Doctoral student Emily Miller was selected to receive the Arol Schack Dissertation Award for 2022–23. Her dissertation is titled “An Exploration of the Impact of Potentially Traumatic Event Exposure and Social Support on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
The PhD in Social Welfare program’s Arol Shack Dissertation Award was established through donations from friends and alumni of the program along with a matching gift from Gigi Nordquist. The fund honors the many years of work and dedication that Arol Shack devoted to the doctoral program, its students and faculty members as the department assistant.
One to two awards are given each year depending on funds and the number of applications received. Funds are used to support the student’s work on his/her dissertation research. The expectation is that the work funded through this award will be completed by the end of the one-year grant award period. Full-time and part-time students who have an approved prospectus, a dissertation chair and have passed the qualifying exam, are eligible to apply. Any dissertation topic is accepted.
A faculty committee reviews the applications for the dissertation award and makes recommendations to the chair of the doctoral program based on the merits of the proposals and the financial needs of the applicant. Formal recognition of the award occurs at the graduate studies awards ceremony each spring.