Doctoral Alumni Profiles

My University of Phoenix doctoral studies helped me learn to combine abstract and concrete ideas, as well as search the literature for support of my articulations. I was exposed to business and finance theories, enabling me to view the health care field from a broader perspective. I also learned from the expertise of my faculty and learning team members. It was an awakening experience. My critical thinking is now a more mature model that includes considering multiple ideas at the same time to achieve the most effective outcome.

This has been vital in my roles as an appraiser, consultant outside of my institution, and director within my institution for a prestigious program recognizing organizations that provide nursing excellence. I firmly believe that diseases and patient treatment will change. By being an effective leader and actively encouraging RNs to also become more effective leaders, I can make a difference and help the health care field meet the challenges of these changes.

In high school, I took an interest inventory that showed my top two interest areas were naval officer and army officer. So I enrolled in the U.S. Military Academy at West Point—joining only the second class that allowed women cadets. Today I’m a military leadership professor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In this position, I believe my doctoral degree from University of Phoenix has given me additional knowledge, understanding and patience, as well as added respect from my colleagues and military officer students. In fact, obtaining my doctoral degree has added to my self-awareness and improved my confidence level in all facets of my life.

The benefits of my educational journey such as new learning, greater understanding of leadership theories and processes, better writing skills, and newfound friendships with fellow learners, committee members and professors far outweigh the time I spent reading, preparing for class, writing and researching my required papers and my dissertation. The professors were extremely professional, competent and focused on expanding learner growth, while the computer tech support was exceptional.

My experience with University of Phoenix has been part of an amazing personal and professional journey. In 1997, I began a bachelor’s program in business at the same time I started a real estate management company. A week after I completed my bachelor’s degree, I began an MBA program. With the knowledge I gained at University of Phoenix, the business grew. I sold the business in 2003 and began the Doctor of Business Administration program. Later, I began developing curriculum and teaching for several online universities. Recently, I joined a company as leader of a new business unit that is developing a knowledge management system for the next generation of the Internet. University of Phoenix’s motto of applying what you learn was certainly true for me. The classes were stimulating and the group work and projects added a great deal of practical knowledge. I was constantly challenged and grew professionally as I grew academically. The knowledge gained and the discipline necessary to succeed in the classroom contributed greatly to my success.

After working 25 years in the information technology business, with different responsibilities from systems analysis to general management, I decided to pursue a doctoral degree in management. The main reason for enrolling at University of Phoenix was the ability to study online.

The way University of Phoenix used technology in creating, accessing and participating in classes was enlightening and played a critical role in the learning process. Utilizing learning teams as one of the tools in classes was an exceptionally beneficial tool in my learning process. Additionally, the yearly residency programs strengthened my confidence in the program.

The decision to earn my doctorate was surmounted by the discovery that I was "swimming on the shore" in my management experience. The deepness and thoroughness of the different management theories studied during my program at University of Phoenix have driven me to look into a very complicated and specialized business area, namely the family business in the Middle East, which is the subject of my dissertation. My completion of the Doctor of Management program motivated my family members to pursue similar paths and authenticated the motto that "life should be productive until the last moment of our lives."

Actually, I did not intend to seek an additional degree when I started the doctoral program at University of Phoenix. Having never been involved in online learning, I was eager to determine the value of this educational approach for myself. Once I started the courses, I found the information and learning to be of increasing value to my own work and simply couldn’t quit.

During one course, my learning team created an innovative model related to prediction, adaptation and change. We decide to pursue publishing the model in a recognized journal, and to our great delight, the journal editors found our model relevant to contemporary leadership and published it. Since then, a number of heath care organizations have referenced and used our model. Besides the thrill of being published, my learning team was excited that what we had developed as students at University of Phoenix had relevance and value to organizations outside our program.

Earning my doctorate has taught me to look deeper and become more discerning. I question what I previously assumed to be true. I retired after 22 years in the military, and began working in the area of counterintelligence. I was seeking out the enemy in Afghanistan while writing my dissertation. I spent my days visiting local police stations and villages and searching caves. My nights were spent putting the final touches on my dissertation. I gave my oral defense from a rooftop in Afghanistan, while other doctoral learners listened in during one of their residencies. They were so excited for me and the results of my study! My research offers a guideline for security leaders to help employees more effectively use information technology to catch criminals. I use the results every day in my full-time job and consulting business. I plan to continue to make a difference in today’s world by sharing the results of my model in a book and expanding my side businesses.