Meet Our Graduate Students

David L. Craig

David L. Craig, sociology graduate student in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences at East Carolina University, and a 36-year-old African American father of three children from eastern North Carolina, is a testament to the transformative power of education.

The son of a single mom in Goldsboro, NC, David avoided the temptations of the streets by joining the military prior to the first Gulf War. His discipline emanates not only from his military experience and being a Gulf War veteran, but also from his faith and his ability to understand that individual actions have consequences not only for the individuals themselves, but also for broader societies as well as our global community.

Upon his discharge from the military in 1992, David intermittently attended college classes while working various jobs in a number of occupations. In January of 2005, David enrolled in Mount Olive College full time and completed the last two years of his undergraduate studies, graduating Magna cum Laude.

Without taking time off, he then entered the Master of Arts program in Sociology at East Carolina University and completed the requirements for his master’s degree in an unusually short, year and four months.

David says his drive emanates from his love for his children, community and country, as well as his desire to be able to ask passionate questions as to the nature of things.

During his undergraduate and graduate degree work, David came to realize that his sociological training would allow him to answer burning questions about some of the inequalities and stereotypes he had witnessed as a child and studied as an adult.

In the sociology master’s program at ECU, he turned his training to the important issue of drug dealing in the United States. Since the crack epidemic of the 80’s and 90’s, media accounts and findings from various studies have suggested that the typical drug dealer is an African American male from a poor economic background. However, David discovered much of the research on the topic is flawed and unconvincing.

Working with his advisor, Dr. Marieke Van Willigen, David used a nationally representative sample of 4,332 metropolitan adolescent males aged 14 through 17 in order to ascertain: 1) if there are any significant differences in the rates at which black and white adolescent males engage in the sale of illegal drugs, and 2) if so or not, then why.

Results of his analyses not only showed no significant difference in the sale of illegal drugs among black and white youth, but also that black parenting and black youths’ interest in school act to suppress black youths’ illegal drug dealing. Results also demonstrated religious beliefs and activities may be an important factor preventing black youth from becoming involved in the sale of illegal drugs.

Several predictor variables affected black and white youth differently. For example, income was found to positively affect illegal drug dealing among white youth, but had no impact upon black youths’ illegal drug dealing. The overall results suggest that activities which enforce or instill educational values while building close parent-child relationships may be increasingly effective in curtailing African American adolescents’ involvement in illegal drug dealing, and also that the instilling of educational values has lasting and positive effects well into early adulthood.

In addition to completing his master’s thesis and all required coursework one semester early, David took advantage of the Department of Sociology’s Teaching Mentorship Training Program to gain experience in the classroom.

In this program, second year master’s degree students in sociology shadow a faculty member through a course and then teach the course the following semester under the guidance of their faculty mentor. David proved to be such an effective teacher that the department has asked him to teach part-time in spring 2008. His long-term plan is to start a PhD program in fall 2008 –one close enough to allow him to continue to spend regular time with his children.

“David is one of the most driven, generous, yet balanced individuals I have ever met. He worked night and day in order to complete his master’s thesis, going beyond the level of work required of most students. He only took time off to sleep and see his children,” said Dr. Van Willigen. “David’s work has enormous implications, not only for our understanding of drug dealing, but also for our understanding of racial differences in perspectives on education and racial differences in parenting styles. He has at least three or four equally important additional projects that he plans to work on. David is committed to making a difference in the lives of youth in the Eastern North Carolina community, and I have no doubt that he will do it.”

Kenneth Keathley

Kenneth Keathley, a native of Morganton, N.C., earned his ECU MBA this past summer without ever setting foot in Greenville – taking his classes fully online while working full-time as director of marketing for Environmental Inks and Coatings.

Keathley, 32, first joined the work force after completing high school – and after several years with little progression, Keathley attended Western Piedmont Community College (WPCC), graduating with high honors in 1997. After earning his associate’s degree in business administration, he began taking online courses from Western Carolina University (WCU), graduating Magna Cum Laude with his BSBA in 2005.

