The classes, reading, papers, research, exams, endless paperwork and bureaucratic hurdles involved in earning a doctorate all culminate in the presentation and defense of your dissertation before a university committee. This committee is charged with evaluating your fitness to be awarded academes' top accomplishment - the doctorate.

On Friday, March 2, 2007 at 10:00 a.m., PLNU Associate Professor Kathleen Czech defended her dissertation before a faculty committee at the University of San Diego. After explaining her research and answering questions for 90 minutes, the candidate was excused from the room while the committee deliberated and made its decision. When Kathleen was invited back into the seminar room, she was greeted by her committee chairperson with a handshake, a hug, and the words: "Congratulations Dr. Czech!"

Dr. Czech earned her degree from the Leadership Studies program in the School of Education at USD. She completed this program while working as a full-time faculty member in communication at PLNU. Her dissertation assessed faculty perceptions of department chair communication and leadership, and was passed by her committee without revision. The project was so well conceived and executed that she was able to explain an astounding 62% of the variance in perceptions of chair effectiveness and 69% of the variance in faculty-chair relationship satisfaction. When asked to summarize her findings in a sentence, Czech replied: "Ledership is a communication phenomenon." Dr. Czech has already submitted a paper to a communication conference based on her dissertation research.