The first cohort of students studying to earn their Doctor of Professional Studies in Information Management will graduate from Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies this May. The 10 students are defending their theses this semester.
The iSchool’s DPS in Information Management is designed for mid-career professionals who want to hone their skills and become leaders in their industries. From IT professionals and data analysts to project managers and other professionals, they study alongside a diverse group of students during the three-year program.
John Jordan, a professor of practice and research professor, is the program director for DPS. While most students study topics closely related to their careers, he says, some want to pivot and focus on a new area of expertise.
“It’s super fascinating stuff, and they’re doing just amazing work,” Jordan said. “The students grow incredibly close. They go on vacation together. They are planning reunions already.”
Jordan shared a list of the 10 students set to graduate this May, along with their thesis topics and advisors:
Rachel Rutkoski
“How Disruptions in Indirect Procurement Impact an Organization’s Adoption of Technology: An Applied Research Thesis”
Advisor: John Jordan
Jeremiah Owoh
“A Case Study: Exploring Covid-19 Pandemic Influence on Videoconferencing Groupware Implementation in U.S. Signal Brigades”
Advisor: Scott Bernard
Rebecca Davis Kelly
“The Democratization of Design: A Case Study Looking at the Do-It-Yourself Designers on Dribbble”
Advisor: Jeff Hemsley
Jane Asantewaa Appiah-Okyere
“Enhancing Teacher Training in Ghana Using the Internet backpack”
Advisor: John Jordan
Rebecca Williams
“The Impact of Sociocultural Barriers on Haitian Americans’ Financial Literacy”
Advisor: John Jordan
Matt Arsenault
“Critical Evaluation and Recommendations of Methods to Visualize Uncertainty
in Static Image Maps of Climate Change Model Outputs”
Advisor: Steve Sawyer
Kathryn Vanzandt Egan
“Words Matter: Ensuring the Inclusion of Neurodivergent Populations in the Digital Surveillance of Depression and Suicidal Ideation”
Advisor: Jenny Stromer-Galley
Rand Kato
“Examining Barriers that Prevent County Election Security: The Role of Transparency Towards the Completeness of Cybersecurity Governance”
Advisor: Scott Bernard
Ben Harwood
“Behind the Social Media Veil: Exploring the Impact of Real-World Bias on Transition Probability Inference”
Advisor: Jeff Stanton
Denise Devine
“Dataset FAIRness: The Role of Data Curation and Metadata in Traditional and Open Research Datasets”
Advisor: Steve Wallace