Current institution: St. Cloud State University
Email address: kawa0801@stcloudstate.edu
Education: M.Sc. in Mass Communications

Professional Experience: Teaching Assistant, SCSU MassCommunications Department; Communications Officer, Grameenphone Ltd., Dhaka, Bangladesh; Contributor, The Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

I also currently serve as the secretary and board member of the Multicultural Center of Central Minnesota, a non-profit organization committed to building bridges across cultures.

Research Interests: Women in higher education; foreign students in U.S. colleges and universities.

Thoughts about the Ed.D. program: The way the Ed.D. program is designed gives full-time students and full-time professionals the opportunity to pursue it; the weekend classes work great for most students. Additionally, the wonderful thing about a cohort is that after spending several years together the studentsbecome great friends.

Name: Jodi Monerson
Current position: Area Coordinator
Current institution: Winona State University
Email address: anjo0902@stcloudstate.edu

Education: B.S. in Education, minor in music, M.S. in Educational Leadership specializing in Teacher and General Leadership.

Professional Experience: I began my professional experience by teaching pre-school in Roseville, MN. Upon receiving an emergency hire contract as a Residence Hall Director at Winona State University, my entire career path changed as I found a true passion for working in Student Affairs. I was a Residence Hall Director for 3 years, and then was promoted to Area Coordinator and have been in that position for the past 1.5 years.

Research Interests: Leadership development; student development.

Awards:"Leadership Pin" award for exemplary performance (2010); "Bronze Pin" award for exemplary performance in (2009); Regional Honorable Mention for "Advisor of the Month" award (2007); Campus recipient of "Advisor of the Month" (2007).

Thoughts about the Ed.D. program: I have really enjoyed the classes, the professors, and especially the cohort model. The strong support and encouragement that I have received from my fellow classmates have made it all possible. It's been a great experience and I am excited to be graduating this coming spring!

Name: Adam Klepetar
Current position: Administrative Director of the Division of General Studies and University Placement Testing
Current institution: St. Cloud State University
Email address: asklepetar@stcloudstate.edu

Education: B.A., St. John’s University, 2001, Major: Management; M.S., St. Cloud State University, College Counseling and Student Development.

Professional Experience: I have worked at St. Cloud State University since March of 2001. In that time I have worked in the Office of Admissions, Records and Registration and currently in the Division of General Studies. I have been extremely lucky to work in higher education because of the wide breadth of experiences I have had both on campus on beyond.

Research Interests: First Year Experience, Service Learning, Summer Bridge Programs, Conflict in the Classroom.

Awards: Internship Supervisor of the Year 2009-2010 for College Counseling and Student Development program; Dean’s Scholarship for Doctoral Students (2009); Reach Up Head Start Volunteer award (2009); Outstanding Facilitator of the Year Award for Circle of Parents in the State of Minnesota (2008).

Publications:

• Published and presented the article, Creating Conflict to Improve Decision Making in Culturally Diverse Settings: Cognitive and Affective Implications at the International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning conference in Palm Spring California in October 2006.

• Published and presented the article, The Impact of the Cognitive Development of Young Adults on Learning Business Ethics in a Global Context at the Global Conference for Business Ethics at Oxford University in June 2005.

Presentations:

• Presented Sustaining Success Through an Integrated Student Experience at the National Learning Communities Conference, November 2011.
• Presented Enhancing At-Risk Students Success through Best-Practice Approaches NASPA IV-East Regional Conference 2009.
• Presented The Impact of Conflict On Learning at The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning conference on Culture Matters: Designing Learning Environments to Foster Cultural Awareness and Intercultural Competence.

Thoughts about the Ed.D. program:

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Ed.D program and the Higher Education Administration community at St. Cloud State University. I have found friends, colleagues and mentors through my work in the program. I would specifically like to recognize Drs. Imbra, Silvestre, Mills and Macari for their ongoing commitment to the students that they work with. All of them have continually challenged and supported me and my classmates through a life changing experience. I feel humbled to be part of a community of such wonderful professionals and people.

Name: Mary Tosch
Current position: Director, Hobson Memorial Union
Current institution: Bemidji State University
Email address: toma0804@stcloudstate.edu

Education: B.S. in Biology from Grand Valley State University; M.Ed. in Educational Administrations & Foundations from Illinois State University.

I have also studied abroad at the Academia of Economics in Krakow, Poland and at the University of Macerata, in Macerata, Italy. During my educational career, I have attended 7 different institutions from a community college to 4-year public institutions. I also enjoyed a semester practicum experience at a private 4-year liberal arts institution. All of these experiences are helpful to this day as I work with students.

Professional Experience: I have been fortunate to be employed in three different states in my career (Texas, Illinois, and Minnesota). I have diverse experience in student involvement, orientation, housing and dining, marketing, cross-university event planning, and the student union. All of these roles have provided opportunities to grow in various skill areas such as, but not limited to, supervision, leadership, assessment, fiscal responsibility, and facilities.

Research Interests: Campus activities boards, student involvement, learning outcomes of student experiences.

Awards: Lud Spoylar Distinguished Service, Minnesota College Personnel Association (2010); Canon Fellowship, Division of Student Affairs, Northern Illinois University (2004-2005); Outstanding Professional, Association of Campus Activities Administrators (2004).

Thoughts about the Ed.D. program: I choose SCSU because of its design. I wanted a cohort model and a program that would work for full time working professionals. I found this and more in the SCSU program. I have found the faculty and staff to be warm, welcoming, and willing to help you along the way. The cohort model has really helped me through the program and, even as I write my dissertation, the support of my cohort and the faculty is still there helping me move forward. I also appreciate the opportunities to do a variety of things outside of my area of expertise. New opportunities and associations are presented to you as a student. I could not have asked for a better experience. Thank you.