Keathley soon began researching career paths and graduate school options. When he learned that ECU had an AACSB-accredited fully-online MBA program, Keathley contacted Len Rhodes, assistant dean for graduate programs, for more information. In April 2005, Rhodes drove to Morganton to personally discuss MBA options with Keathley and a group of his WCU online classmates.

After meeting with Rhodes, Keathley was impressed with ECU’s online MBA program, and Rhodes was equally impressed with Keathley – offering Keathley one of the coveted Graduate Business Scholarships, valued at $10,000 ($2,500 per semester for four semesters). Keathley was the first distance education student to be awarded this scholarship.

“Taking online classes is not easy for the instructor or the students,” Keathley said, reflecting on his experience. “To excel you have to be very aware of what taking an online class actually means. You have to be disciplined and have lots of patience.”

Keathly said he is certain that he received an excellent education from ECU. “The biggest strength of the online MBA program is the flexibility to take classes without any need to attend face-to-face classes – achieving a degree that is a true MBA and not an Executive MBA or an E-MBA. There are no caveats. It is an MBA. ECU has been everything that I hoped it would be.”

Adam Keen

An East Carolina University graduate student has been selected by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr for a new six-month fellowship focused on economic development.

Adam Keen, of Goldsboro, N.C., will serve as a staff member to Burr in his Wilmington office. He will assist with economic development initiatives in eastern North Carolina. The fellowship will begin July 2007 and will count as credit toward Keen’s master of business administration (MBA) degree in the College of Business.

ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard said, “Economic development is a key element of the university’s strategic plan. This announcement reflects the commitment of both Sen. Burr and the university to improving lives throughout the state, and we are excited for Adam Keen’s opportunity.”

As a member of Burr’s economic development team, Keen will work with local leaders to explore economic development needs and federal assistance possibilities. Keen will also analyze economic trends in eastern North Carolina and help to develop coalitions across the state.

Dr. Frederick Niswander, dean of the College of Business, said “We’re thrilled at the opportunity for an MBA student to help advance economic development in our state – providing value to the community, region and beyond. Adam is the first to receive this fellowship, so he will be a true trailblazer for the College of Business and ECU.”

Keen earned his bachelor of science in business administration from ECU in 2005 with a concentration in management. Before pursuing the MBA, he worked at his family’s Goldsboro-based business, Adam’s Auto Wash.

Keen, 24, ultimately plans to pursue a career in economic development. He said the opportunity to work in Burr’s office is an “unparalleled hands-on experience.”

“Being Senator Burr’s first fellow is an honor, and I look forward to serving my state,” Keen said. “Eastern North Carolina is my home, and I want to see good things happen here.”

Bradley Thacker and Randy See

From just one College of Business Career Services announcement, MBA student Bradley Thacker knew he had found his ideal position – a finance officer responsible for managing routine matters from monthly accruals to accounts payable.

The position, however, was anything but routine – upon signing his contract in April with DynCorp International, a U.S.-based private military contractor, Thacker headed to the company’s business office in Baghdad for a one-year period.

“I had been looking for defense contract job opportunities ever since returning from deployment with the National Guard in October 2006,” Thacker said. “This opportunity with DynCorp is a perfect fit. My job is amazing, and I’m learning so much.”

Thacker, 27, said he finds it especially rewarding to support DynCorp’s Iraq operations – which include a civilian police program (CivPol), border security advising, and personnel security detail.

Although Thacker is a long way from his hometown of Louisburg, N.C., he maintains close ties with ECU – continuing to take MBA classes online while he’s away. Plus, Thacker’s world recently got smaller when MBA classmate Randy See joined DynCorp’s Iraq team in June.

Stuart Long, finance manager of DynCorp’s CivPol Program said, “Brad has been an excellent addition to our team, and his military background is a huge asset.” Long continued, “We’re thrilled to have Randy on board now, too, and are grateful for the strong interest Career Services continues to help us generate."

“Jobs like this are tough, but the person who can sustain this level of work returns more mature with an experience second-to-none. This is a great training ground.”