Congratulations to Gelaine Williams, who on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, successfully defended her dissertation.
The title of Gelaine’s dissertation is, "INTERPRETIVE INQUIRY OF CAREER CENTER PRACTITIONERS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES INTERPRETATIONS OF THE NACE CAREER READINESS COMPETENCIES."
Overview of Problem: The public and political discourse regarding whether college graduates are career-ready has heightened the accountability pressures for higher educational institutions. Scholars have investigated this career readiness phenomenon at four-year colleges with limited focus on the community college. Therefore, this study will examine the career readiness dilemma from the perspective of community college career practitioners.
Research Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe how career center practitioners at community colleges interpret the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies for their student career preparation work.
Research Design: An interpretive qualitative study will be utilized to explore perspectives of Career Center practitioners at community colleges using the theoretical lens of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory.
Sample: The research sample will consist of 15 career center practitioners from across the United States who have served in their current role as Director, Coordinator or Manager for at least three years.
Data Collection: Data will be collected from semi-structured, one-on-one, 60-90-minute participant interviews.
Dissertation Committee Chair:
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
Dissertation Committee Members:
Dr. Robert M. Mangione
Dr. Gwendolyn D. Roundtree Evans
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