Institute Names 2009 Dissertation Award Winner

The University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives has awarded the 2009 Doctoral Dissertation Grant to Raymond Cummings, Jr. Mr. Cummings is pursuing his Ed.D. at Teachers College, Columbia University. His research examines how stakeholders at one urban Catholic school conceptualize and promote success for Black students.

Institute Doctoral Dissertation Grants are intended to support the work of young scholars whose research addresses critical issues facing Catholic schools and shows clear potential for making a significant contribution to Catholic education as a field of study. They are awarded annually through a national competition administered by the Institute for Educational Initiatives, and applications are reviewed by an interdisciplinary review panel at the Institute. Recipients receive a one-year stipend and travel accommodations to Notre Dame for presentation of dissertation findings to the annual ACE Fellowship Conference and/or an annual conference of the fellow’s area of study.

Raymond Cummings, Jr. is the second graduate student to earn the Institute's award. The inaugural Doctoral Dissertation Grant was awarded to Mark Low of Michigan State University in 2008. The Doctoral Dissertation Grant program is part of a broad strategy of the Institute for Educational Initiatives to build a field of Catholic education.