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| Dr. Mom: Mother, Grandmother to Earn Long Island University’s Top Degree
Joni Lelchuk and Paula Maurino, members of the 2007 graduating class of the Ph.D. program at the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at C.W. Post, conducted research on Internet topics – health care Web sites and distance learning -- that stem from their personal lives. Lelchuk, Maurino and Angela Heath, Joseph Kasten and James Smith are the 2007 graduates of the Palmer School’s Ph.D. program in Information Studies. The only program of its kind in the New York metropolitan area, the C.W. Post information studies doctoral program celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. C.W. Post also confers the Psy.D. in clinical psychology and will graduate 14 candidates from this doctoral program at commencement. Smart Listening Lelchuk’s dissertation focused on enhancing health Web sites with audio to help people better understand cancer and its treatments. “Many non-native English speakers have low literacy levels and can’t access the information they need on the Internet,” said the Great Neck resident and mother of six daughters, who works as a guidance counselor at Bayside High School. “If we enhance Web sites with audio where this information can be read to them at a very basic level, they can understand quickly and manage their own health care.” Her interest was personal. Her daughter had been diagnosed with cancer. Then, while working toward her degree, Lelchuk herself was diagnosed with skin cancer on her face, which required reconstructive surgeries. “It was a very difficult time,” she said. She lost a year of study and considered abandoning her pursuit of the Ph.D., but in the end chose to see it through. “I need to help people,” she said. “It’s embedded in me.” Learning How We Learn Paula Maurino of Huntington is familiar with her dissertation topic -- distance learning and online threaded discussions -- first-hand. A professor in the computer systems department at Farmingdale State College, Maurino has been teaching online, as well as in the classroom, for seven years. “I have always been interested in the challenges that the online environment presents to the teacher and the students,” she said. “I looked for ways to combat the problems presented in a virtual classroom. I was particularly interested in trying to enhance student-to-student and student-to-teacher interaction.” While at the program, Maurino had five of her papers published in journals. She says will continue to teach, write and conduct research. A mother to four and grandmother to one, her family was supportive of her and in some cases, paid careful attention to her methods. “My two daughters would like to get Ph.D.s in the future and as a result, were very interested in the process it entailed,” she said. The Ph.D. in Information Studies is structured to accommodate part-time students who are already working in the information field or in related professions. Courses are often primarily in the evenings and on weekends to fit busy lifestyles. The Class of 2007 includes 964 baccalaureate degree candidates, 1,832 master's degree candidates, 14 graduates receiving the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology and 5 receiving the Ph.D. in Information Studies. C.W. Post’s commencement ceremonies also include graduates from Southampton College and the Southampton Graduate Campus of Long Island University. For more information call the C.W. Post Commencement Hotline at 516-299-3242 or visit www.liu.edu/cwpcommencement The C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, located in Brookville, N.Y., enrolls 8,500 students in more than 255 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in accountancy, business, education, liberal arts and sciences, information and computer science, health professions and nursing, public service, and visual and performing arts. C.W. Post also offers doctorates in information studies and clinical psychology as well as an extensive continuing education program. C.W. Post is part of Long Island University, one of the largest and most comprehensive private universities in the United States. Posted: May 11, 2007 |
Brookville, N.Y. -- A mother of six daughters and a grandmother of one are among the graduates who will be awarded Long Island University’s top degree at commencement on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 13 at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University.| Long Island University | C.W. Post Campus |