More than 50 students this semester began their historic journey as the first-ever doctoral candidates at Merrimack College.
Back in April, the New England Commission of Higher Education approved Merrimack’s three-year Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program for fall 2025. It marks a significant achievement in Merrimack’s ongoing mission to enhance its academic excellence and research endeavors.
Three members of the cohort, Kristen White ’09, Joe Ruggiero M’24 and Amanda Prophett, are established and eager scholars ready to take on a new level of study.
White said returning to Merrimack is like returning to her “joy bubble.”
“When I went back for my reunion, I saw it was an entirely different campus,” she said. “While it’s gotten bigger and bigger, it still feels like Merrimack. It’s easy to be proud as an alumnae seeing the level of growth while the College keeps the foundation of what it is.”
White earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology more than 10 years ago. During her studies, she worked for the Office of Residence Life as a resident assistant and the Office of Student Involvement as an orientation leader. She even worked for the office over the summer and during the academic year in a work study job.
“I spent most of my free time in that office,” she explained.
White went on to earn her master’s in college student personnel administration from Canisius University in 2013. Up until this past summer, she served as the vice president for student affairs/dean of students at Assumption University. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at Dean College.
“I loved my time at Merrimack (as an undergrad),” she said. “There’s no question that it led me to what I’m doing now. I’ve continued to do the things I loved in college now as a career. There’s nothing I could have asked for differently.”
White admitted she never thought she’d end up pursuing a doctorate degree, but after working in higher education for years, she said she found a lot of value and insight from her colleagues who had one.
“I’ve been looking for a doctoral program for two or three years,” she continued. “I was looking for something that would fit my personal life and my career. I was in contact with Susan Marine around 10 years ago regarding her master’s program. When I saw that she was bringing a doctoral program to Merrimack, I knew it would be high quality.”
Ruggiero knows that juggling his schoolwork with his job as a Merrimack senior academic advisor will be difficult, but he said he feels prepared to take it on.
“This is going to be a challenge on time and stress management,” he explained. “I’m going to be taking on a bit more than I can chew in order to grow, and I have faith in myself that I can figure it out. The cohort is going to be a big support system and I’m looking forward to getting to know them better.”
Ruggiero spent seven years in the military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan before enrolling as an undergraduate student at Southern New Hampshire University. After serving as the head of veteran affairs in Billerica for three years, he was hired at Merrimack College and went on to earn his Master of Education from the College.
“Getting out of the military was quite a transition,” he recalled. “I found studying psychology really helped me better understand myself and how to help others – that’s my main goal. I found the theories and practices really aligned with me.”
Ruggiero has big plans for his dissertation – he hopes to research how student happiness and engagement in community directly relate to collegiate and personal success.
“I see a whole lot of things that need changing in the higher education industry regarding student success and retention,” he explained. “I feel like I need to learn high-level decision making, leadership and inquiry skills, and conduct further research on how to make these changes at the level it needs to happen. Merrimack is a prime example of a place that is doing really well, and it could be part of the innovation and change. “
Prophett said searching for a public health doctorate program for years had her a bit discouraged. One of her colleagues at Emory University, where she previously worked, suggested she try finding a Doctor of Education program instead.
“When I started looking into it, it was the same week when Merrimack announced the Ed.D. program,” Prophett. “The timing was universally aligned. I immediately started applying. The tuition was unheard of and the organizational development concentration will allow me to keep a foot in the public health world.”
Currently, Prophett oversees the public health program at Northern Essex Community College. She also runs the Solace Foundation, a nonprofit for women who suffer birth injuries. The organization provides community support groups for those affected, educational endeavors for students, and funds for further research in the field.
“(At Merrimack,) I’m excited to have mentors who have been in this space I work in, especially Dr. Elaine Ward,” Prophett explained. “She seems to be straddling the same spaces that I’m working in – nonprofit work and higher education. The opportunities for mentorship seem really robust.”
